Comparisons to Chris Hill have been made already. Fingers crossed Walmsley can settle as quickly as Hill as done at Warrington.

Let's not set expectations too high. Hill has been simply brilliant and has made the transition look easy but he had two extra full years in the Championship (with half a season of full time training at Wire) before making the move up at 23.

Nothing wrong with being optimistic!

Seriously though, it'll be interesting to see how much game time he gets straight away. I'd assume that this will see the end of TP playing prop, as we now have 5 without him. You'd have to say Walmsley would start the season as 5th choice prop and outside of the full strength 17. Hopefully he can put some pressure on the more senior props.

Our pack is looking good for next year:

Props - Laffranchi, Perry, LMS, Clough, Walmsley

Back row - Soliola, Manu, Wilkin, TP, Flanagan.

That isnt including the likes of Magennis, Dixon, Forster, Greenwood.

I can't see many better packs than that next year.

He will be loaned back to Batley for the 2013 season - on their website: www.batleybulldogs.co.uk/index.p ... is-a-saint

He will be loaned back to Batley for the 2013 season - on their website: www.batleybulldogs.co.uk/index.p ... is-a-saint

He's no Aaron McCloskey.

You're probably right. I guess I just would have preferred it to be more explicit that he was with us first off but could be loaned back to Batley on a dual reg kinda thing. We'll see what happens but at least it's a signing in an area we badly need it so it's good news whatever happens.

He certainly is a tall lad, however he will have to fill out quite a bit to take on the rigours of Superleague.

Potentially in a couple of years Saints will have an absolute monster pack, if Joe Greenwood also comes through fully as he is also about 6ft 5inches tall.

Regard both as players for the future eg 2 years down the track rather than next year.

Ignore me - just read it again and that's exactly what it says. Must try harder - been a long week

Batley's season is over now, isn't it?
He'll be ith us through a full preseaon and has probably already been lined up for a new conditioning regeime. If he goes back to playing for Batley next year, he's be running in a differnet gear than now, and don't forget that if Batley are part timers, he'll still have a lot of time to spend here learning.

If he's the talented lad people are saying he is, then I don't see him spending the full year at Batley, given the above. If we are to recall him, we could send someone like Forster, Hand or Walker the opposite way to help their development.

Happy with this, although I was told it was going to be four!

Can he play Fullback or Stand Off

Big Bugger though

We could end up looking like the circa '90 circus freak team when we had Jones, Harrison and Kay all in the same side.

he is a monster, and full time training will make him huge. He is a human wrecking ball !!
I watched him at halifax a couple of weeks ago and he was just running over the defence.
the fans wear chanting Beast, Beast, Beast !!! he is better than Chris Hill and far more aggressive
he will be a huge hit at st helens. I doubt he will be back at Batley for long as he will be better
than Perry and Lafranki....mark my words.
Leeds were trying to get him but clearly thought they could do it on the cheap.