Quote: Sal Paradise "My issue will JJB is against top sides he doesn't hit - he get driven back in the tackle too easy - I agree re his willingness but that isn't enough to compete anymore. He would be a casualty of the need for culture changeOn Buderus he was amongst the best last night - but McShane will not develop if he doesn't get game time - something he seems to be getting less and less of.
I would make Buderus assistant coach next year and see how he goes - it can only be an improvement.'"
To be honest, if it's culture you want to change, a shift to onew in which the attitude of people like JJB was prevalent would be no bad thing.
On squad building, if the young backs we've got coming through can stay fit then I think we've got a dangerous backline. Maybe another centre wouldn't go amiss, but only if you can bring in something that's a real improvement on what we've got. If we were to stick with the likes of Hardaker, BJB, Watkins then some experience and leadership could be worth looking at (NB, this needn't mean a 35 year-old Aussie). I wouldn't say no to a change of scenery at half back, which is no criticism of McGuire or Burrow (it'd be McGuire I'd keep) - I rate both and I'm not jumping on the Burrow-slating bandwagon - but perhaps a new direction is needed. An organiser with a really good kicking game.
In the pack we have plenty of youth, plenty of OAPs (relatively) but perhaps a change of personnel is needed. If Singleton, Pitts, Amor and Ambler etc can realise their potential and be ready to be regulars next year, then no problem. If they need another year of being rotated then we may need to bring some new faces in. I might argue that Hauraki has been useless and has a lot to prove to a lot of people for the rest of the year, Kirke may now have outlived his usefulness (and he has been more useful than some would like to admit) and there are questions over whether Ali's body will still do what he used to do (if he can get 100% fit I'd keep him in a heartbeat, but he hasn't been fully fit for a very long time).
In all cases, I don't like change for change's sake, so any of the above are reliant on being able to bring the right quality in. Also, should a really top-class player become available at the right price in any position, it's always worth looking at.