The Magic Wand has already come up with a man called "Dufty" who looks a superb addition. If we'd have had him all season!

We are likely to be always 1-2 out with an injury or suspension and we will still have depth and competition.

A good blend of grunt and genuine off the bench impact.

I think it will be:

Vaughan Clark Dudson
Currie nicholson
Maguire

Mikaele
Kasiano
Holmes

Bullock will be first reserve and will probably get more games than one or 2 of the other 4 props covering injuries and suspensions. Philbin shouldn't be anywhere near the team until chance allows him an opportunity and then he will have to perform really well to keep the shirt, he's been well off this season.

He looks a great signing.

I'm really hoping that Powell will consider Bullock as one of our 4 props. Aside from his improvement and genuine threat, he has age on his side at 29 compared to our other front rows. He hasn't really featured that much at Wigan either so I'm hoping he'll have a little more gas in the tank.

Bullock will get plenty of opportunity either way, I think he seems to thrive on having to perform for his shirt if his form since being dropped is anything to go by, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up as a starter given recent performance levels.

I think Bullock started as a winger. Just been watching Ryan Hall taking the ball up ... blimey!

Re: Holmes. If he’s not better than Nicholson now (and he’s not, according to Powell who for all but one week has preferred Nicholson to him) will he ever be?

Credit where it’s due, decent last night. But, if you’ve lost your spot to a kid who had only played one Super League game before joining us mid-season (feel free to correct me, could be more games) then I think your card is marked. Nicholson, with a pre-season and 10 games under his belt, will get better. Longstaff could even close the gap after 6/7 starts at Hull. I think there is work to do for Holmes to justify his spot.

WRT props it would be good to see the club focussing on identifying and developing some promising young British talent, similar to our friends up the A49.
Not easy apparently, but they must be out there somewhere and it would be good if they could be mentored by the very experienced props joining us next season.

Powell was asked about wether he thought we needed props for 2022.
He said no.

Good point in here. Maybe there is merit in looking for a specific prop coach for the club. While size plays a part, there is more to it. I know James Graham was doing this at St George until recently, so they do exist, maybe we as a club need to invest and use this across all areas, Reserves, Womens, Academy, Scholarship…

We already had under contract cooper, Philbin (both internationals) mulhern, doro and Butler, he released sita and hill and replaced with lower salary bullock and Harrison. I can see why he wanted to give everyone a chance to prove themselves to him, besides there wasn't much he could do about the players already under contract and really they're the ones he has had a big problem with. Cooper was our best prop but he could have been on big money having returned from the NRL?

Powell realised fairly quickly that he was wrong to say we don't need props, doro and butler were moved on quite early, Mulhern won't be renewed, again I agree with this, he is a player I quite like but he's not very mobile and there is definitely better out there. Cooper is the question mark atm, he's still a very good player and if he is alright for Wigan why not for Powell? Bullock is turning out alright after a spell on the naughty step, he went alright from the start for me but recent displays look like a different player. Him being wrong about not needing props is one of the main drivers for our poor season IMO, frustratingly. We have been saying we need props for a long time.

One of the biggest alarm bells at the minute for Powell is Kyle Amor, he wanted to come in and play rugby this season and he isn't. Powell brought him in and praised his professionalism but he isn't getting a look in. Powell just seems far too easy to fall out with. If he doesn't mellow and falls out with some of the incoming signings then he won't last long next season, we can't back him with more mid season changes surely. He has to be given the chance to get a tune out of them now though, a big reset is required and it can start now really, most of the players in the squad are here next season and are Powell signings time to start working on making a team out of them.