Is the sun pink on your planet?

I agree. They needed to give the players squad numbers so people could get them on the back of shirts for Christmas. As you say the numbers are common sense selections based on last season and players natural positions. Gleeson in the 17 before Goulding is no slight on Goulding for example.

As others have posted they don't mean much anyway because if a player with a 1st 17 number does not shape up he is going to get dropped.

Dave

We don't need Fielden to return to his absolute best form. If MM and SW can just get Fielden, Coley and Prescott playing a bit better than last season and get Feka fit then we'll have as good a set of props as anyone. Yes Peacock may be better than any of the four we have, but we have real strength in depth at prop IMO.

I don't expect massive improvements from any player next season (apart from in fitness terms), but we don't need massive improvements. We weren't a million miles away last season, despite the awful inconsistency and poor conditioning and tactics...A small improvement from each player in the squad will close the gap on Saints and possibly even Leeds. Fielden has a key role to play in this as he has been underperforming. He may not be capable any more of world class performances, but if he can recover some of that lost ground, then it would be an important piece in the jigsaw next season.

Mate for what he is earning he needs to be the stand out prop week in week out bar the odd dip in performance, this is what he was brought in for back in the day. I hope this is the change he needed and now out of his comfort zone thinks its Sh1t or bust for him with regards to a new deal.

As for the rest coley will always be a average player at best imo. Preck will improve so long as he keeps injury free. Feka by all accounts has lost a bit of weight so providing he is used correctly and not when the egg timer says so on the bench he should go ok .

If Fielden aint capable of any world class performances then who is ??

Mate for what he is earning he needs to be the stand out prop week in week out bar the odd dip in performance, this is what he was brought in for back in the day. I hope this is the change he needed and now out of his comfort zone thinks its Sh1t or bust for him with regards to a new deal.

As for the rest coley will always be a average player at best imo. Preck will improve so long as he keeps injury free. Feka by all accounts has lost a bit of weight so providing he is used correctly and not when the egg timer says so on the bench he should go ok .

If Fielden aint capable of any world class performances then who is ??'"

Really? I think we're shot for props to be honest. We have one on the wrong side of 30 who was only average even at his peak, one former superstar who has had about 5 good games in the last three years, one impact player who has gone worse every year he's been here and the rest are young and unproven. Our best prop wouldn't make the England train on squad. If one thing lets us down in 2010 it'll be our go-forward in the pack IMO.

I think you far undervalue our pack and far overvalue everybody elses.

I'm expecting a much improved showing from our pack in general and from Fielden in particular.
It's a real fresh start for him and i think he'll prove some people wrong.
wether some of them are big enough to admit they were wrong will be another question.

But the biggest reason i'm hoping for improvement will be because they will all be fitter and hopefully more inclined to work for one another.
I don't care what people think about certain players and their form, one of our problems has been that we have looked far too much for individuals to be so good that they can hide the fact that those around them are dead weight. By improving everyone the cream of the talent has the chance to rise.

The fact that at least three of our props are off contract at the end of next season could well work in our favour for the first half of the year. ( Fielden, Feca and Coley).

I expect our pack to be fitter and far more aggressive / rugged in their approach to the game playing a far more physical style of rugby than we have seen in recent times.

I do hope you are right in your assessment Tricky

oops

We don't have a single prop of international calibre and every other side I expect to see anywhere near the title does, Saints have Graham, Leeds have Peacock, Warrington have Morley, Huddersfield have Crabtree. Props who will dominate in every game and make their team big yards. We have Coley I don't think he'd even get a game at Leeds.

I'm saying he's our best prop, but still wouldn't get in the Leeds team. If anything it singles out the rest of them. I like Coley but he's got too much work on his shoulders, hopefully next year we'll sack off Fielden and get a quality replacement.