Sammut

Riley
Collis
Hall
Lyne

Miller
T Smith

Anderson
McShane
Scruton
Ryan
Kirmond
D Smith

Paea
Simon/Kirke
Lauitiiti
Godinet

Not convinced about Sammut at fullback but whoever is there is going to be somewhat of a square peg in a round hole. Could play Owen or Hall there but each would be equally as risky as the other, all good going forward but possibly a little suspect defensively. Sammut gets the nod from me as he is the best goalkicker in the squad. Toss a coin for the choice between Simon and Kirke.

Sammut

Riley
Collis
Hall
Lyne/Owen

Miller
Smith

Anderson
McShane
Scrutton
Ashurst/Ryan
Kirmond
Smith

Paea
Simon
Ali
Godinet

Just wondering why Owen or Hall would be a risk. Owen in particular played his best SL Rugby to date at F/B in 2009. Unless you're expecting us to sign a FB of Billy Slater status I don't see any risk at all.

Tim Smith has always been at his best with Sykes at 6. He looked worst with John at 6. I take from that he is better with a steady experienced 6 so I would play Hall at 6 and definitely not Miller who like Isaac John will probably improve but this season is too crucial to take risks so I see Miller as back up for Smith not first choice stand off.

I think the opposite tbh. He needs a passive player rather than an experienced one so he can take the lead, I may be wrong. I suspect miller will fill this roll not Hall.

Owen played 16 games at fullback what will be 6 years ago come the new season and has hardly run there since, hence it would be a risk. It may well work out him playing there and he did look promising there in 2009 but a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and the fullback position itself is evolving to become another pivot position and i'm not sure what his creative skills are like compared to the other candidates.

As for Hall he is a quality player but, just like Sammut, is prone to a howler, just ask the Hull KR fans. Which is why i picked him at centre in my team as i feel he is better in a less exposed position. So unless Billy Slater turns up it was Sammut for me as i wanted him in my team for his high standard goalkicking as well as his attacking prowess.

Sammut
Riley
Collis
Hall
Lyne
Miller
T Smith
Anderson
McShane
Scruton
Kirmond
Ryan
D Smith

Godinet
Simon
Paea
Kirke

Lauitiiti used in selected games

Give Miller a regular place, something he never got at HFC, let him settle into a partnership with T Smith.

Kirke can cover front and back row at a push while Ryan or Kirmond could switch to centre if we get an injury during a game.

Godinet can cover both half back positions and has proven himself as an international hooker who can make an impact off the bench.

Overall it's a Physicaly BIG team with both Hall and Lyne being 6'4" but both have proper speed out wide. D Smith at Loose and 3 big men on the bench make our pack a handfull throughout the full 80 minutes even when we rotate the front row.

The only thing for me is that a big pack often has a short span engine.
I'd like Washbrook or Annakin at 13 to be the perpetual motion addition.

Too big and they'll run through us when we are all tired

a big pack will tire the opposition out even more though and the rotation of three big men off the bench will negate the fatigue to a large degree.

Bradford during the Vainikolo, Hape, Vagane, Anderson days were behind at half time in many a game but they knew from experience that their sheer physical size would tire the opposition and they'd get them in the final ten minutes of the first half and the final quarter of the second

agreed, I think Washbrook will be the default 13 in most games and D Smith is likely to come off the bench.

I liked DW's form in the 2nd half of last season

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

They also had Forshaw Johnson Langley Radford................you need the balance

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!

Have to agree with you, there are not many SL full backs what are defensively good but more tactically aware and are helped out with better defences', A FB is only as good as the defence in front of him to a large extent and until our defence improves greatly it will always be a risk choose who you play there.

I think it may be something like....

Sammut
Lynne
Collis
Hall
Riley
Miller
T.Smith
Anderson
McShane
Scruton
Kirmond
Ryan
Ashurst

Subs. Lauitiiti, Paea, Kirke, Godinet

From the press release from Webster there seems to be the view that Miller will play at 6 with Smith dictating play, rather than just a talk of Miller providing competition for places at 6/7. So Hall as a creative centre must be the option he is now looking at.

Think Ashurst is an 80 minute player who is strong in defence but also offers more in attack so will probably get the nod ahead of Washbrook and Daniel Smith. Washbrook offers little in attack and Smith is not an 80 minute forward unfortunately.

Kirke seems to be confident of getting more game time at Trinity so will probably get the first crack ahead of Simon (although smaller he seems runs the ball in extremely hard and may provide greater impact off the bench).

Good times though and exciting squad. Hope they 'gel' quickly and live up to their promise.