Curtis Mulherin coming through is signed until 2029. He'll be 21 in his final year. So given the length of Manuleleua's extension, Manuleleua may give way to Mulherin's full time access to the weekly squad, assuming he leaves the club after 2028
These are exactly the type of circumstances that help create an elite system. Mulherin will likely be capable of FG footy within 12 months based on his current output in Cup. But will need to aim to a much higher standard if he is to get access to FG given the depth we have in the backrow.
Its what made the Australian cricket team so elite in the 90s and 2000s. Shield cricket had elite players like Hodge and Love, even Mike Hussey was stuck there until his mid to late 20s - if the bar wasn't set so high to get into the 1st team, perhaps those types of players wouldn't have reached the heights they did. Depth/competition begets performance
