Why is it so hard to understand the thought process?
Club signs players under the mistaken belief they could get rid of players like Mateo or burgess. From memory both Marty T and Walker came a year earlier than planned
When they realise that their gamble fails, to relieve salary cap pressure, they need to get rid of what was more attractive. Now considering how we were at the start of the year (I am not sure many saw how quickly Brett declined, especially considering how strong he was for us last year) the best bet was to release gutho / hiku as, at full strength, they would not have been in first grade.
Now we all know the gamble failed and we would have loved to keep one or both but you can understand the logic in the decision making