I think this could be a different issue to just normal injury cover. Whoever is picked to replace
Barney is going to be there for the whole year (assuming no injuries). That's at least 12 games excluding possible finals and bye training. That is a lot of time to improve week in, week out. So really here we are deciding on a much bigger change.
So this is how I see our options (in order of what I'd prefer):
Moving Marata to prop with Leka and Laban sharing second row.
+ Would give
Laban a lot of NRL-grade reps.
+ Gives us some "Katoa"-level aerial threat, which I think needs to exist when you have two halves sharing the kicking.
+ He will get better quickly.
+ He has already played a bit, even in a big arena with the All Stars. So he will settle in quickly.
+
Marata IMO is a better prop than
TSS,
Bunty and
Ale.
-
Metcalf isn't being given time to get used to an edge. Centers swapping out, now second rowers are coming and going. To make it a 50/50 (could be 65/35 if we make it a three-second-rower rotation, each getting 55-65 mins). That is a lot of strain on any half.
- Having two inexperienced second rowers will make it harder to move
Capewell to center if an injury happens, as that might be overdoing it – asking two inexperienced players to do more minutes than they were expecting.
Moving Ford up into the starting 13 with TSS going onto the bench.
+ Would give
TSS a lot of NRL-grade reps.
+
TSS is a workhorse and is very much based on the
JFH style of player. A real wrestler.
+ He will get better quickly.
+ He looked at home against the Dolphins. Nothing like other rookie props I've seen.
+ He is 21, the same age as
Vaimauga. If he thinks he can get that engine to do this week in and week out, I back him.
- The hard and easy part about rookie props is that you're meant to give them a couple of first-grade games to adjust. Only a few freaks can handle that kind of punishment week in, week out this early in their career. So although he did great on his debut, I feel like doing it for 14 weeks minimum would burn him out.
- With the above, you'd be asking him to do fewer minutes and therefore asking
Ford,
Vaimauga and
JFH to do more – plus any other prop who comes in to fill a role.
Putting in the old guard (Bunty or Ale; my preference would be Ale as I think he has a higher ceiling).
+ Very consistent.
+ Changes very little for set plays and combinations.
+ Safe – just very safe.
- They will improve with more reps but not massively or very fast.
- Any improvement gained/combinations started won't be used in 2026 outside of possible injury cover.
- These guys are still fundamentally useful as normal injury cover. The prefect injury cover is guys who are safe and consistent. The two above aren't that kind of player.
