For me, French confirmed he'd signed for Parra in his post-match interview. Absolute textbook example of how to lie and dodge a question badly.

I’d like to see Smithies given some minutes playing in the second row. He’s been brought in as an 18 year old last year and since has only ever played slap bang in the middle of the field. It’s a tough proposition that at such a young age and it’s not like he’s a monster physically. He’s played plenty of second row in the juniors and it would give him the chance to run wider at smaller men for a change. He’ll end up at loose forward in his career but there’s no reason why he has to be flogged there at the minute.

He’ll be a top player Smithies. It’s easy to forget how young he is and there’s been a bit of that second season syndrome about his performances. He’ll learn a lot from John Bateman next year when it comes to playing with controlled aggression. I think Bateman will get a few % out of lots of our guys.

Most of your first paragraph there could equally be applied to Shorrocks, though, NK. I hope we can keep them both. Did Smithies not mostly play 13 at Academy level? At any rate, that's a different story to playing 13 at senior level, as neither of them are that big.

(Checking, I see the club website has Smithies as 100 kg; I'm surprised he is that heavy)

I'd take those stats with a heavy pinch of salt. I'm 6'2 and taller than players they've listed as 6'4 plus.

I wouldn't have thought that Smithies was 13 kg heavier than Shorrocks, no. That's two stone in old money!

Fully agree. I think both should be getting minutes a little wider when possible and somebody more experienced like Isa should be doing the graft in the middle. I don’t think we’ve used Isa centrally enough (pretty much at all the last couple of seasons) in his time here. He rebuilt his career at Widnes playing at loose forward and whilst he’s not the biggest, he is as tough as teak. I’d also use Fridays option of Partington in front of the two younger lads as a starter.

Smithies played a bit of both from memory. More loose forward but plenty of second row as well. It’s been a tough learning curve to only play at loose forward in the first team. He’s done a great job in the main in fairness to him but I’d have a look at him in the second row as well now and again.