This blogs stems from other thoughts I posted on the Jennings blog, and it is increasingly looking like that 2016 is really going to present an unprecedented opportunity for Parramatta to have a title tilt.
If you add Jennings to our roster, we have a backline that includes three rep players, one high quality NRL player and a very talented young outside back. It's not the best in the game, but it's good enough to win a Premiership.
We have TWO very high quality halves. It's super difficult to keep two elite halves on the books and with Foran and Norman we have a halves combination as good as any. Both are experienced, are coming off strong seasons and should be able to hit the ground running.
We have a forward pack that I believe is in the top four in the comp. We've managed to bring in experience in Scott and Watmough, but we've still got a heap of young, talented forward like Tepai and Paulo. We have a great hooker and good depth in that area.
In short, if you add Jennings, we pretty much have a complete roster.
It's already looking like it might be difficult for us to sustain that. Paulo is rumoured to be on the way out and we're looking at sizable upgrades on the likes of Norman and Peats. We have Semi coming to the end of a contract, where he will almost certainly vault into the elite bracket on his next pay-packet. We've got young players who if they mature as we expect, will be demanding big increases the following year. Wicks has proven his worth and will be in line for an upgrade. At the same time, we have significant cap invested in players who will be another year older with their careers tailing off.
In short again, I'm not confident 2017 and 2018 we are going to be able to maintain a roster that is comparable to this year's roster. Now, we may get lucky - some of our young brigade like French, Twal, Alvaro, Pauli may develop and we are able to replace outgoing players with comparable replacements but you can't bet on that.
2016 appears to be our best shot at doing something special, and that's even without factoring in that we will playing out of ANZ for a couple of years, and we all know our record in that regard.
So to my mind, next year is shaping as one of those years you all to seldom get. When you've landed some great young or cheap signings and you're subsequently cheating the cap fairly by paying unders on key players. If that means we have to back-end a signing and realise it may leave us in a worse situation beyond next year, well I'm probably of the mind that it's a risk worth taking.
Replies
Im not sure if we will be stronger this year than in 17 and 18, i actually think we are slowly building something solid and Foz is the type of guy that attracts good talent but i agree we NEED to get jennings, i actually think he would balance us out, he is exactly what we need to put strike power in our centres, we need to get this done.
Jennings imo would give us the best recruiting of any club this year.
BA needs to harness in on his time with Belly at the storm.
Filled key positions - check
Strong ethic and training practises - check
Now if we lose mid range players to upgrades, find role players that do a job and fit into our system
Okay, rant time. Anyone who thinks we have the best side on paper is delusional. Yes, our side this year is a massive improvement over last years side but I am not even sure we will make the 8 because everyone else around us has improved.
Look at everyone else who finished near us last year. Manly's forward pack has improved astronomically, The Raiders have one of the most underrated halves in the game with Sezer, The Panthers won't be as injured and purchase Hiku and Merrin and the Dragons have a improved all round.
You say we have 3 rep players in our backline but we don't. If we get Jennings we will have one representative player in it. Gordon played origin 6 years ago so he doesn't count and unless you have played for Australia, NZ or in SoO you aren't a rep player, so Semi Radradra doesn't count. As for our halves, whilst I agree they are both very good we are lacking a dominant kicker and Foran didn't have a strong season at all last year. If he had one, Manly would have made the 8, but they didn't. I know a lot of Manly fans, I grew up in the Northern Beaches, and they where all bitching about how crap Foran played last year, and giving me shit about how he was going to continue the down-spiral with us. Now I don't think that is going to happen, but I do think it will take time for our halves to gel.
Now onto our forwards, everyone in the other thread was shitting on Paulo about how he is useless and overrated, but in this thread he is suddenly one of the best forwards in the comp? Seriously guys? Also our forward pack is solid at best, since most of our forwards are solid. I can name 4 forward packs that are better than ours off of the top of my head. Manly, Roosters, Bulldogs, Panthers and Cowboys.... that's five oops. And whilst I love Peatsy, he really needs to play more games, because he is useless when he is injured, which he is a lot.
So, TL;DR people on this forum need to wake up. We will be lucky to make 5-6th, we are not going to nearly be pushing it for a premiership. Our side isn't the best side on paper ever, stop pretending that it is.
Just to make clear, at no stage did I say we had the best team on paper and I don't think anyone has said that. Brisbane, Cowboys and Roosters clearly have the best teams on paper to my mind. However, the point is if you're good enough to make 5th - 6th, which I agree is where our roster stands, you can win a Premiership. There are literally two games between winning a premiership and finishing 6th. I think we have some X-factor and toughness that would allow us to cause upsets in those two games, so winnning a Premiership as even the sixth best team is certainly not our of the question.
X2 said a 1000 times and been saying it for weeks.
Quite simply on paper we are NOT a top 4 side, BUT if we manage to snare a Jennings type player then I FEEL quite confident that:
1, We have a side capable of locking in a top 4 spot.
2, BA might just get the boys to lift to the required levels.
I think we will finish the regular season around 6th. Whole new competition once the finals start so anything is possible. Definitely more confident of finals footy in 2016 rather than hopeful.
I'm happy with the squad we have, personally not keen on Jennings, big DH and not the sort of character I would like at the Eels. Hoping the club keeps Junior, sure they will do what they can. Need some TPA's, this is the area where we need to improve so we don't have such difficulty trying to attract/retain our players.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 9 Next