NRL Offseason Octopus - When One Domino Falls...
Go on son, go make Manly a contender.
The return of Sam Burgess to the Rabbitohs was and will be the domino to spice up our NRL summer. Throughout the Burgess to Redfern saga, I have discussed Dylan Walker's departure from the Rabbitohs as more of a sidenote without really going into any great depths about the implications of Walker's move to another NRL club.
It looks as though Walker will join the Manly Sea Eagles fairly soon after apparently asking for a release from the Bunnies. This comes after the prescription drug kerfuffle that Walker and Aaron Gray found themselves in and then the return of Burgess, effectively pushing a highly talented youngster out of the Rabbitohs. Such is the talent of Walker that a possible move away from Redfern would certainly move the interest-needle and he would make any NRL team better.
Brett Stewart said as much, basically welcoming Walker with open arms and why wouldn't you? It was interesting that Stewart, usually quite reserved with what he says - especially to the media - would answer a question about Walker's possible arrival. If you were a head-hauncho at the Sea Eagles, you'd be keen to lay down the welcome mat and get your top players expressing their excitement about Walker. Make him feel welcome, hype him up and show him some love ... which he's not really getting from the Bunnies.
Walker has played much of his NRL career at centre, where Manly have two of the best centres ever in Steve Matai and Jamie Lyon. Walker is the perfect player to take over from one of these two when their careers end, but Walker won't be signing with Manly to chill and wait for his chance; Walker will be in Manly's top-17 somewhere.
With Kieran Foran leaving for Parramatta there is a hole in the halves and Walker is one of the few players who is perfectly equipped to play alongside Daly Cherry-Evans. Like Foran, Walker loves to run the footy and he's better at running the footy than Foran thanks to superior speed and footwork. Walker has spent plenty of time in the no.6 jersey and has the passing and kicking game to have a long future there, especially with Cherry-Evans running the show.
It seems like a no-brainer really doesn't it? What makes things slightly complicated is Peta Hiku's efforts with the Kiwis, in the no.6 jersey. The Kiwis lost the series to England and a lack of polish in the halves for the Kiwis had a huge influence on this, yet Hiku showed positive signs and we must remember that he was playing alongside Kodi Nikorima/Tui Lolohea and not Cherry-Evans.
Walker and Hiku, despite slightly different styles are extremely similar players. Both are players with utility value, capable of playing in nearly every position in the backline with their go-to positions being centre and no.6.
If Manly sign Walker, all of a sudden they have an abundance of talent in their backline. Some would say too much talent although we all know how important depth is to for any NRL title-contender. Manly's backline could look something like: Stewart, Hiku, Lyon, Matai, Taufua, Walker and DCE which would leave the super-impressive Tom Trbojevic on ice.
There are two reasons why I think Trbojevic could start the season on the sidelines, if Manly snare Walker despite many NRL media jokers rolling out the 'you've gotta have him in there' narrative. First of all Trbojevic is a smart young man who will be eyeing up a long-term future at fullback once Stewart moves on and I am fairly certain that he is willing to chill in the background until then.
Secondly, last season the likes of Matai and Lyon spent a lot of time on the sidelines under Geoff Toovey thanks to injuries. While I don't doubt that they were injured, I also think that Manly's depth allowed them to rotate their older players in and out, thus looking after them for the end of the season. I'm not sure if Trent Barrett will be as kind but having Trbojevic as cover allows Manly to absorb any rest/injuries with ease as Trbojevic, Hiku, Lyon and Walker can all cover a range of positions.
If Lyon has a niggling injury for example, then Hiku can play centre with Trbojevic coming on to the wing; Manly lose nothing.
If Stewart is out injured or needs a spell, Trbojevic can replace him; Manly lose nothing.
If Taufua is injured, Trbojevic replaces him; Manly lose nothing.
If a half is injured, then Walker/Hiku/Lyon can step in with Trbojevic filling the gap on the wing; Manly lose nothing.
Another sign of Walker's departure from the Rabbitohs was the re-signing of Kirisome Auva'a who bounced back from his NRL suspension to walk straight back into the Rabbitohs' starting side late this season. Auva'a has signed on for three more years and with Bryson Goodwin also staying with the Rabbitohs, they hold on to two centres who are definitely not as good as Walker but who come at a far cheaper price.
Also adding three years to his contract was Joey Leilua who re-signed with the Canberra Raiders, as expected. We didn't see the best of Leilua last season after his mid-season move and I'm eager to see Leilua in action alongside new recruit Aidan Sezer as the Raiders shape up as a low key team to watch in 2016.
I won't explore the Russell Packer too much here as it's out of the NRL's hands and in the Australian government's hands. I will say that deporting Packer would show how silly the Australian government is.
Kudos to the Warriors for trying to poach Frank Pritchard from Hull. Pritchard was one of the Bulldogs' best this season on their left edge and he'd go well for any NRL club. This hit and miss attempt from the Warriors (Pritchard said he's a man of his word and will honour his deal with Hull) does show that they must have some salary cap space up their sleeves. Given the roster they have built for 2016, that's hard to believe.
Finally, Robbie Farah. I saw Farah x Dragons headlines pop up recently and the more I think about it, I am willing to say with some certainty that Farah will stay with the Tigers. I could be 100 percent wrong, but everything about Farah gives me the feeling that he wants to be his stubborn self and force the Tigers into a corner next season.
My prediction is that come the start of next season, Farah vs Jason Taylor/Tigers will come to a climax as the possibility of Farah playing in reserve grade looks like a reality.
Here's a few good yarns to finish with...