@BOZO you overrate these guys IMHO.
AFB is a good player, but will take half a season and a few wins to have any positive impact on this team. He is not at the level of Taupau who actually makes things happen. Not close. Maybe in 2 years?.
Lord Perrett LOL you are kidding me that he bends the line. The only thing he bends is his elbow when he is standing there flat footed trying to push a pass. Well overweight. Pass.
That missing cap money would buy us 2 players - slotted into the current squad might lift us to 12th.
The problems at this club are far far far deeper than the above. You can't solve dispirited play, disorganisation, weak resilience, poor structure, and lack of talent by simply adding a couple of players. Most of these problems are related to coach, but there is a distinct lack of talent too.
Yesterday exposed all of that. The Parra game turned out to be a smokescreen. They would have won by just as much if they had executed better. Like Souths they had a structure, and were barnstorming all over Manly and burying this team with lack of impact in their own side of the field.
Mark was right, it will be a long season and we have to think of small victories like avoiding the spoon, blooding some new players, and taking some big risks (like Sacking Barrett and Cartwright effective immediately).
No matter what this team does they are not making the eight, so the focus should be experimentation with a view to next year and beyond.
NYEagle