Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:23 am  

rubber duckie wrote:

Does Austin count as a quota.
Potugese/English heredity is he?

He was trained in the NRL so would be one of the 7 (is that the limit these days) Non fed players.

If 7 still is the limit we have one spot left by my reckoning (Current 6 are Goodwin, Austin, Clark, BMM, Sita, Tasi)

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:51 am  

A new half would be great, I think its more likely for 2020 though.

full Backs: Ratch, J Johnson
Wing: Lineham, Charnley
Centre: Goodwin, King, Atkins (+Livett for cover)
Halfs: Brown, Austin, Patton, (Smith?)
Prop: Hill, Cooper, Philbin, Tasi, Sita (+ Westwood, Moran?)
Hooker: Clark, Walker? (+ Patton as cover)
2nd Row: Currie (Please), Hughes, BMM, Livett, M Davies, L Johnson
Loose: Clark, Westwood

Stepping up from the U19's we have Doro (prop) and Robson (Back Row) think that's it for 2019?

I'd say we are certainly a couple of outside backs out at present, we have enough cover probably at prop, but not sure Tasi and Sita are up to standard.
Backrow is well stocked, can't see any issues there.

Concerns if Ratch picks up a long term injury, would be a big ask of Johnson.

I'd also take a new half, but can't see it happening.

So

Roberts Out Austin In
Thompson Out Clark In
Crosby Out Tasi In
G King Out M Davies In
Pomeroy Out
M Brown Out
Walker In

I'd say we have space for a couple of outside backs, but I don't think people should be expecting anymore big signings, unless Brown is off.

EDIT: One thing I have potentially overlooked is the salary cap goes up by £100k next year. Not sure if that would be available or whether it would be eaten up in part by players (Hill / Clark ?) who have written agreements that their salaries would increase by the same % as any cap increase - I know that's written in to some NRL contracts. Or Charnley who may have had some of his contract off salary cap last year due to coming back from RU.

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 12:20 pm  

we need another hi-impact quality prop, a scrum half and a decent centre...IMO

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 12:53 pm  

Oxford Exile wrote:

we need another hi-impact quality prop, a scrum half and a decent centre...IMO

We have 3 good centres, plus livett and currie! Another specialist centre especially one on the wages to be better than what we have is a waste of cap space IMO.

A half with a kicking game and we are a different side. IMO that's all we really need. I'd spend any extra an a player who could cover the wings, if he covers centre too then that's a bonus. If widnes or a championship side like Leigh have any promising young wingers that's where I would look to add to the squad.

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 1:24 pm  

The youngsters need to be given a go this year instead of signing a player towards the back end of there career. Johnstone got a run out and did really well, Moran has been in the first team environment for 3 years and still hasn’t had a proper chance plus Robson who was standout for the u19s all year and is highly thought of by the coaches all need game time next season

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:57 pm  

CW8 wrote:

We have 3 good centres, plus livett and currie! Another specialist centre especially one on the wages to be better than what we have is a waste of cap space IMO.

mmm its all about opinions of course..

I'd argue we have 1 good centre, 1 ageing on his way out or into the pack centre and one bang average/ordinary centre.

Livett..not convinced at all that he has what it takes to be competing at the top. I saw him have 1 good game last season v a Leeds side that went on to fight relegation.
Currie...in all likelihood finished as a player..hope I'm wrong.

Our centres need to be fast, creative and powerful....all I saw on Saturday was slow and clueless...add in the slow and clueless half backs and its no real surprise that we fell short in both finals.

You might think this harsh..fair enough...but IMO its the difference between 'runner up' and 'winner'.

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:49 pm  

I think he has a great career in front of him if he can stay injury free, he has been good this season IMO and been out best centre. Our centres looked clueless on Saturday because every time they received the ball they had a Wigan wall in front of them. The combination between the Wigan defence being absolutely superb and the ball movement from our halves being laboured and quite easy to read meant that the centres didn't have any space really. Saturday was not a game to judge centres IMO.

You could be right of course, but I think our centres are good enough for next year, however, we will need one soon though, Goodwin and atkins don't have too many years left. I would take gelling in a heartbeat but I can't see us changing this year.

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:49 pm  

Oxford Exile wrote:

mmm its all about opinions of course..

I'd argue we have 1 good centre, 1 ageing on his way out or into the pack centre and one bang average/ordinary centre.

Livett..not convinced at all that he has what it takes to be competing at the top. I saw him have 1 good game last season v a Leeds side that went on to fight relegation.
Currie...in all likelihood finished as a player..hope I'm wrong.

Our centres need to be fast, creative and powerful....all I saw on Saturday was slow and clueless...add in the slow and clueless half backs and its no real surprise that we fell short in both finals.

You might think this harsh..fair enough...but IMO its the difference between 'runner up' and 'winner'.

Harsh but true. Remember the chaotic days of the later DVDV era. The halves and centres were: Langer, Briers, Kohe-Love and Hunte. Or in the early years at the Halliwell Jones, it was Nat Wood and Briers/Appo in the halves and we had centres like Grose, Gleeson and Kohe-Love.

The current team is massively advanced from them in terms of organisation and structure, but those guys could finish off plays and when we got in the last 20/30 yards of the field there were lots of routes through which a try could come. At the moment its just hard work for us to score a try, we pass the ball from one side to the other and hope that somehow an overlap will appear for Charnley or Lineham.

In this respect we're still where we were in 2015 and 2017, either side of the time with Sandow where for all his faults, there were a lot more potential routes for a try at any time, and defences knew that too.

I would love to transport those DVDV or Cullen players into the current side, with Steve Price as coach, we'd be stand out favourites for SL next year.

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:07 pm  

Oxford Exile wrote:

mmm its all about opinions of course..

I'd argue we have 1 good centre, 1 ageing on his way out or into the pack centre and one bang average/ordinary centre.

Livett..not convinced at all that he has what it takes to be competing at the top. I saw him have 1 good game last season v a Leeds side that went on to fight relegation.
Currie...in all likelihood finished as a player..hope I'm wrong.

Our centres need to be fast, creative and powerful....all I saw on Saturday was slow and clueless...add in the slow and clueless half backs and its no real surprise that we fell short in both finals.

You might think this harsh..fair enough...but IMO its the difference between 'runner up' and 'winner'.

Toby has all the scope to be a class centre....that's it.
Goodwin has been great in the middle period of the season...he'll have 12 months in him but we know it takes him time to come back from a knock.
Atkins is a fit guy but he may be just cover.
I'd like another but class out and out monster.

Re: 2019 Squad : Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:31 pm  

sally cinnamon wrote:

Harsh but true. Remember the chaotic days of the later DVDV era. The halves and centres were: Langer, Briers, Kohe-Love and Hunte. Or in the early years at the Halliwell Jones, it was Nat Wood and Briers/Appo in the halves and we had centres like Grose, Gleeson and Kohe-Love.

The current team is massively advanced from them in terms of organisation and structure, but those guys could finish off plays and when we got in the last 20/30 yards of the field there were lots of routes through which a try could come. At the moment its just hard work for us to score a try, we pass the ball from one side to the other and hope that somehow an overlap will appear for Charnley or Lineham.

In this respect we're still where we were in 2015 and 2017, either side of the time with Sandow where for all his faults, there were a lot more potential routes for a try at any time, and defences knew that too.

I would love to transport those DVDV or Cullen players into the current side, with Steve Price as coach, we'd be stand out favourites for SL next year.

I couldn't read anymore than this, and that was the DVDV era. It's shocking how SL quality has slipped so much.