Will never happen but I'd like to see:-

1. Dufty
2. Ashton
3. Wardle
4. Wrench
5. Thewlis/New Winger
6. Williams
7. Hayes
8. Vaughan
9. Clark
10. Kasiano
11. Currie
12. Nicohlson
13. McGuire

14. Philbin/Thomas
15. Walker
16. Bullock
17. Harrison

Give the young lads a go - most of them are good enough.

I like what Mikaele has done since he came in, he’s clearly been carrying an injury for a few weeks, but he’s added genuine impact and has an offload in him (he also has a few errors in him I think). Dudson looks less needed now Bullock has had an upturn in form but I think he can do the kind of no nonsense job we maybe need, Vaughan, Kasiano, Mikaele, Bullock, Philbin off a lot of impact, Dudson is more a grunt type of prop - he could go well.

As for the younger players, props develop later and Vaughan, Kasiano & Dudson will likely not be with us in 2025, when these guys will be 22, plenty of time for them still

Harrison looks a good bet for a bench spot next year covering prop, second row or loose. Philbin place looks threatened, wouldn’t surprise me if he went out on loan once he’s fit in 2023, could free up some cap space for us too.

Looking forward to Nicholson and Holroyd putting some pressure on Homes & Currie, they could well be the future of our backrow.

Indeed we did - sometimes a nominal fee will be required but our spending in the Moran era makes the Kardashians seem prudent.

More diligence, less american express gold card please.

We did pay a fee for Holden, which I thought was £5k. Either way, £5k or £10k, it was a bargain. Shame his knee went and ended his career, if it happened in this day and age, he'd have been able to continue after an op and recouperation. Same would apply to Mark Roberts and a lot of other sportsmen back in the day.

We have to be a bit smarter with the salary cap and I think Powell is trying to do that.
We cant have 70 or 80% of the salary cap tied up with 10 or 11 players.
It need to be spread about more evenly for a number of reasons.
A) In the past when the big earners are not on the field we have then had a compromise. We have seen front rowers like Hill and Sims or Hill and Cooper leave the field and with all due respect to Akoala, Mulhern, Davis etc there is not the same standard.

B) It all then makes us more reliant on the big earners, meaning they have to do more minutes. So is it any wonder that we can get to the odd challenge cup final and even win some but cannot maintain that over a season or back to back knock out games in the play offs. Then because we are so reliant when contract negotiations time comes round we have to pay more because we feel like we cannot do without them.

C) In any environment when there is a big disparity in earnings then there will always be grumblings. Why are they paid more etc.


It feels wrong to label some players as "compromises" because they have been good professionals (insert names here) and I have enjoyed watching them but there is a big list of them. So this process has started in the pack with hopefully less reliance on the few.

According to Serious about RL (I know) half back Adam Clune turned down a deal for 2023

Yes, I read that too.

It does show that we still have money available in the Salary Cap.

Don`t know enough about Adam Clune to be disappointed or not?

He’s played quite a few first grade games for Newcastle, but has been deemed not quite up to it. Would have been excellent in SL though in all likelihood. Hey ho….

Well on a positive note it shows we ARE looking for a new halfback i suppose. We've got time to find one and i wonder if this shuts down the Brandon Wakeham rumour?
I don't think Riley Dean is at the stage yet to lead us around the park so i would like to see an extra halfback come in. But if we don't get a new halfback i suspect Ratchford will start alongside Williams with Dean rotating with Ratchford every so often??

Until Wrench returns from his injury, I suspect Powell will play Ratchford at left centre.

NURSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can`t see Powell playing anyone else there, unless we sign another centre, and since we are after a NRL halfback, the new centre signing would have to be Non-Quota.

As we are looking to sign Wardle, we are obviously looking to fill the left centre position.

With a half back and a centre being chased, plus Dufty, its looking like Ratchford will play the utility role most people hoped he would when he signed his new deal. Hopefully we can get two more signings over the line.

I would have liked to sign Wardle too, but with the communication from Huddersfield about him, then that deal doesn`t look very promising.

If we do sign a centre, and it`s not Wardle, I expect it will be a low profile recruit, possibly from the Championship?

Wrench is expected to play there, when he is back from his injury