: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:15 pm  

knocker norton wrote:

Why?

WHY ??? No front row, no scrum half, only one recognised centre of any note and a shed load of mediocrity that we are still stuck with.

You might be happy to make the numbers up in SL, maybe sneak into ONE play-off game and hope for a little cup run. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THAT !!

I wish I were full of blind optimism and I were able to follow the JR bandwagon in a zombie-like fashion but unfortunately I can't.

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:17 pm  

thehullwhitestar wrote:

WHY ??? No front row, no scrum half, only one recognised centre of any note and a shed load of mediocrity that we are still stuck with.

You might be happy to make the numbers up in SL, maybe sneak into ONE play-off game and hope for a little cup run. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THAT !!

I wish I were full of blind optimism and I were able to follow the JR bandwagon in a zombie-like fashion but unfortunately I can't.

Not happy then

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:20 pm  

fc baldy wrote:

Not happy then

Not really !! Are you ??

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:26 pm  

thehullwhitestar wrote:

Not really !! Are you ??

Well i wait for the season to start and see how we shape up before i comment....we could do with more players yes but who is available....Carvell fooked us right up

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:32 pm  

fc baldy wrote:

Well i wait for the season to start and see how we shape up before i comment....we could do with more players yes but who is available....Carvell fooked us right up

Fair enough !! I really hope that things shape up unexpectedly well. I just don't think that they will.

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:43 pm  

thehullwhitestar wrote:

Fair enough !! I really hope that things shape up unexpectedly well. I just don't think that they will.

Another prop would have been nice but we still have 3 props who have taken us to finals and after last year a couple of props with points to prove!

I wont knock the Horne, Thorman combination before they have even played for Hull together - but I am really looking forward to seeing a fully fit Horne back more then anything else.

Dont agree with your centre statements I think that in Yeamo, Briscoe and Hall we have some real talent that just needs releasing better.

Throw in players like Motu, Whiting, Crocker, Berro and Washy and there is some talent there. Lets not be too hasty in judging them before a ball has been kicked.

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:55 pm  

knocker norton wrote:

Another prop would have been nice but we still have 3 props who have taken us to finals and after last year a couple of props with points to prove!

I wont knock the Horne, Thorman combination before they have even played for Hull together - but I am really looking forward to seeing a fully fit Horne back more then anything else.

Dont agree with your centre statements I think that in Yeamo, Briscoe and Hall we have some real talent that just needs releasing better.

Throw in players like Motu, Whiting, Crocker, Berro and Washy and there is some talent there. Lets not be too hasty in judging them before a ball has been kicked.

Apart from a couple of impact spells from Thakray, we have little or no go-forward in our front row whatsoever and most SL packs will dominate us as they did last season.

We have released two scrum halves and replaced them with a stand off(not a bad one) and we could quite possibly see, for the third consecutive season, Tommy Lee in our halfbalks which is a complete joke.

In Briscoe and Hall we have two young and inexperienced centres who would make good back-up centres/wingers to a class centre which we desperately need.

In Byrne, Cusack, Radford, Lee and, to a lesser extent, some others, we have a hell of a lot of salary cap wasted on players who would just not get a look in at any other top 8 SL squads.

I don't think that I'm being even remotely hasty, just realistic. We have an overall mid-table squad and that will almost certainly be reflected in the SL table for 2009.

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:06 pm  

The thing is those 2 scrum halfs had serious injury records, as with Carvell they are not much use sat in the stands.

I have no doubt Carvell messing us around prevented us recruiting the prop we need, jason Ryles if stories are to be believed.

The pack most certainly have the biggest point to prove if they are to add to their medal collections I agree but I suppose if we have no go forward then there is no point having a scrum half behind a beaten pack...

Again I think we have some real potential in Briscoe and Hall and if used right we will go well.

Just my opinion!

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:17 pm  

knocker norton wrote:

I have no doubt Carvell messing us around prevented us recruiting the prop we need, jason Ryles if stories are to be believed.

He should have been signed instead of Crocker.

: Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:19 pm  

knocker norton wrote:

The thing is those 2 scrum halfs had serious injury records, as with Carvell they are not much use sat in the stands.

I have no doubt Carvell messing us around prevented us recruiting the prop we need, jason Ryles if stories are to be believed.

The pack most certainly have the biggest point to prove if they are to add to their medal collections I agree but I suppose if we have no go forward then there is no point having a scrum half behind a beaten pack...

Again I think we have some real potential in Briscoe and Hall and if used right we will go well.

Just my opinion!

A beaten pack, no scrum half and question marks about the centres is not really a situation that inspires me to look forward to the new season.

Grade A license represents exactly what the club is off the field. A massive club that has everything any club in the world would want, and yet, we consistently lack things on the field that other clubs have in abundance.