I think it's fairly obvious we're not getting bang for our buck with regards to our 2 "Marquee" signings. Our better performers have been Gelling, Mamo and King recently (apart from Gelling the other night!) who I would suggest are way down the pay league at Wire. I get the feeling that to be on marquee money you have to be a marquee player mentally and our 2 are just not up to it. I'm sure Andrew Johns wouldn't allow himself to be portrayed as someone who's not earning his money! Marquee players should be mom every other game at least! I would scrap the marquee player and just pay your better players a bit more than others within the cap as it's probably causing some unrest among the group.

What did/do we need in a half-back partner for Austin and for the team in general?

I would suggest:

Good organiser, dominant vocal style
Good kicking game
Good passing game

We didn't need another flashy, running half putting out spectacular passes and impossible plays.

For what we spent on Mr Marquee we should have gone for Luke Gale, and we'd have had a few quid left too.

Widdop has an NRL GF winner's ring ...

Perhaps money spent on marquee players would have bought us half a dozen decent players who would give 100% every week.

Probably but as you could only spend the salary cap counted money, not the “over and above” money you would be lucky to get 2 rather than the 6 you speculate.

We need daz Clarke on the marquee roster as soon as one is available. He has earnt it and is one of the few in superleague that the NRL clubs could come sniffing around.

I would imagine DC is on a hefty whack already.

I don't think lack of effort has been a problem since Price has been here.

When it comes to being committed, together, putting in a shift, the Price era has probably been the best since the Brian Johnson era.

The problem has been a stale, predictable attack, lack of star power, lack of ability to break down other teams. The problem with these underperforming marquee players is that they haven't helped that, or in Austin's case, he has done it sporadically.

none of the marquee money has been is worth it these last few years.

i would rather it was spent on some massive forwards

Our recruitment has always been hit and miss for the last 5/6 years, it’s a reoccurring theme.

Once again I'll repeat... Don't waste the marquee money on players. Spend it on a coach and his staff.

Seeing matt prior in the last 2 rounds of the cup I wish we had managed to get him signed last season. Wasn't great early doors but he's the sort of player we are missing.

We just need a quality prop or 2. Sick of saying it.

Agree RD, but there aren't too many around - even if we throw big money.
Probably our best prop signing in recent years who was not on big money initially was Chris Hill, but they don't come around too often.
Harrison and Wood are up there too.

Obviously Mos and Carvell - but they were well established.

Maybe the London Brocos guy can turn good.