So now that this season is over how do we see the squad taking shape for next season? We still badly need another halfback and we need to shift on players who aren't good enough, who, IMO are; Patton, Atkins, Smith etc. I'd like to see Luis Johnson get more game time and therefore I'm confused by the signing of Lama Tasi.

Ratchford
Charnley
King
Goodwin
Lineham
Austin
?
Hill
Clark
Cooper
Hughes
Currie
Westwood


Philbin
Murdoch Masilia
J Clark
D Walker (tbc)
Tasi
L Johnson
Patton
Brown
Atkins
Akuoloa
M Davies

So is that 4 in and 7 out so far? Would suggest more to come.

Ratchford
Charnley
King
Goodwin
Lineham
Austin
Brown
Hill
D. Clark
Cooper
Hughes
J. Clark
Westwood

Subs:
Philbin
Tasi
Murdoch Masilia
Walker

Rotations
Patton
Atkins
L Johnson
Akuoloa

(Injured)
Currie

I still have worries......the centres are both poor neither creative or have pace.
Goodwin is reasonably strong but is not a game breaker. I'd replace both but thats not going to happen.
Not sure what happens to Atkins as i believe he is still our best centre but appears to be third choice.

rotating Hill and cooper with Philbin and Tasi doesn't do much for me we needed something better than Tasi.

I expect Patton and Walker to swap around that last bench spot to mix up the halves and/ or rest Darryl Clark.

its an improvement on this year as there is a better halfback and a better back rower in the side. And if Currie comes back then its real competition for those back row spots which we need because we have zero back rowers creating great running lines.

we'll finish above Wigan and a lot closer to Saints. Cas And Wire will feature in Finals next year not sure which but we'll win something next year.

Hoping for a Christmas miracle and a decent scrum half .....but I think we are done for signings

Of the confirmed signings:

Ratchford
Charnley
King
Goodwin
Lineham
Austin
Brown
Hill
D. Clark
Cooper
Hughes
Currie
J. Clark


Subs:
Patton
Philbin
Tasi
Murdoch-Masilia

Rotations

Atkins
Livett
L Johnson
Akuoloa
Davis
Smith
J Johnson
Moran
Westwood (not confirmed?)

I'd like to think that there's a couple more signings to come and it is also important that we get a high caliber replacement for Jon Clarke.

Does Austin count as a quota.
Potugese/English heredity is he?

He qualifies to play for England apparently.

There are key area of the squad that need improving and allow us to build on what we have achieved this year.

IMO we need

- an quality centre
- a quality half back partner for Austin
- another prop
- a back up hooker

Just some thoughts but in answer to the above I’d happily ta

- Gelling
- Drinkwater
- Fifita
- walker

If we can get Currie back ( going to be tough) then that makes for a very impressive squad indeed and strengthens us next year.

A fit BMM would also help !!!!!

Gelling is staying with Widnes, we won't sign another halfback but the Dream would be Drinkwater but he's off to Leeds so i believe. Fifita is going nowhere.
We have a better Squad next year than we did this year but we need another playmaker badly.
Luis Johnson looks like he'll be a beast for us and if Currie comes back to full strength and fitness that will be a massive bonus for us, but we are overloaded on second rowers. This is how i think we'll look next year.

Ratchford
Lineham
Goodwin
King
Charnley
Austin
Brown
Hill
D.Clark
Cooper
Currie ( when fit)
Hughes
J.Clark

Subs.
D.Walker/Patton
Tasi
Philbin
BMM

And the rest rotating
I think Having Tasi in the team will Kick Akuoala up the ass and hopefully we'll see him kick it up a few gears, we have a great squad but need to up our Skill level badly.

Toby king needs replacing. Charnley scores tries(as he did outside atkins)because he is a world class winger, not because king is some reincarnation of Martin Gleeson. If Currie(and it's a massive if!)gets back to fitness he should play centre. His timing of a pass is superb. If you can get Gene ormsby over for hat tricks you are something special!!

Ratchford
Lineham
Goodwin
King
Charnley
Brown
Austin
Hill
Daryl
Cooper
Johnson
Hughes
Jason

Livett
Tasi
Philbin
BMM

He was trained in the NRL so would be one of the 7 (is that the limit these days) Non fed players.

If 7 still is the limit we have one spot left by my reckoning (Current 6 are Goodwin, Austin, Clark, BMM, Sita, Tasi)

A new half would be great, I think its more likely for 2020 though.

full Backs: Ratch, J Johnson
Wing: Lineham, Charnley
Centre: Goodwin, King, Atkins (+Livett for cover)
Halfs: Brown, Austin, Patton, (Smith?)
Prop: Hill, Cooper, Philbin, Tasi, Sita (+ Westwood, Moran?)
Hooker: Clark, Walker? (+ Patton as cover)
2nd Row: Currie (Please), Hughes, BMM, Livett, M Davies, L Johnson
Loose: Clark, Westwood

Stepping up from the U19's we have Doro (prop) and Robson (Back Row) think that's it for 2019?

