47MVEagle
Bencher
And also signed some 10 or 11 players from the western pathways program who:This should've been done back in 2015 when the 2005-2013 premiership crew were at the end. We supposedly had Fulton's pathways programs. Well where did that get us. We threw bags of $$$ at 3 players who've delivered fu*kall because we've put cast-offs around them for a decade.
-passed away (RIP Keith Titmuss)
-stabbed a bloke after we let Api go to invest in him (Manase)
-never got his fitness up to scratch & so was constantly injured (Schuster)
While the others never really hit any great heights & have all (apart from Olakau’atu & Saab) been moved on & haven’t proven to be stars of the game.
I think there was too much transition within our club’s systems plus the top heavy salary cap of DCE, Turbo & Burbo that has created the situation we find ourselves in today - a starstudded backline with an ordinary pack of forwards who are either out injured or only show fire & hunger occasionally.
I’m hoping with DCE going that it’s the end of Manly being hamstrung by 3 of our players taking up such a large chunk of our cap & that we can go to market & buy a good prop or two, so we can regain balance across our squad.
Lodge & TKO are in the twilight of their careers, Paseka’s hot & cold (& injured), Sipley is also hot & cold & doesn’t appear to be a natural leader & won’t ever take control of our pack IMO.