The rumblings of a potential move to the Shire for current South Sydney star Dylan Walker are growing louder by the day.
The fact that Souths are moving heaven and earth to accommodate Sam Burgess, combined with an offseason incident, mean Walker may be looking for another club.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan has publicly admitted that he will “take a look” should Walker be given permission to talk to other clubs, and I have no doubt the Sharks would go all out to sign the 21 year-old former Kangaroo.
The Sharks have not so quietly recruited a side capable of doing some real damage next season, but still look a strike weapon short of a genuine premiership tilt.
Dylan Walker would provide that strike weapon should he move slightly south to the Sharks.
Cronulla can boast two of the best young talents in the game in Valentine Holmes and Jack Bird.
Holmes is likely to start the season on the wing, where he top scored for the Sharks. He may also fill in at fullback if given the chance.
Jack Bird, despite talk that he will start the season at fullback, is likely to play centre. Perhaps I will be proven wrong, but Flanagan “has” to work Barba and Holmes into his side, and neither present the dangers at centre that Bird would.
The thought of Bird and Holmes combining on a wing would make any Shark fan smile. There are plenty of tries down that side, and it’s tough to think of a better young combination.
Unfortunately the other centre position may be the Sharks achilles-heel.
Gerrard Beale and Ricky Leutele are both very solid options, however neither have troubled the competitions top scorers in the past few seasons.
The difference between a possible top four side and a premiership winning side is there can be no weakness.
I wouldn’t say either Beale or Leutele present a weakness, but I’d also say they do offer less in attack than Jack Bird.
Dylan Walker would add another genuine strike centre to the Sharks backline.
His 33 tries in his 62 first grade games presents a much higher try scoring percentage than any of his potential competition.
Given his talent he probably did not enjoy the most productive 2015, but his efforts in Souths 2014 premiership charge cannot be forgotten.
He wouldn’t have been out of position in the Dally M team of the year, and earned four end of year test jerseys.
Add to the situation the fact that Walker has played NRL at both fullback and five-eighth, his stocks rise yet again.
In modern day rugby league, squad depth, is more important now than ever before.
Premiership sides are often sides who have the best luck with injuries. Obviously there are many other factors, but I can’t name a premiership side in the modern era who played a season with a heavily depleted squad.
Walker would obviously start at centre wherever he ends up, or if he stays at Souths, but his versatility would tick another box.
A lot can happen between now and round one, but looking into my crystal ball, if Walker was to become available, I’m willing to bet Flanagan and the Sharks would take more than just a look.
I have to admit I am struggling to accept the fact a South Sydney forward has signed for the Panthers for the 2017 season, reportedly before he even returned to pre-season training for 2016.
For those who missed it, young Souths forward Chris Grevsmuhl has reported signed a deal to head west, as part of Souths efforts to make room for Sam Burgess.
You can’t fault Souths, they needed to move a player on to fit Burgess. You certainly can’t blame the Panthers, who have picked up a brilliant young player.
Grevsmuhl should shoulder no blame, he is looking after himself and his career.
That doesn’t make it right, or acceptable.
Talks of teams talking to Jack Bird, who has two seasons left on his Sharks contract, are insanity.
For one, he should be worried only about 2016 for the Sharks, and clubs should be focused on 2016, not 2018.
The solution? Simple…
Make it so that players cannot talk to other clubs until round one of the season their contract ends in.
12 months is more than enough time for a club to shape their roster. It’s more than enough time for players to plan their future, and it will stop players signing contracts multiple years before their current deal ends.
The Taupau situation set a horrible precedent. Players who want to leave the club can just sign contracts for another side, years in advance, and then pressure their club to release them early.
I’m not saying that is what happened here, it could be though I guess, but it’s an uneasy feeling as a fan, thinking that a player may sign elsewhere despite having more than a year on their current deal.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who is a little worried about the prospect of Channel 9’s Dave Gyngell gaining control of the NRL.
This is the man who believes fans will accept delayed, standard definition coverage on Sunday afternoons.
He, understandably, is all about maximising Channel 9’s use of the NRL. I’m sure he’d change his tune a little if given the top job, but it’s hard for a zebra to change its stripes.
Although the move probably makes sense, after all he has been running the NRL for a few years now anyways…