Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:36 am  

I don't see Ratchford as anything but a loose forward or stand off, it depends on his diet in close season as too which.
He's just okay at FB and okay at centre.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:47 am  

I am going for an all Scottish front row next year of Irn Bru and Tizer.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:49 am  

mark_m wrote:

I am going for an all Scottish front row next year of Irn Bru and Tizer.

The club will probably sign Dandelion and Burdock instead.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:53 am  

As long as we don't buy overrated imports like San Pellegrino and Bundaberg.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:00 am  

Which ever pops we buy, I hope it has no added sugar, the pops we already have are far too sweet, we need the pops with a bitter yuk after taste.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 6:57 pm  

Take Hill out of the equation, and what props have we got

Sims. Despite his endeavour, he's simply not big enough
The waste of skin. Dog dirt.
Evans B. Injured, again
England. Not good enough.
So I'd say props are a HUGE priority for next season

It doesn't exactly pain me to say it (I wasn't a fan, or a hater, I just didn't get the hype), but we don't half miss Waterhouse's "grunt". It's certainly been missed. Currie's too lightweight, and doesn't do the dirty work. Laithewaite's merely OK. No more, no less.

Grix is good when he plays, but it's been a long time between drinks.

Ben Harrison isn't going to get any better, is he?

We have SERIOUS pack issues. Deal with them, Smith.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:20 pm  

Yeah but what props are left that haven't been already signed. Unless we magically pull Sam burgess out of tony smiths ass there's nobody left. I think we would have signed a prop by now if it was in smiths book to get one, I just don't think he has planned to get a prop. Or is he waiting to see if a super league side goes down next year and raid a clubs forwards? I wonder if players contracts become void if they drop down like they used to? Does anyone know? If so maybe nick scruton or someone like that may end up here? Christ knows.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:24 pm  

Ben Evans has picked up his first injury and he is a crock, don't forget he wasn't injured when he was on loan at Bradford.
Harrison does a job again just like Asotasi if he doesn't make massive yards then he is s*^t. Harrison gets through massive work both in attack and defence. Sims workrate is massive England is a plodder who we could replace if we had someone in mind but he is cheap.
The problem is our second rows and yes we miss Wahterhouse, we also a younger Benny W. Hughes will make a difference and Laithwaite will perform with a quality half to put him through gaps

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:41 pm  

Or thane wrote:

Yeah but what props are left that haven't been already signed. Unless we magically pull Sam burgess out of tony smiths ass there's nobody left. I think we would have signed a prop by now if it was in smiths book to get one, I just don't think he has planned to get a prop. Or is he waiting to see if a super league side goes down next year and raid a clubs forwards? I wonder if players contracts become void if they drop down like they used to? Does anyone know? If so maybe nick scruton or someone like that may end up here? Christ knows.

And therein lies the problem

We played the 2013 GF including these 3 props

Garreth Carvell 32 years of age
Paul Wood (as near as dammit) 32 years of age
Adrian Morley 3FLIPPING6 years of age................are we spotting a link, here. They've not been properly replaced

add these, alongside a HB that was also in his 30's in the same game, and was not properly replaced.

Smith's recruitment has been ostrich like...."ahhhhh, don't worry, it'll all be allright, you'll see"

HE NEEDS TO ACT, NOW.

Two or three years of inertia, has seen us to where we are now. Treading water, mid-table.

Re: New Pops are not No1 prioity : Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:52 pm  

the problem is that over the last few years LOADS of decent props have moved around clubs and into SL... we haven't signed any of them.

that isnt a go at sims, whom i love... he got through a shed load of work last night, as always... he has become one of our most dependable players.... someone we can look to... he will do 80 mins and flog himself into the ground if required.

a pack full of sims is a dream..... in the right team he is a quality signing..... thing is we are asking him to do to much... Sims and Hill are all we have.. and it isnt enough..

we MUST have another top prop.... its an absolute must... it will allow the likes of evans and england to come on in a game and not be under so much pressure to perform.

Now we have sims and hill, when they go off, we are f****d.... without those 2 we are gutless and weak.