Whilst we seemingly have investment that has come or coming in and we've now got a D.O.R in Myler we don't have a magic wand.
The recruitment/retention has been poor since 2018 and got worse each year culminating in the club paying more players off in the last couple of years than we have done in the whole of the SL era. This has left us in what can only be described as a total mess. We have players too many players that are either no longer up to the rigours of Pro RL, too stuck in their ways to work hard, not actually good enough and no leadership qualities.
We can't hide the fact the 2024 squad is so poor with very few quality players and although we have some very good young players who are doing a great job in the interim they just aren't quite physically ready for week in week out SL.
Briscoe whilst he may not be a signing to whet the appetite, in the short term its a fairly decent move and whilst not massively improving us it at least gives us a better option out of back field and is a better option than Mc.
Hoy and Brown have also left an already paper thin squad in terms of quality, Hoy was on his way out while Smith was still HC so not a lot Myler could have done to use Hoy as a bargaining chip etc.
With Scott also missing again due HIA and Carlos as usual we are very very light in centres and Chamberlain whilst again not a signing to have us jumping for joy he is a decent player who will be able to do a good job short term for us.
The same goes for Aydin, we simply need bodies as we can't keep putting the young lads out with such weak squads to support them, it would be different if we had the likes of Ellis, Manu, Mini etc on the field but we don't and right now it's akin to lambs to the slaughter.
Whilst we have investment there is no point just blindly throwing money at players short term just for the sake of it as that is one of the reason we are in this mess as we've done that far too often and are paying for it.
We need calm and measured approach to take stock as to what's best to get us through this in the short term and also be planning 2025.
Rome wasn't built in a day and whilst I've been critical of the Smith era, I will back the club as they are at least showing signs and intent to finally makes the wholesale changes from top to bottom that have been needed. Just because there is money now available doesn't make quality signings magically appear.
Right now its about steadying the ship more than anything else which so far the club are in the process of trying to do.
