Very much like Sailor , once Armstrong is needed for cover and shows their worth, the appetite for being in SL shop window will vanish.

Either would have been a massive coup for Leigh, and as good as our current players performed last year and this, these 2 would have been a major upgrade.

The top 6 seems unrealistic at the moment which makes me wonder will Derek save the cash for next year and just play this season out.

Well will our league position dictate which league we are in season - you seem to take for granted we will be in the SL 12

Going off what Derek has stated that we won’t be far off a grade A club when we have to submit our figures then I’m in the opinion that we will be still in SL next year.
Granted that our league position will lose us points compared to last year, but our financial submission must be better this time round.

We've only played 7 games. Have some faith in us LC.

If the points are similar to what was required last year (32) to finish 5th with , we will do well if we only lose 5 games for the remainder of the season.

Not impossible but would be an absolute monumental effort.

Hopefully we are still in with a sniff when we have a full complement, as the next 3 games are all very winnable especially with the rumour Rowley off to Hull which would be a massive blow for Salford.

Glass is still half full !

Not sure if anyone has seen it buy it looks like Armstrong will start for Newcastle while Ponga is out

Yep. Named as replacement for Ponga.

So the Armstrong deal is dead then. This will continue to happen if we are targeting players that are only an injury away from the first team and not in a position to do a deal quickly. Messages from Lam in the press conferences and Beaumont in his Q&A video continue to be mixed. We want an aussie full back, but also want to keep the other 7 overseas players, while at the same time DB is also saying we've no room on the cap.

Just doesn't make sense, meanwhile, we have two players in O'Brien and Nakubuwai being told they want to be replaced while being picked every week when available.

Indeed. It's very discombobulating isn't it?

I have a sense that the Armstrong deal was very close until a few dominoes fell in a different direction. (Ben injured, Ponga injured).
I get what you are saying about players and one injury away from a first team spot Leythig, but that is where some of the best rough diamonds at a reasonable cap related price are to be found overseas. Lockie is the perfect example.
An interesting few weeks ahead ?!

Armstrong’s contract with Newcastle is up this season, so he has some big decisions to make. He plays well the next few weeks in first grade and may earn an extension or interest from other nrl teams, or decides to go to super league. I think he will only go to super league if he doesn’t impress in the first team and doesn’t get offered any deal. Then that begs the question as to wether we still want him.

Nine minutes into his debut, second touch of the ball and scores a try. Played of Jackson Hastings who put him through a huge gap on the inside from about ten mitres out. Good pace off the mark.

He likely has 3-4 months of play ahead if he goes well. Ponga out for that long.
By then I think he will be a hot property in the NRL.
Sometimes you win, sometime you lose, but we are now a club in the game, with a coach and reputation that will attract the right overseas players.

Yeh I agree VL, unless he has already signed for us for next year, which I very much doubt, he could get picked up by another nrl club. The only issue he has at the Knights is Ponga, he will only play if he is not fit or is picked for origin. Interestingly the RV pundits never mentioned any interest being shown from us at all when they were talking about him.