its ok saying we need to sign a prop but realistically who is available? i'd rather see us struggle this year and then use the cash generated by players coming off contract to get a quality guy rather than take a punt on someone new that we will tie on a 3 year contract and them not be up to scratch
we are expecting a full clear out which realistically can't happen in one off season but its a great chance for the fringe squad players to try and up their game to earn a new contract

I agree.

All quality players will now be tied down. Should one suddenly become available it is likely because we have thrown a load of money at it which we don't appear to have or something has happened between player and club which should raise questions about whether we want them.

On that basis I suspect we are done for notable signings. Donaldson may come in but I don't count him as notable.

We shouldn't lose track of the progress made on this off season and of they all settle well we have a clear view of what needs to be done this time next year.

Bit of a mix, we (Fev) are still waiting for the 3 Papua New Guinea imports and have the likes of Delaney, Wheeldon etc out injured.

There was talk about Fev possibly taking 2 Leeds players on season-long loan and maybe Walters & Ormondroyd playing today suggests it might be those two. Judging from this forum that would make sense to most on here though from a Fev point of view it's the spine where we need cover -we are short at full back, wing, and hooker, and also cover at half back. But I can't see Golding or any of the Briscoe/Handley/Newman trio being released on season-long loan, nor McLelland or Corey Johnson.

I think we will use more Leeds players this year if they are made available on DR, in particular I think whoever doesn't start at 5 for Leeds out of Handley/Briscoe/Newman will be very welcome on a regular basis at Fev.

This could easily have been avoided had we not given contracts out to has beens & never will bes.

If you assume we're pretty much up to the cap now (maybe including Donaldson), we probably need to consider that 2020 will be without: Ablett, JJB, Mullaly, Walters, Ormondroyd, Ferres?, Sutcliffe?/Golding?/Handley?, Cuthbo?, Parcell?... could easily be looking at as big a turnaround in personnel for next season as this. It says a lot when I reckon we could shed just about all of these players without it affecting the starting squad too badly. Of course, another thing we've done is sign our marquees on long-term contracts, so we're locked in to paying any new props/other players £150k max is it?
It isn't easy balancing a squad under the salary cap, and it's right the club shows loyalty because that's a big part of the culture which has previously brought success, and hopefully will again. However it's fair to say that the club has made quite a few poor calls over several years now and made the inevitable transition harder than it should have been. The project signings haven't paid off on the whole; the "tall and mobile" forward model hasn't paid off and it was a mistake not to use marquee funds previously.

Maybe the tall and mobile player might be what`s needed this year due to fewer subs.
Not saying that`s what I want to see but it might help.

And I could be £115m better off had I known the numbers in advance.

You are right but the moment has gone. We need to focus forwards.

So Donaldson has been given a 1 year contract.

Not sure how much gametime he will get but don't think we have anything to lose with a one year contract.

I do think that concludes the new signings though.

Most probably unless we can offload two or three before or during the season.
It might allow us to move for another signing towards the playoffs or looks like we will have to wait until next year.

Think walters now will be gone to Fev, suspect Donaldson may also play some dual reg, if everyone stays fit. But can anybody see JJB ward, and Ablett all staying fit for a prolonged period. Its not a wow signing, but coaching team obviously seen enough to warrant a deal. Could end up being one if those surprisingly good signing or at worst just a squad filler, but better than walters Keinhorst Sutcliffe.

Probably a sensible decision. By all accounts he has the right attitude, has a decent skill-set, and offers a lot more than some of the other under-performing squad members. With a 1 year deal Leeds do not have much to lose here, and there's a big incentive for Donaldson to get stuck in and earn a longer deal.

I get that we're already well-stocked in this position and that he's not in the same class as the other signings made for 2019. Realistically, I think we can call this signing a success if he is able to come into the squad, work hard in defence and make his share of carries taking the ball up, without making too many errors - like Kirke's role in previous seasons. Hopefully this will allow more time for the better players to work their magic, and give older and injury-prone players someone competent they can be rotated with when needed.

I'm really pleased for Donno. I always liked him when he was at Bradford and were it not for some bad luck injury wise he'd probably already be an established SL player by now.
His work rate is excellent and he has one of the best tackling techniques I've seen. You can do a lot worse for some LF cover and the added benefit of giving him a short deal like this is that he'll be motivated to impress for 2020 and beyond.

Glad he is sorted for a year at least. 100% commitment guaranteed. Good luck Donno.

Other than the obvious Walters & Ormanroyd who does he offer more than?
Not good enough KR but good enough for us? Not imo.

Depends who's out injured. A few likely candidates to add to those you've mentioned IMO