The current Top 30 has been a bit out of whack. However, we have been able to make some moves since Moses settled to start to tidy it up.
I will try to shine some light on it all and make some relatively modest predictions to help us understand where we are at moving forward.
I won't be able to help myself from writing some things that I hope will happen but realistically are unlikely.
So, We are looking at a Top 30 that consists of approximately;
8-9 players that cover Centre and Wing,
5 Half options,
3 Dummy Halfs,
7-8 Edge forwards,
& 10-12 Middles.
Obviously, there are players that cover more than 1 role and a couple covering 3.
If it was up to me I would (Reminder, this is just strictly Top 30);
Replace: Waqa, Loizu, Momoisea, Rodwell, Rein, Hodgson, JA, Davey, & Makatoa
With: Tracey, Blaize, Mataele, Moretti, Luke, Yates, Sanders, Brazell, JJBM.
Momoisea, & Rodwell, would all be welcome to find new homes as they are signed for 2 years in the top 30 squad but realistically aren't in our plans.
Davey and Makatoa would be replaced at the end of their current contracts which would add Brazell and JJBM to the top 30 from 2025 onward.
Sivo will probably be replaced with Komoalafe, R.Pensini or Apa Twidle in 2026.
We will likely hand out extensions to Grieg, Carty, Ogden, Murchie, Doorey, Simonsson and Asi.
We will likely deny Josh Hodgson his Team Option and downgrade him and Promote Meni Luke which would happen next year.
We might do the same with Mitch Rein and Jayden Yates too, who seemingly has 1 path to first grade & that's through the Dummy Half position.
So. If all of the above happens...
1. Clinton Gutherson
2. Bailey Simonsson, Sean Russell, Haze Dunster
3. Will Penisini, Blaize Talagi
4. Connor Tracey
5. Maika Sivo
6. Dylan Brown
7. Mitchell Moses, Daejarn Asi, Ethan Sanders
8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
9. Brendan Hands, Meni Luke, Jayden Yates
10. Junior Paulo, Wiremu Greig, Ofahiki Ogden, Makahesi Makatoa(JJBM in 2025)
11. Shaun Lane, Bryce Cartwright, Andrew Davey(Brazell in 2025), Matt Doorey, Jack Murchie, Toni Mataele
12. Ryan Matterson
13. J'maine Hopgood, Joe Ofahengaue, Luca Moretti
If this is what ends up happening, we actually have a fantastic looking top 30 when it boils down to it. Very good average age. No one is really past their prime except for Davey who will most likely be replaced when his current contract is up. I don't think those predictions are really too ridiculous to suggest or expect either.
I think our spine cover looks a lot better now with some shrewd moves from the front office.
Moses has his long-term successor in Sanders.
DB is one of a kind but Daejarn is a pretty similar style of player especially in defense.
Gutho is covered, finally! Tracey would slot straight in there.
Hands is a different style player to Meni Luke so I'd say that Yates would be more of a replacement if he continues to improve.
Meni Luke should really be the club's long-term 14.
Im very happy where we have settled. Very happy for JA and very excited about the next chapter. That window is WIDE open yet again.
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Replies
Moses and his flip flopping around his fucking player option for 6 months has pretty much fucked our season to date . Hopefully he can now pull his head out of his arse and get on with amending it.
If we can now only chase players because he's finally agreed on how many kings ransoms he requires then that's a real worry. Wonder how much his price rose post agreeing to terms. The week he agrees to terms he played a blinder and I jokingly said his price just went up. Probably wasn't far from the truth.
Id say we won't see Sanders wait around until 2045 , if he's any good he will get snapped up before becoming a regular.
Well the media must've been telling blatant lies and Moses wasn't going back and forth for 6 months between us Canterbury and the Tigers then ? And he wasn't auctioning himself out and Wong knows that in the real story Mitch was really just holding out until he could secure a billion dollar commitment to curing cancer for one legged orphans and reducing hunger in Africa. And here we were thinking Moses was simply money hungry.
Fill us in Wong , I'm sure you've had daily updates from the club and Mitches team updating you on the progress 😂
Dunno mate , he has history and form with the Dutch auctions so you can understand why some may think he simply wasn't happy with the terms and was still digging for gold. He did get another player option on top of the 5 years we originally were not prepared to give him. He pretty much held the club to ransom.
I heard the real reason was because Mitch waiting to see what Jake Arthur was doing as there was an offer on the table for Mitch to go to Manly but Manly preferred Jake. Once Jake agreed with Manly they took Mitches offer off the table.
We know whos writing the fairytales Wong , it's the bloke claiming to know the intimate details of Mitch Moses's private life 😂😂
" it's the bloke claiming to know"
Wiz its you that claims you have the second biggest dick in the world ......yes second Wiz, there is always someone bigger somewhere.....remember that.
PS Its not me, but you won that bet fair and square......when you get to my age and its winter time, I don't call it Tommy the Turtle for nothing....trouble is he doesn't like the warm wether either....lol
Out of the off-contract players left, Cartwright is the last one i would keep.
Out of what we have signed for 2024, i would move on Momoisea, Rodwell and perhaps Hodgson yet i think he will retire anyway.
So that leaves a top 30 of so far; Asi, Brown, RCG, Cartwright, Davey, Doorey, Dunster, Greig, Gutherson, Hands, Hopgood, Lane, Makatoa, Mataele, Matterson, Moses, Murchie, Ofahengaue, Ogden, Paulo, Penisini, Russell, Simonsson, Sivo, Tracey.
That is 25, added to that could be as you said Moretti, JJBM, Brazel, Sanders and Talagi. Matt Arthur will be on development deal and so will someone like Richard Penisini. I think we need another Hooker and a proper back-up 1. Turpin or Granville would be good for a year or so til MA is ready.
I don't think Hodgson will retire unless we can medically retire him and keep him on the coaching staff which is unlikely as he's the wrong shade and we aren't South's.
Hodgson doesn't have to retire, I believe if he wants to stay on it'll be on minimum $ and outside the 30.
Hodgson is doing exactly what they want him to do he will stay till he retires
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