I'm going to say this, and I know I will get a lot of heat for it, but:-
+ I think it's time for us to cut our losses, and cut Brett Stewart from the club. He's chewing up 10% of the salary cap alone odd, and in a competition as tight as this, starting every year with that ticking time bomb starts us behind the eight ball automatically. His knees are hurting us on the field, and of coarse we know he has sullied the brand (guilty or not) off the field - he put HIMSELF in that situation - no-one else did.
+ Same can be said of Wolfman. We have a roster that is already too injury prone with players like Matai, Perry, Rose and Rodney (and I appreciate that Matai mans up, and plays through. Wolfman doesn't add enough value to warrant paying him anything over $70k odd (and that amount is primarily due to injury status).
We have players in my opinion, already able to fill the void, in Whare, and Hopoate (not right now, but probably ready next year with another full off season, and like it or not Tony Williams isn't a backline player. People should look at a player like Manu Vatuvai (poor spelling I know) to see what Tony should be like - but doing that shows how far away he is. I have no doubts that if Lyon wasn't next to him, and we had an average centre, he'd being looking mediocre (well, MORE than he currently is anyway).
Nursing players year after year just isn't viable (and that means both on and off the field).
My suggestions. Use Stewarts money to buy Josh Dugan. Then go with something like:-
01. Josh Dugan
02. Michael Robertson
03. Steve Matai
04. Jamie Lyon
05. William Hopoate (groomed on the wing, before progressing)
06. Keiran Foran
07. Trent Hodkinson
Rumours have it Brett's knees are shot. Some say he'll be coming back with much less pace. Look, the decision may be taken out of the clubs hands at any rate come September, but personally, I'm over the whole situation both on and off the park.
Farrar is doing an admirable job at any rate.