Hamster Huey said:
It is an extraordinary situation we find ourselves in, since the application of a Salary Cap during the NRL era. Never has a club been able to match the stability of our playing groups that we've seen since re-introduction.
I have no fear whatsoever of a bunch of senior players getting ready to exit. Right now, we are already grooming the youngsters for such an event. Giving them lots of advise, support, experience from the older heads.
That's why we have Hiku, Trbojevic, Gutherson, Buhrer, JSL, etc. all waiting on the wings to gain more experience and a permanent spot once the others exit.
Right now, the young kids are not at that level yet. That's why they have to wait in the wings to keep Manly always on top. Just because the kids have a few good games, it doesn't mean they are the same class as the older crop.
You may not remember how long our local junior, Max Krilich had to wait in Reserve Grade until another local junior, Freddy Jones decided to retire.
KRILICH could have gotten a first grade spot in any other club, but he waited and got better and better. He eventually went on to become the test hooker and Captain Australia and Captain of Manly. When he retired, he still played over 200 first grade games.
We can't dismiss the best players just because they are getting older. They would still outplay the kids because they ARE the best right now. Would Lockyer play in lower grades just because he got old? Allan Langer? Bobby Fulton?
Would other kids want to come to Manly if we didn't have the older stars to attract them to be an apprentice and learn from?
We are lucky we have a host of awesome players with lots of experience and still on top of their game. Players like Matai, Lyon, Choc, Stewarts, Ballin, etc. Should any kid leave, we'll have others to fill in. Always have.
I'll be the first to tell the older players to retire if they weren't producing the results on the field. But right now, they ARE the best players and we want to field The Best, not "possibly best in the future".
Furthermore, they give each other a warm and fuzzy feeling to be together. Why not keep them together to keep that buddy-love going?
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