I can't see the point of BJ into the back row, even if he plays a middle third role like Choc used to. We have backrow options coming out our wazoo, prop is where we are light on so can't see the sense in moving our most experienced prop (outside of Mason) from that spot to a position we have plenty of coverage in. If Vave and Turbo deliver the goods then yes let's consider it, but until we are sure we have 4 solid front rowers who can go the distance then we need Lawrence in the engine room.
My starting line up would be
Starling, Ballin, Lawrence, Lui, Symonds/Mateo, Ferris
Bench: Mason, Mateo/Symonds, JSL, Horo/Vave
Don't mind who starts out of Symonds and Mateo, they will play a similar type of role I would imagine, although Feleti will play closer around the ruck so he might be a better sub option for Lui off the bench. Ballin and Ferris will play 80 minutes you would imagine, but the beauty of Mateo is that he can cover that ball playing role of Buhrer/Gifty and that allows us flexibility with Ferris to 9 for Ballin if we need to change it up.
I know a lot of people will like to see Mason start, but I really think he will give us that lift we need off the bench when a little bit of the sting has gone out of the game. We will get more miles from him as well if we keep him on ice and away from that softening up period. His experience and enthusiasm coming into the game after 15 - 20 minutes will give us some good impact I feel. Leave BJ and Starlo to do what they did quite admirably all year I reckon. We got owned early in some games late in the season but there were a lot of other factors at play other than softness of jersey 8 and 10.
The last bench spot is an interesting one, Vave offers size over Horo so if he goes half decent in trials then maybe he gets first shot. Horo was a little disappointing this year for mine, just didn't seem to have the line bending/breaking going on that he had in 2013. We do need someone to pick up the slack in workload that Choc's departure will leave, that is most likely to fall to Lui or Horo I reckon, as the other backrow options are more fringe type forwards.
Anyway I don't think we are markedly worse off for next season than we were this year. Gifty hardly played and Mateo on his day is as good an option, Mason is as equally experienced and solid as Kingy, so that only leaves Choc's hole to be filled (Brad Arthur may be doing that as we speak 😉 ). Big shoes to fill on the field but if the team dynamic and morale is better without him off the field than maybe we are a net win in that instance.
