I like sims and think he does a lot of work. If England can stay fit and improve a little I would keep him but we do need another prop. With no rumoured signing and Hughes signing this does lead me to think Westwood will convert to prop, he isn't getting any younger.

If next years pack was

Hill
Clark
Sims
Currie
Hughes
Grix

Westwood
Harrison (both interchange props)
Dwyer
Laithwaite

RD it's a fantasy to think there are sackfulls of line breaking prop forwards marauding up field scattering bodies on fifty years romps to the try line. (I know you haven't said that...but it appears to be what people want to see)

I've just watched two nrl games and not one prop forward has broke the line and I've been watching James Graham. David klemmer, Frank Pritchard, jarrod warea-Hargreaves, leeds bound Keith Galloway and Aaron Woods..... Woods couldn't even break through the banner to commemorate his appearances!!!

TBF Woods did actually break a tackle but that was a four man tackle and two of the storm defenders knocked each other of the tackle. ..

Sims is plenty good enough...but him and Hill need help...when we have two Crap interchanges and no grunt in the second row or lose forward. It's an achievement that Hill and Sims manage to look just ok with the rubbish in the rest of yesterdays pack.

I like your optimism Pies not about England, but, about Grix. Is there any news of a return any time and I don't even mean soon? It's right that the club has stood by him how long out is too long?

We as posters and the club could all keep putting Grix in our starting packs at 13, but, at some point any return by Grix must be seen as a bonus rather than a plan.

Not so much as a slight hint on a return for Grix we have missed him, I feel it will also be a long recovery period for Laithwaite, we could have done with them both at the moment.

Exactly why I posted, put Grix in the mix have Westwood Laithwaite and B Evans available then we might not have suffered up front so much and that's no sleight on Philbin or Wilde

I spoke to a guy (I know, a guy in the know) who is well connected within the local amateur scene and at the Wire, he believes that Grix will retire at the end of the season. He was bang on that we would sign a half back for the Super 8's though it wasn't until late that he gave the name which we all knew anyway

He has also suggested that Harrison is off toe Wakefield?

I think pretty much that too, but it still wouldn't harm Sims to bang on 1/2 a stone in the off season.
Ice said on another thread, we do okay with Sims and Hill then replace them with much less effect, the replacements should always be as good as the ones that have been subbed!
I don't understand what we play will such an imbalance of front row pairings??

At the game on Saturday when Asotasi came on in the first half, im sure he didnt take a carry up till the second half. I couldnt believe it, it was a bloody semi final and he couldnt be d! Someone please correct me if i was wrong, but if i was on the bench i would have been busting a gut to get on and make an impact. Him, he made his first hit up in the second half. England is crap, his defence his atrocious! Totally flat footed, a wheelie bin is as much use as him. We need two props, one is a priority.

And still absolutely no mention of any props or even the hint of us being linked with one

Catalans have just signed big dave Taylor, I know he can be lazy but put him back at prop rather then second row which he plays and he dominates. Fuck me there'll be no bloody props left anywhere by the time we get round to it

Sorry, but I totally disagree with the negative comments about sims. FB is spot on in what he says, I too watch a fair amount of NRL and line breaking props are like hens teeth. It's certainly no coincidence we went to poop as soon as Sims and Hilly were taken off in the first half. I watched Sims when he played for the Cowboys, and more often than not he used to put in a full 40 in the first half then come back on for the last 20 of the second. Still, I suppose we do need yet another scapegoat now that Myler is away on his toes.

I made a point of watching his second spell. He is cunning. In attack (particularly the hard yards in our own half) he lines up purposefully such that not to be a contender to receive the ball from the play the ball. In defence he lumbers back so slowly he is offside for the next set.

It amazes me that he is in the side.

Asotasi stats (from the League Express) from the semi -

Tackles - 11, Missed Tackles - 2, Carries - 3, Metres - 20

I was going to put Alex Walmsley's stats in by way of a comparison but frankly it's depressing. He probably makes more metres getting up for a 3AM jimmy than Asotasi has all season.