I'd agree.

Problem being the players themselves have to agree to personal terms on any new deal.. Both bateman and whitehead were desperate to stay at their home town club.

Yes, calling for squad changes. Not desperate signings. Players like Elima belong at the likes of Bulls, Cas, Wakefield, Salford, London. Not at a team with aspirations to challenge for trophies.

I want changes that will allow us to repeat what we have done for the last 8 years, not take us back to pre that era. Our own youngsters are better than the likes of Whitehead and Kopczak, and our senior players are miles ahead of the likes of Elima.

If I was to take anyone from that side that we are likely to get it would be Scruton, under the proviso that he can prove his fitness. Still the right age to take one of those prop positions.

Wouldn't want any of them IF we can promote from within and sign better elsewhere.
I would take Bateman but he's not worth the ££££££ been bandied about imo and possibly Manakafoa on a short term deal to test his worth.
As for Whithead he's no better than Delaney ,Jjb and Ablett imo and nowhere near as good as Ward will be.

More than a little hard on JJB. I like Elima but I'd want 3 of him in exchange for JJB.

Elima is OOC end of season anyway, and is a good, yard-making, offloading second row. More impactful than Clarkson, Kirke & Hauraki and less than Moore. Would be a good signing.

Whitehead & Kopczak are two of the best young forwards in the game. You may have noticed that they bossed our current pack in the game we lost at Odsal. Bateman, probably the best young LF in the game right now. If we can get him, we should, but I reckon he's probably off to wire.

I'd also be tempted to look at Keith Lulia in the centres, Heath L'Estrange at Hooker (or a certain Mr M Diskin, esq.) and Gale/Sammut in the halves. Bulls have had a good squad this year, but as usual, Potter can't get the best out of them.

We also have to face the long-term reality. Which is that though we have a good core of young players in Hardaker, Jones-Bishop, Hall, Watkins, Ward, McShane, Ablett & Delaney, and some medium-age players in Jones-Buchanan, Griffin, Bailey, McGuire & Burrow, we are soon to lose some top players (Peacock, Leuluai, Sinfield) and have some players (Kirke, Moore, Smith, Hauraki, maybe Clarkson, maybe Lunt) who haven't produced at the top level, and whose positions should be under consideration.

Personally, I think if we adopted a 1 in, 1 our policy, then

Lulia for Smith
Elima for Kirke
Kopczak for Moore
Whitehead for Hauraki
Diskin for Lunt
Bateman for Clarkson

would be a very good bit of business imo.

I've changed my mind....I agree with you 6.13427734375:5