âWent all inâ: Southsâ recruitment slammed as âageing rosterâ behind Demetriou implosion
Mark St John from Fox Sports
There are fears that changing Southsâ coach wonât do anything to help their on-field results because the club has shot itself in the foot with recruitment for far too long.
They recently signed an untested 22-year-old halfback from the Super League when they let their club captain Adam Reynolds leave in 2021 because he was too old and three years later he is still dominating for the Broncos.
Lachlan Ilias was lauded by Demetriou as potentially the best halfback the club has ever produced and now he has been given permission to negotiate with rivals.
And the club has failed to reinvigorate an ageing pack that has seen them concede a whopping 250 points in just eight games to start the 2024 season.
Braith Anasta questioned if Southsâ recruitment is behind Demetriouâs poor recent record, which led to his sacking.
âHave they made the right decisions there, though? I think we should delve a little bit deeper into recruitment,â Anasta said on NRL 360.
Brent Read agreed Souths have been poor in recruitment recently.
âWell, no, they havenât,â Read said.
âTheyâre short in the middles. Junior Tatola is out at the moment, but theyâre desperately short on middles.
âThey didnât need to go on so on half. They should have gone on the front row from somewhere.â
The Daily Telegraphâs Dave Riccio found it damning that Souths didnât make a play for Addin Fonua-Blake.
âI found it interesting they made no serious play for Addin Fonua-Blake,â Riccio said.
âHe would just walked into that South Sydney pack and change the entire dimension of how they look as a footy team.
âAnd with the retirement of Burgess or moving on of Burgess, it does leave questions on where they move next as far as recruitment in the forward pack because thereâs just no ready-made replacements on the open market.â
James Graham found the signing of Jack Wighton curious because he wasnât even coming to play in his preferred position.
âEven with the acquisition of Jack Wighton, who I think has been Souths best player, but that was a surprise signing,â Graham said.
âTheyâve got Campbell Graham and Isaiah Tass in the centres. Theyâve got the style of player that Jack Wighton is.
That, for me, was a straight... Itâs great, brilliant, but I thought, oh, thereâs going to be some players moved, but nobody did.â
Anasta believes Souths have been hurt by paying big contracts to ageing spine players that have lost form, which sparked debate.
âThey went all in too on Cody Walker and Damien Cook as well,â Anasta said.
âBig deals, upgrades, extensions at the age of 32.â
âBut at the time they were going well,â Riccio countered.
âAnd you run the risk of losing them and you start all over again.â
âThey were playing well and you have got to roll the dice in recruitment I get that, but it hasnât really paid off, has it?â Anasta said.
Like, when you look at it back... Itâs all great in hindsight. I get it. Iâm not disagreeing. But you canât say itâs been a success either though.â
Dave Riccio believes the constant media circus around Latrell Mitchellâs form has been a distraction.
âThereâs so many elements at play here, at times they look like an ageing roster,â Riccio said.
âAt times, theyâre completely bereft due to injuries and suspension.
âThe constant headline and speculation over Latrell Mitchellâs performances and future at the footy club.
âHis commitment to the club. I think thereâs a myriad of issues that have held this footy club back.â
However, Anasta believes Souths need to stop relying on their junior pathways and be more active in the player market.
âI think theyâre struggling with their development and pathways there at Souths,â Anasta said.
âI think the S.G. Ball didnât make the finals. The Matthews Cup didnât make the finals. Their Jersey Fleg came sixth.
âTheyâve had Taaffe, Ilias and Peter Mamouzelos, who are the next biggest things who won the S.G. Ball.
âTheyâre arguably the best spine in their age group who have not gone on to bigger and better things, which they assume would.
So, thereâs an obvious issue there. South Sydney, I played in the junior system there, was always the best.
âSuch a great breeding ground for talent. And I just feel like they need to make moves like Melbourne and the Roosters, because they kind of lean and depend on their juniors a lot.â
Source:
www.foxsports.com.au