Re: Transfer talk : Tue Sep 13, 2022 11:09 am  

paulwalker71 wrote:

For me, it's not simply that it's Keighley; it's that he is leaving for a club in the same league as us.

I understand players wanting to play at a higher level, so when people depart for a Super League to "better themselves", then one has to wish them well.

But Doyle is going to a club with whom you would hope we can at least compete financially. It shows that we are not even pretending to be aiming for SL anymore; we're scrapping with the "have nots" in the lower reaches of the Championship.

What even is the point of an Academy anymore? Is it simply to develop players for teams like Keighley, who don't have an Academy of their own, but are apparently "cashed up"

You could argue we should have realised this years ago. Perhaps we've been deluding ourselves?

I can only assume Keighley has a sugar daddy now, because if what they’ve offered Doyle is representative then they’re going to be a top4 spending club next year, on a par with Fev & Toulouse. We couldn’t compete with that.

Re: Transfer talk : Tue Sep 13, 2022 12:21 pm  

Nothus wrote:

Weren't you all expecting Doyle to leave anyway? Or is it just the emotional factor of it being Keighley?
It's just another club with a money man while we stay penniless. This is nothing new.

I think it's more that we went from losing our best young talent to the NRL to top 6 Superleague clubs, to Hull KR, to Halifax and Featherstone and now a newly promoted team. Irrespective of how much they are rumoured to have offered him (it's Tom Doyle not James Roby so won't be astronomical) a side who we should be competing with are a more attractive proposition.

Re: Transfer talk : Tue Sep 13, 2022 12:23 pm  

Highlander wrote:

I can only assume Keighley has a sugar daddy now, because if what they’ve offered Doyle is representative then they’re going to be a top4 spending club next year, on a par with Fev & Toulouse. We couldn’t compete with that.

I bet he hasn't been offered the earth. It wouldn't surprise me if it's a first team level contract and we're trying to keep him on a squad player's contract.

Re: Transfer talk : Tue Sep 13, 2022 12:27 pm  

Does anyone who watches the academy more than me know how many players from amateur clubs we've drafted in to complete fixtures?

Re: Transfer talk : Tue Sep 13, 2022 12:29 pm  

Academy - none. Reserves, maybe 3 or 4 per squad?

Re: Transfer talk : Tue Sep 13, 2022 2:26 pm  

Maccbull_BigBullyBooaza wrote:

I bet he hasn't been offered the earth. It wouldn't surprise me if it's a first team level contract and we're trying to keep him on a squad player's contract.

Doyle's contract offer from CC is significant. I think someone has mentioned it before, but their offer was enough to convince him to stay part time and top up with Championship rugby.

Personally speaking, whilst it sticks in the throat somewhat that its Keighley he is jumping ship to, I'd rather have a better balanced squad with an aim at competing for top six than busting a gut to keep one player who could be wiped out through injury at any moment.

Before anyone accuses me of being a Wood supporter (of which I am absolutely not), I don't and will not buy into the rhetoric that the club cannot compete on a lower budget. Teams like Batley and Barrow have proven that this can be done sustainably with the right signings.

I also don't agree with a large consensus that Mark Dunning is not a quality coach. I have seen enough personally (and heard a lot more) that the guy is worth a shot at the job. He has ideas about the style of rugby we need to play and trust me, the squad Kear built is not up to that. This has upset people like Crossley and we are now seeing the result of that in the papers.

Personally I don't care about anything else other than what the new additions think and more importantly how they apply themselves because the vast majority of the team have been an embarrassment through their behaviour and actions!!!

Re: Transfer talk : Tue Sep 13, 2022 3:01 pm  

bullinenemyland wrote:

Doyle's contract offer from CC is significant. I think someone has mentioned it before, but their offer was enough to convince him to stay part time and top up with Championship rugby.

