We need to clear the decks for next year and give Brown a chance to shape the squad how he wants. We need to start making the calls on players that we dont want to renew, if some of them are playing for a RL future they might even buck up!

For me

Wello - retire
Gardner - release
Meli - release
TP - release
Perry - release
Hiho - try desperately to sell to the NRL
Gaskell - release
Howarth - dont care
Laffranchi - release

We then need to sign up the clubs future by giving long term deals to Walmsley and Percival for starters - 2 outstanding talents who will be hunted by the NRL and other Superleague clubs in the near future. If we make the calls to let people go we will know exactly what we have to spend and we can start the recruitment process as early as possible. For all the doom and gloom (me being part of that) I feel we have some very talented players still but we need to recruit wisely to get back in the hunt for trophies.

I would release Gaskell, he was hardly given a chance this season. 3 games then out on his ear? Hohaia's had a season and a half, Perry's had 2 and a half seasons!
For me, get rid of Wellens, Gardner, Meli, Hohaia, Perry, Laffranchi, Clough, Howarth. Puletua will probably be leaving anyway, but I'd give him another year if he'd stay.

Laffranchi supposedly signing a new deal. Same for LMS and Flanagan.

Forgot Laffranchi but I'd agree he needs to go too , square peg and round hole. Hiho is terrible anywhere but fullback and we have Lomax with Makinson as cover so dont need his large wage holding us back.

Clough is cheap and a good squad player for me

I like Flanagan and LMS I suspect would be ok coming off the bench as an impact prop if we had some real muscle to back him up. Laffranchi signing a deal would be utterly terrible news, we could pick up a championship prop on 1/3 of his salary who would be at least as effective in the front row

If Laffranchi plays second row, I think he'll be a decent player. If he's going to continue playing prop, on the other hand, he has to go.

Could be thinking of playing Frankie in the back row. We will know if we sign some big props, which is the type of prop Brown likes ( and I do as well).

If Amor and Paea come in, is as rumoured, Laffranchi could make move to the back row.

Please don't tease me!!!!!!!!!!!!

1st May is when we can start talking to SL players, hopefully we'll crack on with the recruiting.

It's only fair we tell players who arnt getting deals asap.

sums up the total lack of ambition at the club these days.

id give tp a new deal but your probably right he will leave anyway. you need to get harry houdini in to shift hohaia though.

Can't believe Hohaia's got another 2 years after this. Those idea was it to give him a 4 year deal!?

I would hope we don't do this. Telling players they can go is exactly what put us over a barrel with Eastmond. If we tell all those players they are gone and advertise this, then when we go shopping for replacements, we will have to pay over the odds leaving us short of cap space for a proper squad.

It's fine for us as fans to advertise who we want and do not want. But the club and the coach need to play their cards closer to their chests. Sign the best player you can for next year on the least money you can and then tell others they are surplus to requirements.

If we say that we are losing 3 of our starting props to the whole of SL. Any prop getting an offer from us is immediately going to think I can get some more money out of these guys as they are so short for next year, they need to take me.

Any scrum half we approach already knows this, so we don't need the props doing the same, otherwise we will end up with far too much money in far too few positions.