: Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:04 am
It is and will be a difficult job for us to finalise our wingers for next season. The coaching staff have to juggle several balls in order to get the right fit. I think its fair to say that with two wing berths to fill every week we will need four quality wingers and two or three utility lads who can cover if we get the type of injuries we have had this season again.
We know that Peterson is on contract for next season and as far as I know he is the only out and out winger we have for next season.
Do we offer Blanch a contract. He is a proven try scorer and if fit could warrant a decent long term offer. This would be a risk. He has undergone serious knee surgery and may not make a full recovery. Look at Hodgson at Huddersfield, he has lost pace and is not the same player after surgery. The ideal would be to offer Blanch a match to match contract and make him prove his recovery. That said will another club take a risk on him and offer him a two year contract. We would then lose a good player. This is not an easy situation for the club. Dammed if you do, dammed if you don`t.
What about Murphy, out of contract at the end of this season, a good player who has never let us down, has suffered several long lay offs with broken bones in his hand. He will be wanting an improved offer. No doubt what we offer will never be enough for his agent who no doubt has serious interest from many other clubs all willing to pay him more. I would like us to resign Murph, he has come through our youth set up and it shows a good career for other Wakefield youngsters. I do still have doubts about why he keeps breaking his hand bones and this fact goes against him. But from what I have seen of him on the pitch he is deffo one I would like to keep.
Luke George is also out of contract. He must have worked hard to try and fully recover from major knee surgery lasy year. I have watched him four times this season in the reservers. He has great potential but I think I would offer him a one year performance related contract, ie basic pay plus bonuses for first team matches and then re-access him at the end of next season. It must be tough for a young lad trying to come back from such a serious injury.
Dale Morton is having a top season in the under 18`s, not sure but I think we will have to sign him or lose him at the end of this season. Again a player I would like us to keep.
We have Gleeson to cover a wing spot and if Grix resigns another utility man to cover the wing in an emergency.
With regards to Newgroundbeforcas`s` comments I know that we offered Halley a contract that was an improvement on his current contract. Bradford then made him an offer he could not refuse.
So what were our options, increase our offer to Halley at the cost of Murphy and George. Or perhapes lose Blanch. Whatever option we take I kown it must be very very difficult weighing the whole job up.
If we start next season with Peterson, Blanch, Murphy, George and Morton witout busting the bank then I for one would be happy. I would like to think, for the sake of the club, that Blanch and George were on some sort of appearance related pay. They must have to prove fitness for purpose. The problem we have is that Peterson, Murphy and George could all have the same nickname ` sikenote `, and Blanch may well join that club.
I hope that Murphy`s agent does not fill the lads head with rubbish, Trinty is a great club for the boy to prove himself.
At the end of the day we may well lose a couple, and good luck to them. There are plenty of players out there. Semi for one.