Personally speaking, whilst it sticks in the throat somewhat that its Keighley he is jumping ship to, I'd rather have a better balanced squad with an aim at competing for top six than busting a gut to keep one player who could be wiped out through injury at any moment.

Before anyone accuses me of being a Wood supporter (of which I am absolutely not), I don't and will not buy into the rhetoric that the club cannot compete on a lower budget. Teams like Batley and Barrow have proven that this can be done sustainably with the right signings.

I also don't agree with a large consensus that Mark Dunning is not a quality coach. I have seen enough personally (and heard a lot more) that the guy is worth a shot at the job. He has ideas about the style of rugby we need to play and trust me, the squad Kear built is not up to that. This has upset people like Crossley and we are now seeing the result of that in the papers.

Personally I don't care about anything else other than what the new additions think and more importantly how they apply themselves because the vast majority of the team have been an embarrassment through their behaviour and actions!!!

I think most of this is true. We must give Dunning a chance with the squad he puts together himself before we have a go at him. Also if as Crossley says there is something radically wrong within the club why has Butler signed? He must have known if something wasn't right before he signed and I'm sure a player of his quality would have attracted interest from other clubs.
Tom Holmes is a great signing and I think he would have known, either from other players or his agent, that something was amiss.

Re: Transfer talk : Wed Sep 14, 2022 7:54 am  

bullinenemyland wrote:

Doyle's contract offer from CC is significant. I think someone has mentioned it before, but their offer was enough to convince him to stay part time and top up with Championship rugby.

Personally speaking, whilst it sticks in the throat somewhat that its Keighley he is jumping ship to, I'd rather have a better balanced squad with an aim at competing for top six than busting a gut to keep one player who could be wiped out through injury at any moment.

Before anyone accuses me of being a Wood supporter (of which I am absolutely not), I don't and will not buy into the rhetoric that the club cannot compete on a lower budget. Teams like Batley and Barrow have proven that this can be done sustainably with the right signings.

I also don't agree with a large consensus that Mark Dunning is not a quality coach. I have seen enough personally (and heard a lot more) that the guy is worth a shot at the job. He has ideas about the style of rugby we need to play and trust me, the squad Kear built is not up to that. This has upset people like Crossley and we are now seeing the result of that in the papers.

Personally I don't care about anything else other than what the new additions think and more importantly how they apply themselves because the vast majority of the team have been an embarrassment through their behaviour and actions!!!

Significant in comparison to what though? what we've offered him? That doesn't necessarily mean hes on anymore than the going rate and someone at the club is bound to say they've offered him a load of cash if the offer is above ours.

The same thing's happening at my work - I work in an industry that's difficult to get experienced staff. Someone leaves and it's "they've been offered mega bucks good luck to them" when in actual fact we aren't paying the market rate.

Re: Transfer talk : Wed Sep 14, 2022 7:57 am  

Peter Goddard wrote:

I think most of this is true. We must give Dunning a chance with the squad he puts together himself before we have a go at him. Also if as Crossley says there is something radically wrong within the club why has Butler signed? He must have known if something wasn't right before he signed and I'm sure a player of his quality would have attracted interest from other clubs.
Tom Holmes is a great signing and I think he would have known, either from other players or his agent, that something was amiss.

Tom Holmes is a good signing but he's not at a higher level than Jordan Lilley or Dec Patton when we signed them. It's rule number one that you spend most on the half backs and he clearly isn't in Fev's long term plans.

I'll wait and see how the whole squad lines up for next season first.

Re: Transfer talk : Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:41 pm  

Maccbull_BigBullyBooaza wrote:

Tom Holmes is a good signing but he's not at a higher level than Jordan Lilley or Dec Patton when we signed them. It's rule number one that you spend most on the half backs and he clearly isn't in Fev's long term plans.

Holmes was actually released by Fev in June. He was very good in 2018 when coached by John Duffy but sustained a season-ending ACL injury in the Summer Bash and has struggled for consistency since then. Good half back on his day.