Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 12:35 am  

I feel if we consistently play with Houghton as 1st choice hooker, next season it could massively backfire,
Who knows,how his body feels at the end of this season ??, i thought a new 9 would be a higher priority.
Personally,i dont understand why we used 50% of our available quota space on props, when our obvious weakness, is in the backrow, unless he plans to play Sao there.
The HB situation , i thought that Trueman & Hoy looked promising ,if Smithy feels theres no quality available we might not recruit there, Hoy's hamstrings are problematic though.
Anyone know of any decent championship players??

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 6:20 am  

To me it proved last night we need 2 big props. Yes your right 2 nd row is also important but we made no inroads last night apart from Satae and Savellio plus Taylor before he went off. Saying that that's the best defensive display I've seen in years. Still gutted we lost it at the end but boy what a gutsy display.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 8:36 am  

weaver93 wrote:

I feel if we consistently play with Houghton as 1st choice hooker, next season it could massively backfire,
Who knows,how his body feels at the end of this season ??, i thought a new 9 would be a higher priority.
Personally,i dont understand why we used 50% of our available quota space on props, when our obvious weakness, is in the backrow, unless he plans to play Sao there.
The HB situation , i thought that Trueman & Hoy looked promising ,if Smithy feels theres no quality available we might not recruit there, Hoy's hamstrings are problematic though.
Anyone know of any decent championship players??

Cannot agree with you Weaver. Big props ,especially since Satae is leaving, are a big plus for me. When you look at the two we have signed , potentially both are an upgrade on what we have . Sao has been great for me, but he cannot do the hard graft all alone , so Ese Ese and Pele are great signings and both can do the impact stuff that he can’t . On recruitment ; if we get the half back signing we need , then I go into 2024 feeling very optimistic that we’ll be in the mix again , for silverware . Wigan last night was the prime example, in paper that was a mismatch and we would have been hammered in previous years , but Smith has proved he can get that last percent from a very average squad and we’ll be fine with him steering the ship. As a club we have been needing a proper coach , who coaches his team for each game , for years and I think Smith is by far the most important piece of recruitment we have made in years . He’s easily the best coach we have had since Peter Sharp and I have complete faith in him to take us back towards the top.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 8:36 am  

weaver93 wrote:

I feel if we consistently play with Houghton as 1st choice hooker, next season it could massively backfire,
Who knows,how his body feels at the end of this season ??, i thought a new 9 would be a higher priority.
Personally,i dont understand why we used 50% of our available quota space on props, when our obvious weakness, is in the backrow, unless he plans to play Sao there.
The HB situation , i thought that Trueman & Hoy looked promising ,if Smithy feels theres no quality available we might not recruit there, Hoy's hamstrings are problematic though.
Anyone know of any decent championship players??

Cannot agree with you Weaver. Big props ,especially since Satae is leaving, are a big plus for me. When you look at the two we have signed , potentially both are an upgrade on what we have . Sao has been great for me, but he cannot do the hard graft all alone , so Ese Ese and Pele are great signings and both can do the impact stuff that he can’t . On recruitment ; if we get the half back signing we need , then I go into 2024 feeling very optimistic that we’ll be in the mix again , for silverware . Wigan last night was the prime example, in paper that was a mismatch and we would have been hammered in previous years , but Smith has proved he can get that last percent from a very average squad and we’ll be fine with him steering the ship. As a club we have been needing a proper coach , who coaches his team for each game , for years and I think Smith is by far the most important piece of recruitment we have made in years . He’s easily the best coach we have had since Peter Sharp and I have complete faith in him to take us back towards the top.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 9:03 am  

Alick looking very handy for gold Coast today, hopefully we'll be able to sort a deal, he'd be absolutely devastating in super league.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 9:05 am  

Yippee try yay wrote:

Alick looking very handy for gold Coast today, hopefully we'll be able to sort a deal, he'd be absolutely devastating in super league.

Not happening according to Tomlinson

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 9:12 am  

Looks strong alick, would be a great signing, puts some big hits in in defence.

Got to agree about the props, last night was a prime example , most of the game was spent in Hulls 30, due to us struggling to get out of backfield. Didnt help with Taylor getting injured, but past him and Satae we have no devastating runners. Hoping we add someone like Alick to the second row and also play Ashworth there too to add even more size and go forward.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Sat Aug 19, 2023 9:17 am  

Dave K. wrote:

Not happening according to Tomlinson

Shame, he's exactly the sort of player we need to beef up our backrow.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Mon Aug 21, 2023 8:47 am  

Looks like Leeds have got their man in Lachlan Miller, can give us hope that deals that were previously dead in the water can still be done.

Re: Shopping list for 2024 : Mon Aug 21, 2023 9:29 am  

HU8HFC wrote:

Looks like Leeds have got their man in Lachlan Miller, can give us hope that deals that were previously dead in the water can still be done.

That is interesting, but they were losing Seizer and Austin, so Miller and Clune will be their halfback pairing , looking quite strong now. Think Bentley would be a great addition for us; Smith will only sign him if he believes he can sort his head out, but he is also a very good player and a big upgrade on our backrow, which will obviously have been sorted already, I'd think, as Dre and Griffin leaving means that we need a couple of backrowers , like for like. I am very optimistic that we'll be strong again, given the quality of the two props we have recruited. Intrigued to know who we'll get as a seven, get that right and we really will be strong again next year.