Recruitment season really hotting up with Matthew Shaw now reporting that Trinity leading the race for Rourke. Slightly underwhelming for him but may be a good fit. In other news we’ve signed xxxk all. As you know there are quite a few variables not yet crystal clear for next season like whether despite telling us clearly we’ll be in the Championship we may not be and whether the season will start on a Thursday or a Friday and whether the cost of milk will go up one or two pence. Who dares wins eh! Fxxx that you can’t be too careful and leaving it to the last minute has proved to be a successful strategy over the last few seasons. Sigh.

Rourke I would suggest is too good for Wakefield, who as a City I believe have twined with Ces Peet.

I confess I thought Wakefield was OK when I went there. Making the journey from Tooting Broadway to Plough Lane I feel, notwithstanding the fact that a modest 2 bed flat costs north of 600k, that I’m holed under the water line when it comes to criticising other clubs’ town or city.

Never forgiven them for the racist abuse heaped on M'Baki in the early 80s.

FFS now Waine to Bradford. I’ve obviously taken my eye off the ball because last time I heard about Bulls they didn’t have a pot. Clearly Batley has lost its title of Paris of the North to Bradford which also has taken me off guard. I tell you what it’s probably time Broncos management put out a good news story because not only are losing players to SL teams and Elite 1 but we’re now a Bradford feeder club. As the kids would say, this is fxxxed up.

Last player out, please switch off the lights.

It’s shocking isn’t it. We really are going to do it again, blame some nebulous circumstances that appear to apply to no one else and hire a few players about 5 minutes before season starts having compounded our failure to recruit by losing some players we simply didn’t need to lose.

Sky pretty clear that Leyland off to Warrington

Some black clouds over Plough Lane then.

Realistic next year team of...

Walker

Macani
Bassett
Storey
Boafo

Monk
Campo (ambitious?)

Bienek
Davis (maybe also ambitious?)
Butler
Adebiyi
Lovell
Stock

Williams
Davies or Tison
Hughes?
Err dunno

Needs a few to add in but looks not quite as bad as you might think. Pack is basically what controlled Cats a few weeks ago, shouldn't struggle in Championship and outside backs better than expected?

It’s all guesswork but I assume Storey to a northern Championship side.
Campo I don’t think will be picked up by a SL club so move back to Australia or France.
I suspect Bienek will have suitors but London a good fit for him. He is a key retention. I can’t think of any excuse why we haven’t got that business wrapped up.
Butler might also get interest but I think not from an SL side so another season with us would help him to get back to where he was before he left for Wolves.
I wonder if Williams might go to another Championship side. We loaned him out to Widnes which suggests we didn’t think he’d make the 17. Unfortunately he got injured within a quarter of an hour but being dropped can concentrate the mind when your club refuses to put a deal on the table until the very last minute.
Davis move to York didn’t work. He could go to another Championship side but I’d guess not. If we lost him that would be a totally avoidable mistake.
Adebiyi might go. He went on a jaunt around quite a few northern clubs before returning. Again a mistake by us if we lost him.
Lovell I think will stay.
Tyson I assume will go to TO- everybody seems to.
Basset I think could go to any Championship or Elite 1 club but Aussie in London with good side job- that seemed the ideal Situation to be in.
The rest I think stay.

Just watched this Eccles post match interview on you tube. I tell you he’s not talking us up for next year it sounds a bit existential. Could all be brinkmanship but if we take at face value that we go down not hull come what may, and they be right to sue if goalposts moved at this stage, then unless they decide to make it a 13 club SL-and rugby league is anything but fleet footed when it comes to change then I fear we are heading for another half ars** season in the Championship where half the season goes by before we get a few in and achieve some kind of reasonable standard. This all seems grim. The ‘tell’ is if more players get picked off by Championship sides. There really is no excuse for that and suggests we have given up.

agreed. there's no reason why we should be getting outbid/ out-organised by other Championship/ French league sides. Can't see why we can't at least offer optional contracts, dependent on which league we'll be in to keep those who want to stay. You look at the team after we score or win and they look so together- amazing when you think of how much we've lost- and that must make them want to stay if it is made financially viable for them.

Agree with you both, which only leaves the one big question, what bonkers plan is Hughes working to if there is one?

The tenor of the interview did make wonder whether we are in a ‘I think we should be in SL. It’s not fair I’m off’ scenario. That would be unfortunate.