Quote: Duckman "i agree but would go further, as I said last off season, without two good halfs we can forget it. I thought we had one good one in orford and a potential good gamble in kearney. As it turns out kearney is better at fB for us and Orford missed half the season so the season went with him.
Same this time, we should have one good half with Orford, we have a potential good half in southernwood, we have cover with Addy/Kearney/Sykes...but we need an actual creative stand off...Recruitment starts and ends there for me again this year.'"
Totally agree. Addy has done well for a 19 yr old loose forward and perhaps would be even better a year older with Orford beside him but his defence is suspect (see Clint Newton) and he's not quick enough to be one man further away from the ruck. Southernwood will have a full pre-season to put weight on and get stronger. Donno looks a more ball handling loose forward than Langers but is still very young.
Hence, an injury to Orford would leave us with no recognised half back aged over 20 and if we're serious about challenging the top 4/5/6 then that's a hopeless situation. Elima, Ainscough, Walker are all better than we have but a stand off is essential with a good quality prop.
