WHO'S going to score the tries?
That's the question Newcastle Knights fans might well be pondering after club officials revealed last week their interest in expediting the departure of winger Dominic Young, providing a mutually acceptable swap deal can be negotiated.
As has been widely reported, the 21-year-old English flyer has agreed to join Sydney Roosters at the end of this season, although there has still been no official confirmation of any deal from his new employers.
That the Knights would attempt to turn a negative into a positive is perhaps no surprise.
As Knights CEO Philip Gardner explained: "We're open to anything that can make the club stronger."
Director of football Peter Parr said all options that would potentially "value add" to the playing roster would be considered.
Fair enough. No harm in asking.
Perhaps the Roosters might have had a player who was surplus to their requirements and was interested in taking up a deal with the Knights for the next two or three seasons, which would amount to a win-win outcome for all parties.
Newcastle, in particular, are keen to bolster their pack, but by all accounts the Roosters weren't willing to release any of their forwards barely a week before the season kicks off.
The Knights then apparently made some inquiries about whether premiers Penrith would be interested in signing Young as a replacement for injured Taylan May. The player in Newcastle's sights was reportedly back-rower Scott Sorensen, who has played off the bench in the Panthers' back-to-back grand final triumphs.
Again the Knights received a "thanks, but no thanks".
Newcastle's desire to augment their forward rotation is understandable. Coach Adam O'Brien would know better than anyone the various strengths and weaknesses of his squad.
A workhorse like Sorensen would presumably stiffen the Knights up defensively, but for every action there is theoretically an equal and opposite reaction.
Young has scored 18 NRL tries in 26 games for Newcastle, including 14 last season, the same number as the man on the opposite flank, Edrick Lee, who has since joined new franchise the Dolphins.
So between them, the two towering flankers scored 28 of Newcastle's 70 tries last season. That's 40 per cent, by the way. If Young was to follow Lee out the back door, who else can provide that type of strikepower?
To put it in context, before Young and Lee, the last Newcastle player to score 14 tries in a season was former NSW Origin representative James McManus (19) back in 2013.
Indeed, other than Young and Lee, there have only been eight players in the Knights' 35 seasons who have scored 14 or more tries in a season: Ashley Gordon, Jamie Ainscough, Darren Albert, Owen Craigie, Timana Tahu, Brian Carney, Akuila Uate and McManus.
The point being that these type of players are few and far between.
Maybe Enari Tuala, who scored 11 and 13 tries respectively in his first two seasons at Newcastle, could step into the breach.
Perhaps new signing Greg Marzhew, after 15 tries in 25 games for Gold Coast, can have a breakout season.
Veteran Dane Gagai, who has scored 11 Origin tries in 12 games as a winger for Queensland, could potentially do a job.
But it's hard to imagine how any of them can be a more dangerous weapon than Young, who stands two metres tall, weighs 107 kilograms, is rated one of the fastest players in the NRL and has long since discarded his L-plates.
There is, of course, more to wing play in the modern game than just getting across the stripe. Fielding bombs and grubbers, carting the ball out of the red zone and defending effectively are all vital tasks.
But you still need tries to win games, and Dominic Young has shown an invaluable ability to deliver them.
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