...joining Wigan next season according to John Wilkin on The Super League Show. Anyone heard anything that we do not already Know?

Or was he talking about Salford?

I'm fairly 'in the loop' with this kind of stuff but apart from Field I have heard nothing. Very well done from Wigan if they have kept more quiet though

Brian?.....

Bateman ?

It’ll be Bateman & Field that he’s taking about

Apart from Field and Bateman I haven't heard anything at all on the recruitment side.

We need a winger.

We cant go in to a season with only 2 wingers available

Only 1 for the first half of 2021 at present and we know his injury record isnt great.

In an ideal world (and the impact of Covid on finances will impact plans) we'd recruit a winger to replace Burgess and then see where French, Hastings and Gildart end up - the last I heard they were all leaving. I know its depressing to say but it will be difficult to promote SL over the NRL at the moment with Covid under relative control in Australia, crowds back in stadia, higher quality competition and more financially stable clubs.

The only thing that might help us retain our English players is that it probably isnt the best time to move to the other side of the world from family and friends at present. I think that may have been what enabled us to keep Ethan Havard. But looking at it objectively, it sadly looks an easy decision for French and Hastings if of course they have offers.

Singleton has brought us a steadiness and a bit of backbone that we have been lacking. Bateman has the x factor but if we lose Hastings, French, Burgess and Gildart we will be weaker in the backs. Hopefully Smith will be able to step up but I cannot help but feel that the edges are going to be a worry. Unfortunately we look to be carrying some players who have made minimal impact for a while and so we will be limited in our purchases. If all of those players go we might be awash with space on the cap but, given the circumstances, lacking in cash.
If French goes and Zak moves back to fullback we will be a strike centre short and I cannot see either Bibby or Hankinson being able to play anything other than a holding role. If past experience is anything to go by then Bateman would cover there. If I were Hankinson I would be looking to go somewhere that would give me a bit of game time because I doubt that he will get a contract extension at Wigan.
At the moment I cannot work out if we will look weaker at the start of next season than we did at the start of this one.

There’s just too many unanswered questions at the moment to know how we’ll shape up. We could be sat there bemoaning French, Gildart and Hastings all leaving or on the flip side we could see all three stay with Field coming in as a utility and Tommy moving in to the coaching department. I suspect it may fall somewhere in between. I think French will go, Gildart will do another year, Tommy will play on and we might have a sniff of keeping Hastings but it seems a total 50/50 that one. It’s all guesswork and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed we’ll be smiling at the end of it.

If everything was done and dusted what would we all talk about?

I've kind of mentally written off that we will have any of French/Gildart/Hastings next year. If we keep any it's an unexpected bonus. When Lam is talking about the club doing everything they can to keep French, I wonder if that is related to maybe trying to persuade G.Gurgess to retire/take a settlement so we have a marquee spot available. I don't have any inside knowledge on that, just a thought.

Think from what other people have been saying French isn't that bothered about the money, and we have already offered him more than NRL clubs have.

Everyone has their price though. But I'd rather he stayed because he actually wants to, rather than for the cash.