David Fifita

Quote: jonh "It’s WP’s time to really sink or swim.

The aim of the club was to get some parity in the wage structure.

We now, like it or not, have offloaded the players who had waged inflated by the top 5 finish.

The big concern is that we are late to party due to the uncertainty around our SL status.

Leigh quite clearly are not coming up to make up the numbers so we have another hell of a job on our hands to survive next year.

I was at the start of the year of the opinion that the 22 & 23 seasons are huge for the club going forward and could dictate our ability to develop a truly competitive team who are not perennial strugglers or a club fighting for its existence in the lower divisions.

WP now has the opportunity to place his mark on the team and there can be no references to Chester’s influence next year.

Losing Batch is a blow no doubt he’s for me finally started to live up to the promise particularly in the last 4 months.

Losing Aydin I feel is another blow ok it’s not season defining but he is a Wakey lad who has shown he is comfortable at elite level as a junior. He still has a way to go and whilst I do t think he is ever going to be a top SL star I do think he could be a perfect long term replacement for T.

We have a major rebuilding exercise to do over this offseason and it could go either way.

I’m already anticipating 23 will be tough I just hope we all get behind the team.

A key signing will be who partners Lino. Chester sold us a dream that we had finally found the controlling half we desperately needed and hadn’t had since Finn. If you watched Lino in the NRL it was clear he wasn’t that type of half. Lino is a strike half, just like Milky.

The obvious one is Gale, and I wouldn’t be against it. He has the controlling style we need and he does have a certain arrogant swagger and aura around him that we need to take that shirt. Williams is another option and whilst I thought he was outstanding for us at times he lacked consistency.

If we get the Prop recruitment right (please no more middles) and that half signing right we may just be on to something.'"

Is it certain Aydin is going?

I'm with you on Gale, I don't see what people don't see here.

Yes his pace is gone but then Finn never had any and he did great. It's his ability to read a game and as you say control it. When we played Hull Hale had very little opportunity but still created one maybe two tries from nothing.

Sure you're not getting the Gale of five years ago, I accept that, but the rest of the team is fairly young, if they follow Gale and goes where he points them then we will look far more organised. Gale is a string puller and we have missed that. Tim Smith was a lousy defender, didn't take on the line as often as he should and could be lazy but he was what made that team tick because he was surrounded by players who did all that stuff. Take the responsibility off Lino and he will be a real threat, where as now he can be a bit of a headless chicken at times.

Finally, big Dave, what a player he's been for us. Yet on the flip side he's a maverick and has done some pretty lame things through the years that have cost us dearly. If WP is a systems coach then an ageing Fifita is not a great fit, so his exit I get, it's sad but makes sense. He knows as we all should know is that the Smith/Chester team had run it's course and a radically new team needs to emerge.

It's definitely WP's make or break, he's not flush with players but he's not devoid of quality either so if he's any good he has a shot.