Quote: vastman "Still don't see the risk with Owen, 16 games played well at SL level makes him a SL quality F/B IMHO - how many does it take exactly in your book.
You keep finding reasons as to why player X Y or Z isn't a good enough FB yet you never name one who is and is available now at a price we can afford. I'm not specifically having a go at you but there has to be an element of "he's good enough" regarding some players at any club and especially at ours. Let's be honest Mathers had a few hundred games under his belt at FB but was to all but his most ardent fans a risky player.
Owen IMHO as well as Hall and Sammut are no more a risk than almost any player on the planet other than a dozen NRL players and a tiny few SL players. Give them a chance is my advise as'"
I'm not saying Owen won't do us a good job there, he might well do so but it takes more than 16 first team (not all SL) games out of about 140 to make him a superleague quality FB imho, it makes him a winger playing out of position. He did well for a young lad but he wasn't that great hence why he was pushed back to the wing and Ryan McGoldrick took that spot at the start of 2010 before his injury. Obviously he same goes for Hall and Sammut, who has much more experience of fullback including at NRL level. None of them are natural fullbacks. Although i do take the Mathers comment on board he was very good at organising the line and joining in with play. And most of the time he did the job under the high ball. So yes it going going to be a case of one of them doing the job for us and it being a case of 'he's good enough' but they are all better players in other positions hence the risk comment. Which ever one gets it i hope the nail it from the off because they all have the potential to be good there, but for now it's potential.
As for who else was available and affordable then without knowing wage demands it's impossible to know the latter but Shannon McDonnell is available, is a natural fullback, experienced yet still only 27 and has impressed during his time over here. I would have personally moved for him before we signed another forward and halfback but thats my own personal choice. JW knows more than me and sees it differently so it will be interesting to see which way he goes. Hell he might even play Chris Riley there, he played the same amount of times for Warrington at fullback as Owen did for Cas and did ok!