It may only be July (coming into August) but each and every team is already looking to their 2022 seasons and beyond. It's the nature of the rugby league beast.
Nothing can turn around a team's fortunes as quickly as an aggressive, successful recruitment drive.
In reverse, nothing can stunt a team's forward momentum, or even send them backwards, like losing a string of important players without bringing in replacements.
This season we saw a number of big name players off contract. Unfortunately we've also seen players released due to a variety of reasons.
Teams have been busy shaping their rosters for next year on both the signing and re-signing side of things. We take a look at the five teams who had lead the way... to date:
1. Canterbury Bulldogs
With all due respect to the current Dogs roster but to say they needed an urgent and substantial overhaul is putting it lightly.
I wrote that they've taken some massive risks with their signings but they're in a position where that was dictated. It's all or nothing for the Dogs in 2021 but in terms of talent, I LOVE IT!
The Dogs have immediately fixed the following positions: Fullback, wing, five-eighth, centre, prop, lock/second row.
In terms of names they've added speedster Matt Dufty, the best winger in the game in Josh Addo-Carr, a potential star centre in Brent Naden, future Origin certainty Matt Burton, and two marquee forwards in Tevita Pangai Jr and Paul Vaughan.
All of those players, Burton aside, come with a history and some degree of risk, but no team has given their side a makeover quite like the Doggies.
They'll likely finish last in 21 after celebrating avoiding the spoon in 2020 but given their recruitment drive they look far more like a top-eight certainty next year.
They still look a nine short but have proven they'll offer big money and take risks where required. Would be hard to bet against them finding an option.
In terms of pure quality I can't remember a turnaround like this in the space of one season. Brilliant stuff from the Dogs brass.
