When I talked about the club building a dynasty last year, I certainly saw both players as being part of our future and part of that golden era. In particular, I saw Feleti as a key player in our structure going forward providing the kind of X factor that would ensure opposition defences could not overly focus on stopping Jarryd Hayne.
But dynasties are hard to build - if the Melbourne Storm saga has shown us anything - perhaps it’s that dynasties don’t have a place in an NRL competition where there is a salary cap in place.
Certainly, any successful team is forced to make decisions. Certain players have to be let go. Others kept at all costs. Sometimes you make the right decisions, only for dumb luck to make them the wrong decisions. The questions for Parramatta is whether the Eels have made the right decisions to not fight harder to keep either Feleti or Krisnan.
The Alternatives
In order to keep either players, other players would have had to have been lost or not signed. In the last 12 months, we’ve made three marquee signings. Justin Poore, Jarryd Hayne and Daniel Mortimer.
It’s quite obvious that right now, Poore is being paid overs. The fact that he did not figure in representative teams over the past weekend is ample proof that right now he is not playing like a $300k+ a year prop forward. However, when Poore was signed we were going horribly - our forwards were getting dusted - and we, the fans were asking for solutions.
I still believe Poore’s signature was a positive strategic decision. With the departure of Nathan Cayless our pack in 2011 requires a strong leader up front and I’ve seen enough of Poore to think he can still take on that role. We’ve got a solid foundation up front for next year and assuming we retain Tim Mannah for 2012 as well, which is probably as far out as you can hope to plan for.
Jarryd Hayne’s signature was always going to cost us other signatures but again, it was a strategic signing. Hayne is a player you base your club around. He’s only going to get better and he can just do things that other players in the competition can’t. In my opinion, not signing Hayne would have left us with a side that would struggle to make the eight. The money had to be spent.
Finally, Daniel Mortimer. If the $250k was correct, I still believe we paid about $100k more than Mortimer should have been valued at, at this stage of his career. That figure probably would have let us keep Feleti and the club could possibly have gone forward with Mateo at six and Keating as seven.
Without question Mortimer was a gamble. However, at least we’re gambling on the right race. We need talented halves and Mortimer has talent. It’s just a matter of how quickly he can develop his game to justify the money that has been spent on him. By the end of this year, we’ll have a pretty good idea of whether Mortimer’s deal was inspired or whether it’s cost us a couple of players who might one day have been considered club legends.
Feleti Mateo
Reports have suggested that Mateo has signed a $350k deal with the Warriors, which is probably a good $100k+ over what the Eels were willing to offer. Certainly, it’s hard to argue that Mateo has not done more to date, to warrant a salary significantly more than Daniel Mortimers.
However, in the end we have the reality of supply and demand. The club would have needed to look at the players in our rosters and come up with the best balance across the park. So where would Feleti fit within that analysis.
A key element of Feleti’s value is that he can play either back row, lock or five-eighth. Having that ability to slot into six makes him valuable because you want to carry plenty of depth in your halves. However, the Eels have been able to load up in the halves and on top of starters Keating and Mortimer, they also have Robson and Humble. It’s highly unlikely that Mateo would get a start at six - that value increases for a team lacking in depth in the halves - like the Warriors.
Mateo also provides X factor. He’s a player who can create points out of nothing. An absolutely necessary part of any successful football team, but again an asset that’s greatly devalued at the Eels when Jarryd Hayne will always be the go-to man when the Eels are trying to create something.
As a backrower, Mateo gives you skill - again another necessary element requried for a top NRL side but also not something you want to overdo because you also want backrowers who will tackle and who can bust through the line. We’ve been absolutely reliant on Feleti for this spark as our other backrowers have been workman-like rather than dynamic.
However, if anything sealed Feleti’s fate at the Eels, it was surely the rise of Justin Horo. Horo looks a complete second rower if he can continue to develop - big, strapping and able to slip a pass. His form has made the need for Mateo far less urgent at the Eels. Then when you consider that Patrick O’Hanlon will likely break through into first grade next year - the only player who has matched O’Hanlon for skill in our lower grades in the last ten years has been Feleti himself - you can see we’re actually quite well off for the abilities that Feleti brings to the side.
All of which means it was always going to be a struggle to justify the money offered by other clubs and in the end that’s exactly what has happened.
Krisnan Inu
When it comes to Krisnan Inu, the club had a couple of decisions to make. It could have probably gone down the path of keeping Inu, but jettisoned Luke Burt and Eric Grothe (and/or Jonathan Wright).
On current form, it was probably impossible to stick with Inu. Burt just made his first representative team and has been week-in, week-out one of the Eel’s best players. Eric Grothe has also been consistently excellent.
Short term, it’s hard to argue that Burt and Grothe represented better value than Inu.
