Re: Aspinwall it is. : Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:29 pm
It isn't guaranteed that Aspinwall will be in the line-up. If Cunningham/Green/Kent have a great preseason, he may get the nod. I think that it's a good signing for 1 year, which is all his contract is. He provides experienced cover for our starting back-row of Manu, Tickle, Weesterman and will be able to give them a breather. He's got plenty of Super League games under his belt, so he must be doing something right, and he's played a prop a few times. This is good because, ignoring Bowden, we only have 4 specialist props, meaning that if we get an injury to any of those he could provide cover there, or be decent cover in the back row whilst Tickle moves up to the front row.
I think that Gentle and McRae have a made a couple stop-gap signings that will be adequate and improve us for one year, after getting the jobs fairly late in the recruitment season they're having to pick from what's left. Giving these players short-term contracts gives us competition and cover for next season but allowing them to make their own 'proper' signings for 2013 and onwards.
For me, I'd expect us to start with this line-up for the first game of next season, injuries permitting.
McKinnon
Sharp
Martin
Yeaman
Briscoe
Horne
Seymour
O'Meley
Heremaia
Lynch
Manu
Tickle
Westerman
Houghton
Moa
O'Carroll
Aspinwall