Rugby league legend Peter Sterling fears the Wests Tigers are bound for another year without finals next season in a stinging assessment of Michael Maguire's side's 2020 campaign.
The NRL's perennial underachievers suffered another year in pain, finish the 20-round regular season in 11th-place with seven wins, marking the ninth straight season in which the once-proud club reached the finals.
Maguire was brought to the club to instill his premiership influence but after his two seasons in charge the Tigers haven't made evident improvements.
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A major roster overhaul beckons, with Maguire already farewelling eight players this week, however major question marks still hang over a number of high profile players and their futures at Concord.
Chief of their concerns is the Tigers flimsy defence, with Maguire's side conceding an average of 25.3 points a game to carry the NRL's fourth-worst defence.
"Until they can defend their way to a victory, they're not going to play finals," Sterling told Wide World of Sports' Sterlo's Wrap.
"I see them in the same spot [in 2021]. I see them close to the eight, I don't see them further down than 12th; they're just in that no man's land sort of limbo area.
"It may well be ninth, which will be frustrating again, but it could be 11th."
The Tigers have already farewelled eight players from their roster this season, including Benji Marshall, who was told he was surplus to requirements next year, and veteran Chris Lawrence who announced his retirement.
Breakout hooker Harry Grant will return to Melbourne after his season-long loan lapses, while Matt Eisenhuth, Oliver Clark and George Jennings are among those who failed to earn new contracts.
It will clear some salary-cap space for Maguire to go on a search for some reinforcements, but the club are still paying the likes of Josh Reynolds and Rusell Packer, who were marquee arrivals back in 2018, with big money, despite the pair playing a limited role in 2020.
"It's a difficult club to assess because you can see positive signs there but they're just not making that improvement needed," Sterling said.
"They are obviously in a difficult position in regards to their salary cap as well and that has been the case for a while. They signed some players on big money, the likes of Russell Packer, Josh Reynolds; hasn't been a lot of value out of that at all.
"So until they can get their cap in order, that's going to be sort of a millstone around their neck for a little while yet."
Another issue Sterling said will be paramount to the Tigers success in 2021 is finding the best from Luke Brooks, who at times became the scapegoat of the club's lacklustre form this year.
The Eels champion believes Maguire needs to sign recruit a player that will complement Brooks and help him rediscover the form that saw him claim the 2018 Dally M Halfback of the Year award.
"They [must] find someone that takes a little bit of pressure off him," Sterling said of Brooks.
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"A little bit maybe like Jamal Fogarty coming in alongside Ash Taylor [at the Titans]. If they can just find the right foil for Luke Brooks ... he's a quality player. Two years ago, he was the Dally M Halfback of the Year. We know what he can do.
"But I think some decisions have to be made. Josh Reynolds, what do you do with him? I think Moses Mbye has been particularly disappointing.
"A decision also has to be made on Adam Doueihi. I'm a fan of Adam Doueihi. There is a line of thought that maybe his best position is centre.
"Michael Maguire needs to come up with ... the one, six, seven and nine are so important. They're going to lose their most influential player next year, in Harry Grant.
"There's things to work with there with the Tigers but they just don't seem to be getting it right and the salary cap continues to be an issue for them."
