Bit of competition is good. If it proves we have one too many we can soon get them a game elsewhere.

Just before the play offs I posted on here that we were potentially bringing in someone on a short term deal until the end of the season who would play centre. Someone who would have been a major coup in terms of the club and the sport. That someone was Owen Farrell.

I know i'll get shot down by some, especially by any of our Pie Eating friends that frequent this board, but it's true. And I know some of you will say he isn't a centre, but I didn't say we we were looking at bringing in 'a' centre. I said it was someone who would 'play' centre.

If Farrells initial ban for the Rugby Union World Cup hadn't been over turned the plan was for him to play the remaining games of our season in the centre with goal kicking responsibilities. It would have given him the opportunity to stick 2 fingers up to the RU establishment without him having to open his mouth, and it would have kept him fit during his ban.

And the beauty of Farrell potentially signing a short term deal with Warrington was it was his representatives that approached the club, not the other way round. It was done via Martin Gleeson.

I'm now going to go and sit in a bunker for a few days with a finger in each ear.

Now that would have been fun. Not certain how good he would have been. Very good distributor but not the quickest.

Thanks Abe.

I doubt that Farrell would have made any difference, but it would have been a huge publicity coup and almost certainly would have attracted a lot of neutrals or North / East Cheshire RU fans down to the HJ for a couple of games.

I don't really mind things like this, as long as it doesn't take away funds that would have been needed for proper recruitment purposes. Shame we couldn't tempt his Dad on board. No way would Farrell senior have stood for some of those defensive efforts last season (or the season before).

Ha ha ha ha all the hallmarks of another Warrington gimmick signing. Just because we [icould [/idoesn't mean we [ishould[/i. Normal teams would play a replacement player from their squad.

Where have all the gimmicks and "coups" got us over the year? Nowhere. We haven't learnt a thing.

Fascinating, as Mr Spock would have said. Thanks for sharing, but now I'm intrigued by the pay offs and wonder if you'll be spelling the beans on that topic too?

A signing like that would have been up there with the like if Phil Blake and Jonathan Davis at centre.
Had that new broke, it would have ruffled a few feathers at the RFU like our link to Will Carling.
Wether Carling was ever serious I don’t know.

Give over. The Davies signing was massive. He won Man of Steel and nearly got us to the league title. Cannot compare to a 2 game stint from Owen Farrell. It would have been Luther Burrell all over again.

However the melt down on here and elsewhere would have been off the scale!

As a publicity stunt it would be fine but he'd be a relatively steady centre & Ratchford would carry on kicking our goals. Bit like the Greg Inglis signing. Not at all in the Andrew Johns bracket.

Oh to watch Jonathan Davies again, finest rugby player to don the primrose and blue in my lifetime and opinion.

You'll get no argument from me on that one!

In my lifetime too (watching from 79 onwards).

The owners of the club need to stop messing about with signings like this. It's not a trainset to play with. Publicity? For what purpose? We are already very well known as a mouthy, wealthy, yet perennially failing laughing stock. I would much prefer we go about our business quietly and thoughtfully.

The Andrew Johns signing, as big as it was for profile, was another complete gimmick. Sure it boosted shirt sales, made the news and increased attendance. But sporting wise few like to recall the last of his 3 games was a 40-6 home hammering by Hull FC to knock us out of the playoffs at the first round. The good old Cullen years.