Bennett roster call puts him on collision course

** As part of a series examining every NRL roster, The NRL Economist identifies which teams are the most experienced and why some clubs actually prefer inexperienced lists.

The Sydney Roosters have the most experienced playing list with 2522 caps across their squad. In total contrast, the Penrith Panthers have less than half the Roosters caps with just 1230. Both clubs boast premiership-contending teams in 2021.

Anything above 2300 appears to be junk surplus which drains your team's salary cap, with premiership winning rosters typically exhibiting the sweet spot of around 2000 caps.

It makes this year's Roosters and Panthers a tantalising case study.

Teams that attempt to saturate their list with excessive amounts of experience frequently fail. For instance, despite the St George Illawarra Dragons having the most experienced squad in last year's competition, with 2484 caps, they managed just seven wins. In contrast, premiership winners the Melbourne Storm had just 1973 caps.

A clear divide in roster strategy between clubs has arisen. Sometimes this split even appears within the same team. For example, Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly recognises premierships are won by extracting surplus value from under-priced rookies, not overpriced reputations. Yet coach Wayne Bennett recently lobbied for the off-season purchases of Benji Marshall and Josh Mansour.

Their recruitment not just resulted in a roster loaded with veterans, but perhaps also stifled the pathways for gifted rookies such as Jaxson Paulo. The latest drama surrounding super coach Bennett's push to re-sign veteran halfback Adam Reynolds to a long-term deal will inevitably create tension with his chief executive. How Solly responds will truly show who actually controls the roster.

In contrast to the Rabbitohs, list management at the Panthers prioritises pathways for rookies by shrewdly releasing veterans. This provides enough wriggle room to upgrade newly appraised debutants. The release of James Tamou and Josh Mansour in the off-season facilitating vacancies for Spencer Leniu and Charlie Staines is a perfect example.

The roster committee, including coach Ivan Cleary, club great and director Greg Alexander, CEO Brian Fletcher and chairman Dave O'Neill, has assembled the NRL's most inexperienced squad in four seasons. The result? A young list big on talent but yet to fully mature that is ready to challenge for a title.

Other teams such as the Canterbury Bulldogs, Melbourne Storm and Gold Coast Titans have also prioritised talented rookies over veterans, creating lists with lower amounts of total experience.

This is a growing trend in the NRL. Consider that in the last five years the average number of caps per NRL squad is 2028 games, yet this season the average has dropped to 1950 caps, indicating a significant shift.

Essentially, roster management is evolving into two distinct strategies. One is obsessed with experience and the other is focused on potential.

Disclaimer: Ramy Haidar is currently employed by NRL club the Manly Sea Eagles as their Innovation consultant. You can follow him on Twitter @ramy_haidar

NRL Team	Experience 2021	Rank
Sydney Roosters	2522	1
South Sydney Rabbitohs	2321	2
Canberra Raiders	2321	3
St George Illawarra Dragons	2179	4
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks	2167	5
Parramatta Eels	2144	6
New Zealand Warriors	2030	7
North Queensland Cowboys	1990	8
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	1853	9
Newcastle Knights	1824	10
Wests Tigers	1802	11
Brisbane Broncos	1798	12
Gold Coast Titans	1783	13
Melbourne Storm	1755	14
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs	1493	15
Penrith Panthers	1230	16

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