We've lost our last 2 grand finals because we didn't have strong halves (7) who were even somewhat close to the best ones running around at that time.
We've all bemoaned the last 8 years and been hoping for something to change. We've picked up a few good players but nothing will change greatly, until we significantly improve our 7. Even with his history of fading in big games Moses is still clearly the best available, those who are better are locked up. We already tried Hunt but the Dragons were smart enough to keep him. We can say Moses is too expensive, well that's market rates and it won't change in the next 3 years anyway.
Nathan Cleary is a generational talent who will be remembered like A Johns at least. He's also incredibly rare as 7s don't come along so young and inexperienced and then immediately play at an elite 7 level. There's not an army of Nathan Cleary clones waiting to be snapped up in the lower grades so lets move on from that idea.
There are no guarantees of a grand final win, but we have 2 options to give us a much better chance of winning one in 2024 or 2025.
1 We sign Moses who is available.
2 We kidnap Cleary, bring in a plastic surgeon to reduce his chin and make him look like Flanno and then we send him out as the new Flanno.
Otherwise, we'll be having these same conversations about our lack of recent success for the next 4 or 5 years.
>We've lost our last 2 grand finals because we didn't have strong halves (7) who were even somewhat close to the best ones running around at that time.
Our halves then had NO playmaking ability even with the best forward pack and the best FB in 2012 and a strong forward pack in 2014. That's why Des had the forwards doing the playmaking because our halves were shite.
It's different this time because Burton is far superior to our halves in 2012/14.
>Moses is still clearly the best available
He's not available until 2024. Who else will be available?
>He's also incredibly rare as 7s don't come along so young and inexperienced and then immediately play at an elite 7 level
Cleary won his first GF at 24.
Turvey won his first GF at the same age, Sterlo at 21, Stuart at 23, DCE at 22, Morris at 22, Alexander at 25, Langer at 26, Hasler at 26. Even Pearce of crap won a GF at 24 but that sort of doesn't count because he was a liability in a stacked chooks side. Chad Townsend at 25 but he was carried by Maloney.
A HB winning a GF in his early to mid 20's has been done a number of times.
