Would it not land us in trouble - when can you officially begin discussions with a player from another Club?
I think Devoto is a great fit for us although I can’t see why he’d leave Chiefs. In theory, a like-for-like replacement for Gopperth (in a salary sense) who is a high-earner in the squad. I think he was signed on something like £300k/season from Leinster at the time?
In theory, Umaga and Atkinson will be able to take over kicking duties and less of a reliance for a 10/12 with a genuine second choice 10 coming through in Charlie and both Miller and Mills able to cover at 10 if need be.
Malakai leaving would feel like a big loss to me. But I think is Sops goes, Malakai will go too. Supposedly, he wasn’t signed on a huge deal and is best-mates with Lima.
It’s been a real shame to not see Lima hit the consistent heights he’s capable of. He’s a really likeable bloke who seems one of life’s good-guys. Irrelevant of what he’s being paid, it’s never nice to hear something openly talk about their struggles with homesickness and getting to grips with the game up here.
Part of me hopes he stays to show us he can nail it, especially whilst we’re a squad that’s in contention for trophies. The other part thinks it’s time to call it a day and spend the money in other areas (like second row!). Love Minozzi at FB and we forget how good a fullback Miller really is when he gets a string of games. After that, we’ve got Umaga, Atkinson and Watson who can all fill in. It’s a really flexible squad.
Always a Wasp
