Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:24 am  

ratticusfinch wrote:

What a very unbalanced squad. Expect more of the same next season. Powell banking on sheer size + individual brilliance in the opposition 20 to get us home. Really poor centres and Harrison needs to improve a LOT.

Im also seeing (for the second season) hooker being a weak point for us.

Very pessimistic about next season but I am terrible with predictions so could be a good omen.

Clark didn’t get a pre-season last year and as lively as Walker is he can’t do much from play the balls in our own 20. If Clark can get back to form and we can spend a lot more time near the opposition line, it could be completely different next year. I guess we’ll have an idea from the first few games.

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 9:10 am  

Matthew Shaw reporting that PNG flyer Jimmy Ngutlik is persuing a deal in the UK. We need to sign him, he is class.

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 9:16 am  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

Matthew Shaw reporting that PNG flyer Jimmy Ngutlik is persuing a deal in the UK. We need to sign him, he is class.

He would be a quota player, and it looks like we will be signing Drinkwater, which will be our last quota space used -up.

Unless the rumour regarding Kasiano reneging on his contract has legs?

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 9:37 am  

The hold up with Drinkwater is over some kind of severance pay from Catalan.
He is still under contract and doesn’t have to leave Catalan, his is/was on £110k there and will be earning £30k less per season at Wire.
Allegedly telling Catalan to split the difference to £15k and he will sign for Wire.
The French club won’t agree, so Drinkwater won’t complete. Allegedly.

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 12:41 pm  

rubber duckie wrote:

The hold up with Drinkwater is over some kind of severance pay from Catalan.
He is still under contract and doesn’t have to leave Catalan, his is/was on £110k there and will be earning £30k less per season at Wire.
Allegedly telling Catalan to split the difference to £15k and he will sign for Wire.
The French club won’t agree, so Drinkwater won’t complete. Allegedly.

This is easily solved, depending on what we are prepared to do to get Drinkwater. I assume his salary is a cap issue, not a case of us refusing to match his Cats salary? In that case we pay a £30k transfer fee for Drinkwater and Cats pay his severance demands, without losing a penny. Simples. And not beyond cap rules.

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 12:44 pm  

BTW when does pre-season start? We can't really afford to be without our normal halfback pairing for pre-season, unless its conditioning only and not skills early on.

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:01 pm  

I assume it starts in the next week or so, unless powell feels starting early last year was a mistake? Also as far as i'm aware Vaughn & McGuire are still in Aus, as is Dufty, and Kasiano is still in France so i'm assuming there's no immediate start for it.
Also on the hooker being a weak point i don't believe that's the case in 2023. Daz Clark will find his top form again behind our pack, he's had a full off season which will do his body the world of good, and he'll get a full pre-season. Also ritating him with Walker will do him the world of good. I think we look good at hooker. And with Drinkwater and Williams in the half we look strong there. Wing we look strong, centres are ok but not the best. Behind a bigger more dominant pack Currie will hit good form again and Nicholson looks good. We look good across the park. Strong aggressive forward pack, and skill and pure speed around the pack. I understand the pessimistic feelings with this year but i have a great feeling for next year. We have pack Leaders in the likes of Vaughn and McGuire, if we let Drinkwater run the show more and let Williams roam free that will cause Havoc. Walker and Dufty talk alot on the pitch and help direct play. I genuinely think we'll be a much more cohesive squad next year, and play as an actual Team. I can't wait, and i didn't have this feeling for 2022 so i'm going with my gut feeling, and that feeling is good

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 6:28 pm  

Or thane wrote:

I assume it starts in the next week or so, unless powell feels starting early last year was a mistake? Also as far as i'm aware Vaughn & McGuire are still in Aus, as is Dufty, and Kasiano is still in France so i'm assuming there's no immediate start for it.
Also on the hooker being a weak point i don't believe that's the case in 2023. Daz Clark will find his top form again behind our pack, he's had a full off season which will do his body the world of good, and he'll get a full pre-season. Also ritating him with Walker will do him the world of good. I think we look good at hooker. And with Drinkwater and Williams in the half we look strong there. Wing we look strong, centres are ok but not the best. Behind a bigger more dominant pack Currie will hit good form again and Nicholson looks good. We look good across the park. Strong aggressive forward pack, and skill and pure speed around the pack. I understand the pessimistic feelings with this year but i have a great feeling for next year. We have pack Leaders in the likes of Vaughn and McGuire, if we let Drinkwater run the show more and let Williams roam free that will cause Havoc. Walker and Dufty talk alot on the pitch and help direct play. I genuinely think we'll be a much more cohesive squad next year, and play as an actual Team. I can't wait, and i didn't have this feeling for 2022 so i'm going with my gut feeling, and that feeling is good

Centres are NOT ok!!(until wrench is fit anyway)

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 6:53 pm  

Moe syslak wrote:

Centres are NOT ok!!(until wrench is fit anyway)

But ... the best fit England Centre is currently Callum Watkins. I reckon our lads are OK.
There are not many UK Centres about.
To sign a decent centre we'd need to offload one off the overseas quota.

Re: 2023 Squad : Sat Nov 05, 2022 7:58 pm  

just my over reactive imagination, if it was Drinkwater, wgy is it not announced, perhaps its someone still playing in the world cup.
can we sign the George Williams that plays for England