It's a strange one this. Billy is definitely one of the more talented NRL players to join SL in recent years. I always liked him in the NRL, he had genuine ability.

I was gutted he didn't join Trinity and TBH despite his failure at the Wire I'd take a punt, Trinity do have a real reputation for fixing broken players.

At the end of the day certain players suit certain clubs. When you took both Wood and Benny from us nobody was overly upset as they really didn't look much at the time, especially Benny who was totally overshadowed by Ellis. Yet what a super player he turned out to be for you lot. Hand on heart had he stopped at Trinity he would have been nowhere near as good. Yet had Ellis stopped he's have been exactly as good as he was anywhere else.

With players you win some you lose some, doesn't make the player, the coach or the club bad, it's just how it is, these players are people(in most cases) and not machines.

I don’t believe that more NRL games means that you will be quality. I think you can unearth some gems.

When we signed Nigel Vagana he’d only played 1 match of ARL (as it was called back then). He actually turned out to be too good and Auckland got him back.

Toa Kohe-Love had played no NRL.
Danny Nutley had played 10 and he turned out to be great.
Jérôme Guisset had played 4 NRL games.

Then you look at Tony Tatupu 27 games, Anthony Swann 63, Paul Marquet 231, Matt Rodwell 178, Michael Sullivan 63, Roy Asotasi 217, Leilani Latu 58 and they were awful.

I put it to you that Billy was not a “gem”.

Never got enough games or time here to say either way. Behind a dominant pack he might have been superb but we'll never know now. I wish him all the best for the future

I don’t think Mags was a big gamble. He came here cheap as backup with the chance to shine and force his way in as a talented ball-handling loose.

It didn’t work out, but I feel less cheated than after Austin and Roberts broke my heart and my wallet.

Surely the ultimate example for this was Brian Bevan who played about 7 games for the Roosters.

These days though its much harder to find these relative unknowns and get a work permit for them to play here. The NRL is much better now at hoovering up the top talent especially from New Zealand. That era when we got Toa, Nigel Vagana and Wakefield found Henry Paul, was a time when the NRL wasn't as tuned into picking up NZ players.

Most of the NRL players we sign in recent years are guys who are out of contract in the NRL and struggling to get a deal on the terms they want so they look to try and get something in the UK and we're the kind of willing mugs who oblige.