The question, though, is whether Inu might have been a better long-term proposition. We could probably have balanced Inu and a basic wage player like Etu Uaisele on the wings for the next two years for the same price as Burt/Grothe or Burt/Wright. Inu gives us better cover over the crucial centre position and would be in a position to take over from Timana Tahu when his contract comes to an end in two years time.
Strategically, that may have been the better call, but in the end I’m sure the club believed that retaining a club leader like Burt, who can be trusted to perform consistently was a better bet than Inu who hasn’t always performed at his peak. Maybe, though, in this case, the club didn’t make the tough decision.
Going forward - 2010
I don’t believe the signings will hurt our chances of winning the premiership. Indeed, if anything I think it will help.
There are now three very popular players who will be leaving the club at the end of the year and I’m sure the players realise they will never have a better chance of winning a premiership. We’ve beaten the salary cap this year but as it always does, the cap will come in to even out the field again in 2011.
We have fabulous depth going forward, our main competition for the title are no longer eligible and if the Eels can pull it all together through September than there is a chance now to send Nathan Cayless, Feleti Mateo and Krisnan Inu away from the club with Premiership rings.
Going forward - 2011 and beyond
A lot of Eels fans, myself included were worried about second row depth at the start of this season - especially when Weller Huaraki was released. However, the form of Justin Horo has alleviated that somewhat. With Nathan Hindmarsh, Shane Shackleton, Ben Smith and Justin Horo the club has its four top 17 second rowers - that is assuming Horo is with us next year, and surely he must now be a priority signing.
As I mentioned next year, I expect Patrick O’Hanlon to play first grade next year and it won’t surprise me if he is the next forward picked after the top four. We have enough second-row depth around Wentworthville to fill in after that, so I’m not overly worried about that position going forward.
Inu’s departure means we have to sign Jonathan Wright as a backup centre/winger. We’re probably a decent chance of re-signing Eric Grothe now but I think Wright’s probably the priority as he can cover both positions.
I’m not expecting to see a lot of change in the Eel’s roster, although I think we’ll look to pick up another mid-level prop forward around the $200k mark. I’d like to see another young centre brought into the club.
Possible side for 2011
1. Jarryd Hayne
2. Eric Grothe
3. Joel Reddy
4. Timana Tahu
5. Luke Burt
6. Kris Keating
7. Daniel Mortimer
8. Justin Poore
9. Jeff Robson
10. Fuifui Moimoi
11. Nathan Hindmarsh
12. Ben Smith
13. Shane Shackleton
14. Matt Keating
15. Tim Mannah
16. New signing (prop)
17. Justin Horo
18. Anthony Mitchell
19. Tom Humble
20. Jonathan Wright
21. Patrick O’Hanlon
22. Mitchell Allgood
23. Pele Peletelese
24. Taniela Lasalo
25. Lee Te Maari
Replies
The loss of Inu is not that great IMO. Very talented but at the end of the day he has got to pay his way, and I I have my doubts he can do it.
Mateo on the other hand can win 4 semi's in a row so he is valuable. Not only are we losing a very good player. His loss leaves the team extremelly unbalanced. Without Mateo do we have enough points in us to win a comp.
Almost if KK stays fit and keeps improving. The eels need to save some money now and focus on getting some quaility in the 9 position IMO.
You know what .... I really don't have any "oh shit" moments when I look at that 2011 side. That is a team that can win a comp with DA at the helm - no problem.
.... a marquee signing you did miss at the top of your article was Timana. Signing him was the death knell for Inu from day 1. I don't have a problem with th signing, as he is now starting to rip in, but the writing was on the wall from the moment pen hit paper.
The priority is now to lock in Horo and K Keating. These losses will be in vain if that does not happen YESTERDAY.
In Ando we trust fellow Eels fans.
Jono Wright impressed me no end in his limited appearances last year. He would be an good replacement for centre/wing. Don't forget Karl Filiga was once rated the best outside backs prospect to come through the Bulldogs. He went off the rails and has somehow found himself at Wentworthville. He is another option.
Agree on all points regarding back-row replacements. We've got some good depth.
Having said that im also gutted that we have to lose these two players because the cap hasnt given us enough room to keep.
But i called it a while back, Parra have there X factor player, i think its more important to get a strong disciplined and consistent team being fielded every week and then have the Haynes and KK and Morts run a muck in attack... playing Mateo for 30-40 minutes a game wasnt worth us paying him 350,000. Maybe if we found him a more suitable role to attack in then maybe....
Lee ta Maari, O'Hanlon, Pele, Horo are all capable forwards that can be worked into the side for depth.
What i really need to see is the money we payed for poore start to value itself. Its slowly getting there, And DM will come good.
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