Considering how few matches both Sammut and Gale have actually played together over the last two seasons (it's a very low number) I'd say it's inevitable that Gaskell would get a shot at 6 or 7.
Competition for places is healthy. Signing a 6 doesn't automatically mean you're losing your current one!

I don't know if it's Addy's short comings or the fact that he's most likely on his way out of the club, but the lad leaves massive gaps in the defensive line. He just watched the Wakey player run past him for their last try.

I know it's nice to have home grown lads who've come up through the system, but I think sentiment needs to give way to reality and that reality is that he's an alright player, but that's all he is.

He's pretty much undeniably better with ball in hand, as he showed yesterday, though, that said, wasn't it Danny who hit Amor causing him to drop the ball? The point being that missing a runner could have been a 'positional' mistake, and a coachable one, rather than one of tackling technique or 'heart'?

At the end of the day though it's the coach's job to come up with these decisions on the comings and goings and to call time if he thinks a player isn't going to improve. Just hope we don't finish up with another Brett Ferres, Ryan Atkins situation and get bitten on the bum.

I think with Atkins we let him go because we had better players than him at the club. We hadn’t seen the impending disaster around the corner so he was allowed to leave (by McNamara IIRC). Similar things applied to Ferres as we used him as a makeweight to get Solomona. Ferres wasn’t a success at Wakey (I think some Wakey fans expected too much from him) but he’s matured into a very good SL player.

Obviously I’d take both back now. I think the difference with Addy is that Addy is a bit older than Atkins and Ferres when they left and I’m not sure how much improvement he has in him. I like to think the right coach could iron our his defensive issues but sometimes you don’t have the option with a limited budget and the salary cap and need for success sooner rather than later.

That's probably 100% correct and I certainly didn't argue about either Brett or Ryan leaving at the time as we clearly had better in the squad. My major point would be that we aren't [even close to being] the club we were when we could, so easily, let those players go, and maybe need to think longer and harder before doing so with others, Like Danny Addy and Donno who it would appear are both set to leave.

Both could be 'bum biters', especially Donno, who I think has the ability, physicality and mental attitude to be a top player. It would be a shame if that happened and it wasn't at Odsal, especially now he seems to be getting over all the injuries. Still, as I say, the coach gets paid to make these decisions..

Agreed.

If we let Addy and Donaldson go I think we may be lacking a bit in the backrow as we’d have the following for 2014

Ferguson
Bateman
Olbison
Walker
Possibly Blythe filling in.
Roberts
Mellor

The last two are very inexperienced. I think we’re lacking some quality and depth here.