Exactly,a very good early read from Finny on a potentially difficult situation.

To start with he has been a fantastic servant to the club and the ex-players commenting about him shows the type of guy he is and like Ilkley says at his best he was the top hooker in this division. That said there really isn't any room for sentiment in pro sport and I think a big chunk of Fax fans were already bemoaning that Inman was not getting picked over him last season. My take on it is that it was a big mistake for him to be made captain and this seemed to coincide with his form dropping off that along with him having to add minutes to an already ridiculously tough role by playing as a hybrid loose was as crazy as it was bizarre and Grix certainly did him no favors in that regard. Last season certainly looked a season too far for him but Grix had to stick with him as he couldnt be seen to drop his captain ddespite having two players in the squad whom we looked a lot better as a team when they were on the pitch.

The Bradford game and the squad number had rumors flying about and you can't blame him for seeking a release. On the plus side for Fax there is no doubt that Brandon was one of the biggest earners in the team and it frees up some money to look to strengthen in areas that we need it. I still don't think the Inman fan club will be that excited when the season starts as O' Brien is a genuine 80 minute hooker and will have no problem playing a full game at a high level if needed. I also think this sees Finn put down a statement that there won't be favorites in the team like we saw in Grix's reign but only time will tell in that regard but its a good start.

A very early candidate for post of the season is that..

I think Greg as pretty much covered what i was going to say. For me a player that commits in a way that Brandon did on and off the pitch deserves all the praise that is due. And as others have already said he did seem to go a bit stale in terms of his attacking threat out of acting half which seemed to come to a head when he was made captain but his effort and defence could never be questioned. It does free up some funds to strengthen in other areas like a new centre so hopefully the club have some irons in the fire on that front.

I doubt if much money is freed up with Brandon's departure as he'll probably get a decent pay off to terminate his contract. It had to be done, he's 3rd choice behind 2 very good hookers. Great servant to the club, all the best for the future.

Now the similar dilemma re the half backs to solve. Widdop, Keyes and Jouffret. Widdop is probably the first choice mid field general. But wouldn't like to see neither Keyes or Jouffet leave. Maybe Jouffret to be used as an impact sub, but in what context he could be brought on I don't know.

As i read it Moore wanted game time which was not guaranteed so he asked to be released so i doubt he would be paid off. Hopefully some money may be freed up.

As for the half backs we found out last year when Keyes was injured that not having a third half to step in can cost you dear. We tried to cover it and eventually moved probably the best full back in the championship nullifying him to a large extent.

Let us wait and see what the coaches come up with.

Hopefully our new coach handles such situations better than the last one did.

I don't think the club can really afford the luxury of having a "quality" cover sitting in the stands on the off chance of a long term injury - Keyes' injury was an exception rather than the norm. I think Woody covering at half back was more a case of trying to accommodate Pickersgill.

Friends at other clubs Keyes played at said to me when he arrived at Fax. " A good signing for you if he can stay fit". Apparently he can be injury prone according to them .
He certainly played more games for us in his first season than I think he has anywhere elseI.

Quite interested to see how it pans out team selection wise on multiple levels. Woodburn hall , Keyes and jouffret are candidates for being the best in their respective positions throw into that widdop who can play in all three positions and at championship level surely a quality addition, given the injury stats on woody n Keyes then team selection may happen organically, if not then that is where Liam Finns man management comes into play . Despite the loss of Brandon Moore who as given is all to the club at 27 it looks to me his body is paying the price the two hooking options of obrien and inman again we look strong , overall the spine is very strong. We have the ever reliable salty and super league quality greg Eden on the wings , crooks who really came to form at the back end of the season then tibbs n McComb who are great offensively but unproven defensively imo . The pack is pretty good if calcott incremently improves again , Murray finds is 2022 form and Douglas remains injury free , lannon who was in my opinion one of the signings of last season is again one of the best in the division. Fairbank is usually pretty consistent, tangata and larroyer really need to reign it in discipline wise or it could be another frustrating season. Kav , gee and Olly davies who looked good against Bradford look pretty solid . The new lad Sam cambell is an unknown. I liked the look of Ben hursey hord , if we could get him on loan that would add strength in depth to our pack . Still need a centre in my opinion then we’ll be good to go .

Keys and Jouffret will keep their positions Widdop centre with Eden on his wing. Crooks the other centre and Salty. I do think we need to looking for another winger to replace Salty as I feel he is coming to the end of his time on the wing. He just isn’t fast enough these days.

Na more chance of woody at centre ( strong offensive and defensive great distribution and pace ) widdops kicking game is his strength at his age ( something that we lack ) so he plays in the halves or fb . Agree on salty great carrying game but seems to have lost his pace and was exposed defensively ie barrow at home . Honestly another aggressive forward and a quality centre and fax are a top 4 side imo .

I should know better than to quote mick gledhill but he says Cas are trying to sign Ben crooks.

Apologies for the double post. Matthew shaw as rubbished this rumor.

Both fax and Cas have said it isn’t true