Well he hasn't signed for Leeds... https://www.totalrl.com/leeds-rhinos-bo ... w-futures/

Well he hasn't signed for Leeds... https://www.totalrl.com/leeds-rhinos-bo ... w-futures/

Salford are desperate for a Matt Ellis type savior now.

It’s clear to see they have had to asset strip with the sale of Croft and Ackers to balance the books, but to be fair, credit where it is due for their recruitment strategy as they have a history of unearthing gems.

I really worried for them on the field not just off it however and by fair means or foul they have again managed to pull together on paper a team that will be more than competitive in SL in 2024.

It’s all though short termism they cannot have a longer strategic plan without serious investment which at the moment looks unlikely to come, they are constantly fighting fires and seemingly doing it very well but sooner or later they are going to run out of water.

In relation to Kersh, it’s a strange situation. He’s certainly good enough for SL, I’d rather we kept him rather than bring in Jerry to be honest but he’s made his position clear on being a SL player so good luck to him.

He won’t be on the biggest salary in the world so it seems very strange he can’t yet nail a club and I do wonder (pure speculation on my part I hasten to add) if he is being advised correctly.

Regards Kershaw. McGillvray I have some level of scepticism about his signing however he is a model professional and I am sure he will put in performances that will quickly make my reservations evaporate. He is a solid pro who looks after himself afterall. It’s more the injury that I am hoping he is fully over. I really hope he has an excellent season to finish what has been a stellar career both for him and trinity in 2024.

Kershaw - I think would be a very good addition for the right wing in the championship. His carries would be invaluable but I do also think he would find more opportunities to score. I would be happy to see him on the wing this season or challenging for a spot on the wing. If it’s not to be though then we do have 3 good wing options for 2024.

Jerry has been a world class player in his prime, genuine world class in my opinion. Had opportunities to go to the NRL but due to the situation with his lads who are both very talented footballers (Man City & Man Utd players) couldn’t really take it for obvious reasons.

In style he is a similar player to Kersh or vice versa with the main strength being his strong carry to get our sets off to good starts on the front foot. His experience and positional play are also very good. My concern with him is obviously time is catching up with him very quickly and I’m guessing at best we will need to manage the number of games he plays and his recovery periods, at worst his injury record in recent years is a concern.

If we can keep him fit he will go great guns, and whilst every signing is a risk he’s clearly a higher risk. He’s also unlikely to be with us beyond this year.

I do think Kersh is a lower risk option who we could develop further in the Championship work on a few issues he has and not have a need to recruit should everything go to plan in 2025.

It is all ifs buts and maybes though as it looks like Kersh made his decision early to back himself and I hope it pays off for him.

It’s highly likely we are not in the market for a winger now but would be interesting to see if we were if he would be interested in a return but again all ifs and buts and maybes. As it stands we have a number of young outside backs who could drop in on the wings and also Eckersley and Douglas from the duel reg with Wigan should it been decided they could be needed.

I’m guessing of the potential new signings that are being monitored that wing will not be a high priority.

He clearly wants to play SL and I agree with him that he can play that level.

I'm happy with the wingers we have right now.

It’s an interesting one. A lot of people dismiss Kershaw but in truth he’s far more proven than Lachlan Warmsley, who’s never played top flight, unlike Kershaw who made a good fist of it. I’d argue that we won’t miss Kersh this year but we might miss him next year when we are hopefully back in SL.

I’m certain Powell will have spotted this but at the end of the day if Kershaw wants SL then what can you do. We still have a budget and it not a SL one. Nor are we a SL club anymore. Powell may or may not rate him, but in truth he can’t offer what the lad wants at present.

I personally think Kershaw has got it totally wrong, especially choosing Salford. But he clearly believes in himself and if he has a good season it might be a stepping stone. I just think he could have got that at Wakefield, all be it a year later. But you do what you thinks best, works for some.

Got to also think that Kersh may well have received really poor advice from his agent

Powell said he did want him but he just wanted to play SL.

Word round the spilt mushy peas down George O' Green is that Powell wanted him but Steve Mills didn't.

Don’t get your point, surely Powell has the final say, so he can’t have been too bothered.

I can't imagine Mills can over rule Powell.
He can say his terms aren't worth it and convince Powell to change his mind but not over rule.

And like I said, the way I heard it Kershaw was the decision maker.

Quite a simple thing really...

There’s not a lot of point in Powell employing Mills if he’s not going to listen to his view. So while Powell may have fancied Kershaw he might have been swayed by Mills’s argument

They do different jobs though. Gill is resourcing, so finding and agreeing terms with players.
Powell is overall player manager so decides which ones he wants.

However, I agree his view is important. But in terms of talent, Powell's view is importanter