I’m afraid (like many of our players) that McMeeken’s last good season was 2017. He’s done nothing for the last two years.
If you only see highlights of our games you might see him scoring tries late in games on the right edge, but they are usually made by Trueman who puts him through a gap without getting a finger laid on him. He can go through repeated sets without touching the ball and can often be found ‘recovering’ on the wing when we are bringing the ball out of our own half.
McMeeken is a decent player, but he’s not been worth the big money contract we gave him back in 2017. He’ll be lucky to find any club who will match his current deal.

How old is he now?

He’ll be 26 in May, so he’s not a young player with massive potential. I’m sure he has it in him to improve, but if he’s not doing it under Powell then I wonder who can get more out of him.
He’s certainly not earned a pay rise, and if he’s asking for one I think Cas will be happy to see him leave and spend that cap space on someone else. To be honest, he’s probably not worth the money he is on now, given his current deal was signed in 2017 when he looked like a world-beater.
He’s one of those players that I’d be okay with re-signing, but okay with him leaving too.

Can't say I'm proper upset by this but he will be a big miss, his defense especially. We never saw the best of his attacking form but he's always stood up to be counted in D.

There's going to be ALOT of money free'd up on the cap and we now have a chance to bring a couple of known performers from SL rather than a big money splash in the NRL.

Ben Currie is posting some impressive stats but for me just isn't doing enough to warrant the money he's on, I'd get shut of him an all.

BMM is a 13 all day long for me so I'd look to replace him with someone like Adam Milner and Currie replaced with someone like Matty Ashurst or Oliver Holmes

How much is Ben currie on???

More than Holmes or Ashurst I'd wager.

So you don't know and assume??

He has been very good this year and probably playing above his pay scale. I think many would be supridmsed at what he is on and also how much if it counts on cap. Ben crmurrie going will not free up loads of money to bring in a replacment

What is it with chasing average Cas players? First McMeeken, now Milner (penalty machine) and Holmes (nothing more than average when he plays, and that isn’t often).
At least show some ambition and chase the likes of Liam Watts. Grant Millington and Jesse Sene-Lefao are out of contract too and both are far better than McMeeken, Milner or Holmes.

What does it matter how much he earns and if it's less that what most people would think. The question here is:

Would our cap be better off if we brought in (for argument sake) Holmes and Milner, compared to our cap with BMM and Currie.

I'd be willing to bet that the wages demands of the former would be much less than the latter.

Lol you kind of state that what he is on matters in your post....and no even a post injury currie is a better option than Holmes or Ashurst!!

i think we keep currie, but we cut his money, he's been a lot better this year so far, again as i've mentioned elsewhere, if the props were punishing in the middle, the edges would be getting pulled in a bit more and the gaps that he exploits and thrives on would be there.

honestly, i can't see us releasing him

I said Currie isn't doing enough to warrant the money he's on. He could be on a grand a year, the simple fact is he's not doing enough.

And I respectfully have to disagree. Ashurst is doing a brilliant job and posts team carrying performances regularly.

Currie is improving, admittedly it’s not quick enough but then the rest of the squad aren’t exactly pulling up trees

Thought Currie looked good on Friday. Played a key role in setting up our only try and broke through a couple of times in the second half, I feel he's growing in to the season, where as last year he never really got started.

He's head and shoulders above where he was last year and I'm confident he'll be offered a new deal. His last contract was announced 6 weeks or so after his first ACL, whether it was signed before or after his injury I don't know. If it was signed after you would think the risk associated with such an injury would have been reflected in the contract offer - there wouldn't have been anyone else at that stage looking to sign him up.

It's a shame but I'm not surprised, the rumours have been there since the world cup. My biggest fear is we carry on with our recent form of recruitment, we have plenty of time to scout and broker a deal with a decent replacement and don't leave it last minute to sign a player that can't get a look in as he isn't fit.

As for Currie, his form is picking up, I think he'll get another contract.

I was talking to a friend about a lot of the current SL players who aim to play international rugby and with Tonga being expelled from the international game I said that Konrad Hurrell, Tuimoala Lolohea, Ben Murdoch-Masila would all be looking elsewhere should they aim to make the NZ side.

Or Wales?

I’d move Currie to loose and invest in 2 big class forwards.

Tonga haven't been expelled at all. It's their governing body that has. They will just operate as an Invitational XIII as they did against Australia?

Seconded.

That’s a good call

Coops and Hill are closing in on retirement and Philbin is the only top notch prop. There’s quite a list of ‘maybes’, ‘promising’, ‘released by other clubs’, ‘fitness issues’ etc

moving currie to loose would negate everything he (used to) excels at

Moving Currie to Loose would see him utilized as a Pivot. He's big, Athletic, Strong, good hands and vision. Everything you need from a 13. How would putting him at the back of the scrum negate everything he excelled at?

He used to have pace but that's gone now. 13 would be a great place for him.

A ball playing loose forward..I like that...been saying it for ages.when we had brown I'd ov shoved him there

He didn't seem to lack too much pace when he broke through vs Cas on Friday. Currie is (was) a very intelligent line runner with a good pair of hands. For me Second Row is a far more attacking position for him, rather than him being in the middle of the field.

The modern day 13 isn't a ball player, and only SO'L at the pies really fits in to that mold these days and he acts more like an extra half back. Full Back acts much more like that extra pivot in the modern game, and has evolved from a defensive position who backed up breaks, to working as an extra pivot outside of the half back. What would his role be at 13? First receiver who just ships the ball out to the half back on that side? Doesn't seem a great use of his talents?

He seems to be improving as the season has progressed, the 'Currie of old' ran great lines (Pace not always necessary) and was able to get great ball out to the centre / winger. Let Jack Hughes play 13, he's more suited to it and seems to revel in that side of the game.