I'd say we are certainly a couple of outside backs out at present, we have enough cover probably at prop, but not sure Tasi and Sita are up to standard.
Backrow is well stocked, can't see any issues there.

Concerns if Ratch picks up a long term injury, would be a big ask of Johnson.

I'd also take a new half, but can't see it happening.

So

Roberts Out Austin In
Thompson Out Clark In
Crosby Out Tasi In
G King Out M Davies In
Pomeroy Out
M Brown Out
Walker In

I'd say we have space for a couple of outside backs, but I don't think people should be expecting anymore big signings, unless Brown is off.

EDIT: One thing I have potentially overlooked is the salary cap goes up by £100k next year. Not sure if that would be available or whether it would be eaten up in part by players (Hill / Clark ?) who have written agreements that their salaries would increase by the same % as any cap increase - I know that's written in to some NRL contracts. Or Charnley who may have had some of his contract off salary cap last year due to coming back from RU.

we need another hi-impact quality prop, a scrum half and a decent centre...IMO

We have 3 good centres, plus livett and currie! Another specialist centre especially one on the wages to be better than what we have is a waste of cap space IMO.

A half with a kicking game and we are a different side. IMO that's all we really need. I'd spend any extra an a player who could cover the wings, if he covers centre too then that's a bonus. If widnes or a championship side like Leigh have any promising young wingers that's where I would look to add to the squad.

The youngsters need to be given a go this year instead of signing a player towards the back end of there career. Johnstone got a run out and did really well, Moran has been in the first team environment for 3 years and still hasn’t had a proper chance plus Robson who was standout for the u19s all year and is highly thought of by the coaches all need game time next season

mmm its all about opinions of course..

I'd argue we have 1 good centre, 1 ageing on his way out or into the pack centre and one bang average/ordinary centre.

Livett..not convinced at all that he has what it takes to be competing at the top. I saw him have 1 good game last season v a Leeds side that went on to fight relegation.
Currie...in all likelihood finished as a player..hope I'm wrong.

Our centres need to be fast, creative and powerful....all I saw on Saturday was slow and clueless...add in the slow and clueless half backs and its no real surprise that we fell short in both finals.

You might think this harsh..fair enough...but IMO its the difference between 'runner up' and 'winner'.

I think he has a great career in front of him if he can stay injury free, he has been good this season IMO and been out best centre. Our centres looked clueless on Saturday because every time they received the ball they had a Wigan wall in front of them. The combination between the Wigan defence being absolutely superb and the ball movement from our halves being laboured and quite easy to read meant that the centres didn't have any space really. Saturday was not a game to judge centres IMO.

You could be right of course, but I think our centres are good enough for next year, however, we will need one soon though, Goodwin and atkins don't have too many years left. I would take gelling in a heartbeat but I can't see us changing this year.

Harsh but true. Remember the chaotic days of the later DVDV era. The halves and centres were: Langer, Briers, Kohe-Love and Hunte. Or in the early years at the Halliwell Jones, it was Nat Wood and Briers/Appo in the halves and we had centres like Grose, Gleeson and Kohe-Love.

The current team is massively advanced from them in terms of organisation and structure, but those guys could finish off plays and when we got in the last 20/30 yards of the field there were lots of routes through which a try could come. At the moment its just hard work for us to score a try, we pass the ball from one side to the other and hope that somehow an overlap will appear for Charnley or Lineham.

In this respect we're still where we were in 2015 and 2017, either side of the time with Sandow where for all his faults, there were a lot more potential routes for a try at any time, and defences knew that too.

I would love to transport those DVDV or Cullen players into the current side, with Steve Price as coach, we'd be stand out favourites for SL next year.

Toby has all the scope to be a class centre....that's it.
Goodwin has been great in the middle period of the season...he'll have 12 months in him but we know it takes him time to come back from a knock.
Atkins is a fit guy but he may be just cover.
I'd like another but class out and out monster.

I couldn't read anymore than this, and that was the DVDV era. It's shocking how SL quality has slipped so much.

Well Walkers re-signed with Widnes so that's a no go.

I think you will find they have signed Brad Walker so Danny should still be ours.

I never said Brad....I said Danny.

Never really understand why new signings take so long to announce.

Leeds have just signed one in Konrad Hurrell.

Impressive signing for them and will go well over here. We should have been all over that IMO.