rlhttp://www.totalrl.com/young-fullback-luke-hooley-contention-feature-wakefield-pre-season/rl

Sounds like preseason is going well!

I agree with CC, I can't remember when we've had so much strength in depth!

A lot of people have been banging on about this kid, looking forward to it. Feel a bit for Max but I'm afraid it's exactly how we should want it.

I wonder if we'll see Jowitt at 6 in the trial games. As has been debated, he looks like he could play there. With the emergence of Hooley it may be his opportunity in the future. He has pace and can pick a pass.

Great so see. I just wander if Max could play another position. The lads class and I'd hate to see him pushed out.

The only thing that gets me with players like Hooley is their long term commitment to a club that isn't really in their blood. If Bradford do get back into Super League what's to say the likes of Hooley (and Trueman at Cas) won't jump at the opportunity to return to their roots. We've lost a few young lads over the last few years who've used Trinity as a convenient vehicle to get noticed, then buggered off to Wire, Hull KR and Huddersfield for example.

I couldn't agree more, he looks more like a 6 than a 1 to me - but Coaches don't seem to like experimenting these days. It's a huge shame because some players change as they get older and their junior positions which lets be honest can be chosen in a fairly random way no longer suit.

Who's to say whether young Jowitt was mis cast as a kid probably because his dad played FB and there has always been a S/O inside.

I'm not suggesting we trial this at SL level but a couple go 30 minute run outs in the friendlies surely the lad at least deserves that chance.

Lets also be straight, Miller has come a long way and is a useful player but I still maintain he will never be able to run a game. Seems second nature to F'B's.Whilst Finn gets ever older.

Don't buy that, some of our most loyal servants have come from outside the district. Where as many a Wakey lad has jumped ship for more glamorous clubs at the drop of a hat.

It's a nice idea but in reality that's not my experience at all.

Also I believe he's from Dewsbury not Bradford so no loyalty issue there I suspect.

Unless licensing returns, Bradford are probably a decade away from making a return to super league at the least. Not only have the got to get out of the third tier, they've also got to get past some solid championship teams like Toronto, Leigh, London, Fev, Halifax and Toulouse who are all looking for promotion.

I do think though that Miller over the past 2 seasons has improved his all round game, and could well grow into an organiser. Never say never, as they say.

Jowitt could well turn out and become a decent half back, but if we are already thinking of him as potentially that, bearing mind that we do have Ackroyd and Schofield too, could we be undermining their abilities at this stage, epsecially given some of the reviews they have both been given on here.

Chester mentioned On Monday night having tried out Jowitt at Hooker. We'd all like to see Max make it at FB but he's got his work cut out.

We still have this problem with Jowett he has no defence a great runner with the ball & very good catcher but he's not a full back we will at sometime need a last line of defence & as good as some people think he is He's not shown anything defence wise that I've seen

If the second team/ reserve team takes off, this is an idea scenario for development and experiment.
Great position to be in

Hooley really looks the part for me.
If he can learn to hit the line like Grix he will be awesome I'm sure. Clearly a long way to go but promising all the same.
Max I like a lot and although I prefer Grix right now I wouldn't be at all upset if he played the full season.
As far as bring a stand off I don't quite see that. The game management ad hitting the right pass is actually what Grix does and what we'd all like Max to do but doesn't do as well.
So it would be interesting to see but let's run it in training and maybe friendly against lower league opposition. If we need cover in super league I'd rather he went to full back and Grix took the 6. Or Wood for that matter.

The piece about Hooley is also to give the lad a boost, before he makes his bow for the 1st team.
Build his confidence and let him know that the coaching staff think that he is ready.

If he has anything like the pre season that Jowitt did last season, he'll be doing very well indeed.

It will be interesting to see where Grix, Jowitt and Hooley fit into Chester's plans as the season goes.
We know that Grix can play anywhere in the backs and maybe Jowitt will try #6 but, barring injuries, it will probably be, as you were, with Grix 1st choice FB and Jowitt as back up, with the youngster having to be patient.

Cant wait for the season to start and hope that we have a fit squad, with no injury crisis but, it does look like we have some depth, which can only bode well for 2018.

This is why a reserve side is such a big bonus, It gives the players more to concentrate on and it keeps them match fit without having to loan them to a lower division club