Agree with this!

This team is ten times better than the sum of its parts. Lunt is a loiner - part of the synergy - and for me that's that.

Well everybody seems to agree that for the hooking role it should be Lunt rather than McShane. GH will have to get his chequebook out! There seems to be concensus that we need a new quality centre and Moon is the latest name. He's not a big name but he was good for NZ Warriors and has been Salford's best player this year. I assume home sickness was just an excuse to try and leave Salford!

I have always rated Lunt when at Huddersfield and always thought he would be a good signing for us.
Now we have him I think he played well in the first couple of games but has been average all season. In the play offs I have been mighty impressed and his defence has been awesome. I suppose you could say the same about the rest of the team though !!

could be it will be neither of them

Dunno how many quality hookers are available and wouldn't require a hefty fee and I'd say other areas of the squad are in need of the investment

With todays announcement of Brett Finch returning to Melbourne next season, does that make a Halifax born Stand off/utility back available?

......or a fullback with part of his ear missing?

I'm suprised at that to be honest. Widdop and Cronk seemed to play together quite well over the season and especially in the Grand Final. You would have thought one of them would be on their way out of Melbourne, especially as you can't even play one of them as a second hooker due to Smith playing 80mins.
Not sure we have space in the team for another half back though.

I also think Wigan will do well to not slip down the league a bit next season with losing not only Finch but also Leuluai, Carmont & Lima.

I don't pretend to any inside knowledge, and I'm not making allegations here, but a surprising number of people here appear blind to the possibility that McShane's absence might (MIGHT) not be due to what he does on the field. There are other factors to consider, and I for one don't see a lot of what goes on in and around the training pitch. But "being given a chance" doesn't start and end with being in the match day 17, that chance starts when you train with the first team squad.

Could be total coincidence (it really could) but it seems odd that we felt the need to suddenly ship our #9 out and bring in a hooker on loan halfway through the season. I genuinely can't remember that happening before. There must be a reason.

Could be completely barking up the wrong tree, but I keep hearing "face doesn't fit" and every time I've ever heard that in places I've worked the face in querstion hasn't fit because it was attached to somebody irritating, obnoxious, disruptive and whiney. In a team sport the problems could even be much more subtle than that. Note that I'm not saying McShane is any of those things. I don't know him.

It'd be an interesting idea. Widdop is younger than any of our extant options, so it would make sense for succession planning. But it would seem awkward to balance Sinfield, Burrow, McGuire and Widdop for the next year or two. Especially since we seem to have a first choice fullback fairly handily placed at the moment as well.

I'm sure I remember reading an interview quite recently where Widdop suggested that he was happy and settled in Australia and had no plan to come back to blighty at the moment.

Where would this board be if everyone took that attitude?

I feel when the "big signing is announced some will be dissapointed. Particulary rhino 2009 who seems to think every name made up by people on here might be coming!

Widdop would be an excellent signing, Sinfield to hooker Lunt to back Huddersfield and Mags at scrum half.
It wont happen though will it. I expect the 3,000 page riumours thread at the KC stadium will go into melt
down with the Widdop to Hull rumours. If Widdop or Cronk are moving from the storm then expect them to say in the NRL as we cant afford these type of player wages simples.........................Oh just
a thought, Widdop at Left centre and back line versatility ?? Yes it would be nice but I doubt it would happen. Rumours have been rife for weeks that we had signed an NRL player for centre..........you never know ?