Exactly that in a nut shell. CU had a good coach and everyone knocked him. Now you are finding out that he was actually ok.
Not a case if Willy is an OK gaffer or not, more or a case that the franchise had suffered two major losses, dollars wise, in the previous two seasons and changes had to be made to turn the red ink around by the Mainland Federation who run Canterbury United.
A restructure saw rolls altered, and less 'imports' in the Dragon's squad this season to save $$$ as members clearly indicated that they expected the Mainland Board turn the losses around in the coming years.
Clearly Canterbury United not the only franchise making losses so how sustainable is the current premiership model if gaming trust money reduces further.