Despite being a premiership winning halfback, at 27 years of age, Pearce still has a lot to prove before he can be considered a worthwhile investment. Not only off-the-field but on the field he's struggled through out his career and his ability to read the defence and call the play is underwhelming for an Origin veteran.
Brooks has been so poorly mismanaged that he's no longer on the Blues radar. When players like Reynolds and Hodkinson are considered above you, there needs to be some soul-searching. I haven't given up on him and still believe he's the best Blues playmaker coming through, just a question of whether he'll receive the support he requires.
We've seen the best of what Ben Hunt can offer. He's got some strong points, but his skill-set is among the weakest in the NRL and he relies far too heavily on intuition. Bennett has tried his best to groom him into a game-manager, but it's in these moments where Hunt has come up with the biggest mistakes. Hunt needs to succeed on his own terms, particularly in defence where he was among the worst in the NRL. The Broncos shouldn't have to 'settle' for him, Hunt needs to return to his natural game, remind the club of what he's capable of and the rest should fall into place.