according to the daily mirror we are not signing eastmond or anyone else for that matter..so there you go

I aim to please!

In truth you've got a good player in Hughes but a player that can frustrate. Rogues is close to the money is likening him to Russell because both are supreme athletes but because if that their skills have probably been a little neglected as juniors.

Somebody pointed out a lack of errors this year from Hughes and that's a huge step in the right direction for him because I've always said if he can fix that he could be England class in time. To have a back rower with size and pace is rare and it's now just about taking off the rough edges. I remember watching him score 4 try's for the England Knights against Samoa at Salford prior to the World Cup warm up (England vs Italy) and thinking he was ready to kick on but his chances became limited. You don't score 4 try's against opposition of that class without having plenty about you. We never helped him by switching him between second row and centre. He is simply never a centre.

He's getting a bit old to still be talking about potential.

His game on Thursday against Wigan was a typical Hughes performance. Scored an impressive try (running over two backs), bombed a try (running straight in to Bowen when put clean through) and at fault for the two Farrell breaks (which both lead to tries).

Solid SL player, but nothing more.

i agree hughes in not a centre

not seen many handling errors from his this season though

workhorse who gets through alot of tackling and very solid, attack not the best but still young and as ive said would have liked to keep him at the giants but the travelling to hudds wasnt helping and warrington is near to his home.

8. Sims
10. Hill
11. Currie
12. Westwood
13. Grix
15. Harrison
16. Newun
17. Hughes

Stats comparison Currie: 568 tackles, 1727 metres, 9 clean breaks, 17 errors and 12 tries. Hughes: 718 tackles, 1881 metres, 8 clean breaks, 15 errors and 4 tries. So apart from crossing the whitewash Hughes seems a strong signing particularly in defence where his work-rate is excellent (although Currie missed three games because of his ban).

Funny how a lot of people have been talking about Currie but Hughes has gone under the radar...must be because he is at Huddersfield.

Unless smith changes the way he likes to play, I think it's more likely that Grix and Westwood would swap places in the above. Definitely need that new number 16 though.

it's more than very unlikely to see Westwood at loose forward next year.

Is it really that unlikely? He played the role early this season if memory serves, and that was when we were a man down in the 2nd row.

If he moves to bench prop we get 30-40 mins from him, at loose we get 50+ mins from him. He's still one of our best forwards, I'd like him on the field as much as possible.

Unless of course we have another option coming in at 13....

He age is becoming the hinderance, he is more often seen hands on waist, gulping at oxygen this season more than ever, it is inevitable it will play a greater problem for him over the next 2 seasons or more.

Westwood has been a legend for us, but he isn't an 80min player anymore, so he isn't going to be playing a position of pivotal importance, it'll be a position of spelling.
Wether it's 12, 13 or 14 on his shirt back, it makes no difference, it has to be as a prop. 13 isn't often a loose forward in a TS side anyway.

When I talk of playing him at 13 I mean as that third prop. I think he still has more than 40 mins per game in him, so I think 13 rather than bench prop would be better personally. It's not so much for fitness reasons I want him playing more centrally, more so he's less of a threat running out wide now and is better suited to smashing whoever runs at him in the middle if the field.

I'm trying to understand what you mean A7

Are you trying to say you want Westwood to play 80 mins as a prop, and having 13 on his back is what is required for this measure?
If so, I'm sure you are not forgetting he is our oldest player and also not a recognised as a prop.
I'm puzzled because you seem to indicate you want him to do more work than any other front rower.

My personal view is he should play 13, in the same way Harrison has played 13 for the past few years, I.e act as a 3rd prop. That way he's on for the start and can put us on the front foot.

In no way would I ever expect Westwood to play 80mins in that position, Harrison doesn't so neither would Westwood. I'd expect him to do 50 mins to 55 mins split over two stints, older or not, he's always had a great engine. I think using him as a bench prop we would only get 40 mins out of him - I think he can do more than that.

I wouldn't mind seeing Sims from the bench (16) and us bring in a big proper prop to start with Hill.