Clinton o Brian I think .

Definitely Clinton o Brien, came to us from Newcastle knights, to be fair to the guy he came to us with knee issues and there it was always acknowledged by both the club and the guy that it might not work - effectively a paid trial - after 4 games he put his hand up and said he couldn’t perform.

Was a shame but don’t think it cost much to the club

Exactly. Clinton O'Brian wasn't exactly a failure
We tried. It didn't work. But he didn't stay so no harm.
As you said "I bet there's more" I assume you have others in mind ?

If I remember correctly apparat from the injuries O’Brian was also hit by the homesickness bug.

In the last 15 years with zoom and social media etc the world has shrunk even more. Yet even now coming to the North of England in the middle of winter is still a shock and I totally get that having experienced it.

Why it affects Aussies more than people of Somoan or Tongan decent I don’t know, but it does. You’d actually think it would be the other way around though I suspect it’s there support networks that help them through the transition.

I have full sympathy and it happens both ways, the majority of English players in the NRL return home at some point.

So it’s not just age or injuries, it’s deeper than that, you basically either like it here or you don’t. If you do you will probably do well even at 34.

All signings have a risk and reward factor. Proctor has plenty of risks, age and lifestyle. However the rewards could also be great. Such signings can also be less risky if you have the capacity to absorb the 'hit' if it dosnt work out.

My worry is not so much Proctor,it is that we have put too much of our budget on the line to sign him. Our squad is still pretty thin in a number of areas and there are some promising young players who need new contracts. I just hope we are not cutting back the depth of the squad to sign him

That doesn't count to that other poster though Pat - because they dont play for us.......

I’m fine if Proctor signs and if he comes with the motivation of leading Trinity’s pack then we could be getting a very good prop forward indeed. There is a degree of risk but if the coaches believe he has the motivation then they will take the plaudits or criticism for it.

If he has signed then I will be looking forward to seeing him and expecting big things from him.

TBF we've just lost Fifita, I'd imagine Proctor would command similar at this stage in his career. So yes its a big sum relatively speaking but it's still within budget and allows for other signings.

I'm not having a pop at you here, but we can't accuse MC of being tight on one hand and then accuse him of paying over the odds for players the next minute. The truth is in between. Most of our signings including Gaskell are on exactly the right market rate as far as I'm aware, whether they are worth it is subjective. Lineham is the only glaring error, not the wage, just the fact that he has totally lost it.

If we sign Proctor, I'm certain we won't have paid over the odds in any way. Whether he works out, it's that hindsight issue again.

My problem isn't his age as such, although it should always be a factor alongside many others when looking at signings. My problem with this signing is his form for the last 3 years has been poor and his attitude has matched that. He has not looked even close to the player he was and to hope he is just going to be able to flick a switch and turn it on is hopeful at best. Reading up he also has personal problems in Oz which quite possibly would affect his ability to settle, it would most people. It may be a great move for him and reinvigorate him and god knows we need it to. But it's a lot a cash for us tie up for 2 years on what in my opinion is a big gamble. Still thats what opinions are for and i very much hope i'm wrong.

Personally if it was a choice between the two experienced back row forwards (and i'm not sure we need both) then i'd have gone for Elijah Taylor. Already over here and settled, good attitude and excellent form as captain for Salford during his time here.

Proctor isn’t a prop forward. He’s second row.

And plays on the right.