Massive yarn.
On the game - we tried, but ultimately just not good enough. Given the amount of re-signings, our squad is pretty much 90% full for the next season, so hard to see where significant improvement will come from.
Nah. We have four significant changes to what we've seen in the last several loosing weeks. Two signings (replacing Ifill and Leo and with additional money from Lia's surely reduced-salary two year deal). And Riera and Fenton to come back from injury.
That's four out of a squad of 24 (17%) and four coming into the starting 11 (36%). So long as we can make the right signings. If Stein goes then one's an import and if not there should be plenty of funds to attract two quality non-visa players - two new senior players, as Ernie said yesterday when interviewed by Veitch on Radio Sport.
And the following year we have the option to let Brockie go and the likelihood of at least a couple of the kids being much stronger squad players, if not starting.
That's drawing a very long bow - counting Riera and Fenton? Not sure about that. Leo wasn't on a lot of money this year, and we don't really know if Lia took a significant paycut. So it's really only Ifill's spot to play around with (and Stein's if he doesn't re-sign). Not a lot of wiggle room, and we're not even finished with this season yet!
Every player starting on Sunday has a deal into next season except Steyn and Timmins. Our backups have shown up as not being good enough, we lose and the fan base says it's ok, they're only backups. Not sure I agree with the logic.
I mean Lia, Manny, Hernandez, Steyn, Cunningham, Moss, Dura, Siggy and Brockie played on Sunday. Forget who is missing, that was basically our pre-season locked in core team right there.
We have lots of pretty bad players playing currently so it's not surprising that we're a pretty bad team.
BTW - where does Muscat get in the team next year? We really jumped the gun re-signing him. He is bordering on thuggish