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Penrith Panthers general manager Phil Gould has a plan for the western suburbs of Sydney and his club.
But after all the recent huffing and puffing regarding off-field projects, Panthers fans have been left scratching their heads after the signing on Wednesday afternoon of St George Illawarra playmaker Jamie Soward.
28-year-old Soward’s four-year deal begins in 2014 with the five-eighth destined to finish his career at the foot of the mountains.
After missing out on superstar Johnathan Thurston the Panthers have been desperate to lock up a quality pivot. Question marks still hang over Luke Walsh despite having another two seasons to run on his contract.
But is the answer Soward?
The former State of Origin number six has divided public opinion for years and many experts have criticised his style of play and his inability to inject himself into a match.
None more so than the outspoken Gould.
But necessity has won the day and Soward will be welcomed to Penrith with open arms.
“Jamie Soward is a marquee signing for the Panthers club,” Gould said via a press release on Wednesday.
“He is a tremendous talent, proven at the highest levels of our game. He also brings with him great experience and leadership qualities.
“Jamie is an outstanding role model for the youth of Western Sydney and his obvious popularity with the kids makes him a perfect ambassador for our club’s community and Junior League programs”.
Was it not ‘Gus’ who helped push Soward out the door at the Sydney Roosters when Gould was a coaching director in 2005?
Despite Todd Carney still on the open market the Panthers have gone with Soward.
The twist of fate here off course is the Panthers have opened the door for the Dragons to make a seriously big play at Carney.
It is understandable that teams in the cellar want to get out and will do anything to bring quality to their squad.
But signing players for the sake of signing them is not the answer.
Soward might improve Penrith’s kicking game but has the problem not been Walsh’s running game or lack thereof?
How will Soward improve this area for the Panthers?
The Panthers also recently picked up veteran prop Brent Kite for season 2014.
His signature comes despite Kevin Kingston, Dayne Weston, Nathan Smith and Nigel Plum yet to see new deals. Not to mention that Penrith already boast two of the best young props in the game in Tim Grant and Sam McKendry.
You can see that coach Ivan Cleary and Gould are cleaning up the roster as best they can and picking up as many “good buys” as possible.
But that isn’t good enough for Panthers fans anymore.
The kids in Penrith need a superstar they can emulate in the schoolyard.
Is Soward the man to lead Penrith into a new era?
Time will tell.
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