Getting rid of Nero is only really an option if you can bring in a British player who is better (unless we let Menzies go). I can't think of many affordable British options off the top of my head. I know BC2010 has mentioned Hall at Hull but most of their fans want rid of him which doesn't fill me with confidence.

As for Crookes, I don;t think he's had much of a shot at 1st team RL because of injuries. He can catch a ball which puts him in front of Reardon!

I agree about Nero. Apart from Shenton (who is surely out of our reach and is nailed on for Saints) there aren't any ooc centres who are better than Nero. So we either keep him, shift Menzies there, shift Sykes to centres and try to find a stand-off or we put Wardle or Crookes there.

What about, if Reardon can get fit, trying him at centre and seeing if he can earn himself a contract as a centre? As a winger i am not convinced he will be retained

Neither Nero or Platt deserve dropping.

IIRC Reardon was a centre in his junior days but shifted to wing/fullback because he's not a great passer of the ball.

His ability to read the game in defence isn't great either and that's on the wing which is an easier position to defend than centre in my experience.

Like you I'm not convinced he'll be retained unless we can't get/afford anyone better. I'd hope we have someone with a bit of potential in the U20s who could come in.

updated with Straughier loan

Wardle could do just as well imo.

Calderwood ooc, worth a punt on a 1 year deal?

If he's fit, I'd say yes. I used to be a huge critic of Calderwood in his Leeds days, but I think when he was at Wigan, he came on quite a bit. Had a lot of injury problems at Hull though.

IMO, he's better than Sheriffe and Reardon though.

Definitely better than Reardon, and probably better than Rikki if he's 100%, but given his problems with injury it would be another risk. The one with Reardon hasn't really paid off yet.

Expecting Reardon to slot straight back in after 18 months of injury problems was always a gamble. Knowing our luck we'll let him go and he'll go back to playing to his ability and we'll have basically done his rehab. If Hull have done the same year long rehab for Calderwood he'd be worth a year.

On the Wigan board rumour has it Ainscough may be available. Worth a shot?