Abe has been quiet, but last time he was on here he told us about the club making an attempt to sign Nathan cleary. There's clearly money available if we decide we want to spend it.

Good point.

Matt shaw saying vaughan is being sniffed at in Australia

Looks like agent talk

Seems the fallout is not over then. Then again Agent looking for a pay day. But at 33 34 next season he won’t be getting big money if he goes.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... d-30335098

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... d-30335098

He can go for me.
Cost us 2 GF visits with his indiscipline.

Not sure if he cost us 2 gf visits but he is our best prop forward by a long way.

He got suspended the playoffs in 2023,
He got suspended vs Leigh this season and lost us home advantage and top 2 finish.
He almost cost us a CC final visit too get suspended vs St Helens.

I’d been blowing the trumpet about his indiscipline since last season and got grief for it, yet he unfortunately prove me right.
He’s a liability and he cost us over and over.

If we do cash him in we need a replacement like Bunty Afoa, a tank of a prop who can cause some damage.
Will be interesting to see what happens but i don't think Burgess will be keen to let him go.

I don’t want any overseas player. They constantly end up going home.

I’d rather us buy the best of British or if we have to raid Aus, at least an overseas without a family.

We lost other games in 2024 we arguably should have won. If we had played a full side vs Wigan and won, we would have won the LLS. Harsh to pin that on Vaughan. 2023 we were miles off the pace anyway.

Comparison between 2023 when Vaughan made the dream team and 2024.

I have no inside knowledge whatsoever but I have cast the runes and now think if SB can find a replacement he will let Vaughan go, especially if a transfer fee is involved. In any event I would be surprised if we see Vaughan in primrose and blue (or lilac) next season.

I have a bit of a feeling too. The fact that he is in Oz now will make negotiations easier. He'll miss the traffic in Stockton Heath though. I can't think of any UK props that we would want.

And that’s the problem. At this time of the year clubs are pretty much done for the upcoming season so finding a replacement will be tough. I have already said I consider us light up front and if we let him go it will only be worse. The only positive I can take is it frees up a quota spot if he is released.

There is a UK prop that Huddersfield have signed that would fit our requirements.

He was an Ian Watson signing who they have sacked, so maybe they would be prepared to let him go?

Salary Cap could be an issue though, he was signed as a Marquee Player.

Eddie Battye

I'd have a word at hull for ese'ese or, slightly worse, matty English at Huddersfield

One of the reasons he chose the Giants was it’s nearer to the family home.

Yes we were light* [iwith[/i Vaughan.


*not numbers perhaps but proven quality.

Tom Burgess will be close to 33 years old when the 2025 season starts and he has signed a 3 year deal.
I was told that both Leeds and Warrington were very interested in signing him,
but that the sealing deal that the Giants ultimately offered him was way beyond both of the other deals that were on the table.
It's always a big risk when you sign a player of that age and one who has played in the NRL for so long too imo

Time will tell if he is worth the huge outlay on the cap,But his game time minutes at the Bunnies has gradually been reduced over the last 12 months

Burgess would be another Widdop. How did that one go?

He had his moments but his best days were already long gone. I was about to say hopefully we are past making those kind of signings now but we had Bateman.

I wouldn't want Burgess and Ese'ese is a pipe dream. We'd need to sign an overseas player as there aren't any UK props available that are good enough, that aren't already signed up.
We can all throw out obvious names but the fact of the matter is, tgey are already signed up and no club unless they were in dire straights money wise, or the player and club have a massive fallout, clubs aren't just gonna give up their best forwards.

So in a nutshell whatever the differences are between Burgess and Vaughan are they need to get past it and get on with the next season.