Currently I have the main squad looking something like this...


C.Price/Agar(groans)

1. Ratchford/Dagger/Johnson
2. Lineham
3. Goodwin/T King
4. Atkins/livett
5. Russell
6. Kevin Brown
7. Roberts/Patton
8. Hill/G King
9. Clarke/Smith
10.Crosby/Philbin
11.Akauola/Hughes
12.Masila/Jullien/Westwood
13.Currie/Cooper

Please feel free to question/alter/remove any positions.

That's currently 25...isn't that the main total amount to be named as the first team squad?
If so...is there room for additional players for the new coach? Will someone have to go?

I've left Pomeroy out because I've heard nothing about a new contract for him.

Looking at the line up, it seems strangely we don't actually need another prop...but I'd have had it as a priority. Will the addition of Aka and BMM add enough mean to offset the soft under belly of the front row we saw last year, or will they front up?

If Brett Morris comes in I can see Lineham being shipped out to create cap space for him.

Back to the front row, Cooper and Westwood can add reserve depth but I'd still like to see an enforcer come in, perhaps letting Jullien go to Catalan to free up cap if the rumours have foundation.

Players in vs players out and my guess at like for like cap value

Gidley < Roberts
Westerman - BMM
Sims > Akouola
Hiku - Goodwin
Dwyer
Savelio
Evans
Pomeroy
Blythe
Penny
Wilde

Obviously this is all guess work, but....

The top 4 in/outs in that list seem to balance themselves out in salary cap value (remembering that only £175k of Roberts salary will count)

Any player outside the top 25 paid players and under 21 won't count on the cap, so Dagger and Smith would fall under that category.

I think we need a replacement of sorts for Dwyer.

Props of Hill / Cooper / Crosby / Akouola with Westwood / Philbin / King as back up seems ok to me...? But if a very good prop was available I'd take them, we're not as strong as Hull in that area.

Linehams starting place looks at risk for me, but would you use a marquee spot on a winger?

Does Hughes get another year to prove 2017 was the exception?

Not sure who's ready to step up from the academy, but we need a little more squad depth considering who's leaving. Given the new salary cap rule of anyone under 21 not in your top 25 earners not counting on the cap - we need to focus some attention there.

I'd probably keep Pomeroy as long as he's happy to be a back up to the theee quarter line.

I'd say we still have plenty of cap space left, remembering the club say they want to carry two marquee players, would that suggest we will carry £175k of cap space in to next year if we can't sign another marquee for 2018?

Cap is also increasing by £100k, I assume that will be spread throughout the squad, although few could argue they deserve a pay rise after the 2017 season!

As things stand

Ratchford
Lineham.....??
Goodwin
Atkins (two left sided centres)
Russell
Brown
Roberts
Hill
Clark
Cooper
Hughes
Currie
BMM

New Hooker
Crosby
Akouola
.......Westwood? Maybe a good young backrower should be a priority?

If BMM and Roberts are confirmed I'd like to see a decent interchange hooker and new winger. Both wings are weak for different reasons. I'm not sure there's much coming through from U19s this season so perhaps 3-4 promising young academy/championship players would bring numbers up to what we need. I'd then be tempted to renew my season ticket.......

well since you've invited, why have you started putting currie at loose forward? you mentioned that a copy of times yesterday, and it doesn't make a lot of sense since he's an edge runner. Not a middle.

I thought Dagger had gone to HKR?

1. Ratchford
2. Lineham
3. Atkins
4. Livett
5. Goodwin
6. T. Roberts
7. Patton
8. Hill
9. Clark
10. Cooper
11. Currie
12. Julien
13. BMM

14. New hooker (I'd go for Pelissier at Leigh)
15. Crosby
16. Akauolo
17. Westwood/Philbin

Bin off Hughes, Brown and Russell.

He does run the lines well but he also steps changes those lines off both feet and he has a pair of hands.
With 300k(guess) spent on 2 backrowers, I want them starting in the team. I can only see Currie or Ratchford(with a few lamb chop dinners) filling that void of loose...and I'd rather see the lamb chop off Ratchford's plate start at loose forward before I'd play Cooper there.

I'd like us to sign a try scoring winger too and replace Lineham. I'd be throwing ridiculous money at Wakefield for Tom Johnstone perhaps offer them cash plus Lineham.

Masilla is a better bet playing either wide or 13. Middle of the park wouldnt suit currie

That is probably a better call. So long as we get them both on the pitch.

tom johnstone, knee reconstruction, tom johnstone?

Someone mentioned yesterday they'd play him at 13 in a 'Jason Taumalolo' marauding role. I like that. I think he has the ball skills to play there.