He will have a release clause and they would be glad to get shut anyway, a bit over spec for the Championship IMHO. That doesn't mean I'm certain he's joining us but if he does I doubt it will cost, but again who knows.

I thought contracts were for Super League anyway unless stipulated. So relegation usually means you can look elsewhere and get a new contract.

I think that is correct, a bells ringing saying there may be some compensation for under 21's but for the senior players and overseas you are effectively redundant if your team is relegated and thus a free agent. This is as much to protect the clubs as the players.

When we (Leigh) signed Jai Whitbread & Sam Stone from the Gold Coast Titans the press release stated that Stone was signed up till the end of the 2022 season, but there was no mention of how long Whitbread had signed up for. Neither player stood out for us in the short time they've been here, but either might look like a better player in a decent team. To be fair I don't know why we bothered, unless the club will get a fee if either of them depart.

We do seem to have the greatest number of utility players in super league - whitbread prop second row or loose ? Tanginoa prop or sr, Kaye wing or 9, crowther second row or loose ? Pitt’s prop or. Sr , arona prop or loose ? Abi second row or prop Gaskell any of backs if he signs Hampshire same , personally think to use our one remaining quota sport for a development player seems a bit odd ,

Why is he a development players! Why is he a utility player, he’s clearly a prop who has dabbled.

I agree about the utility but we’ve always done that but to call Pitts a prop is pushing it, absolute emergencies only. Kay was a fluke discovery. The rest I agree.

The fact is SL is not an attractive option for NRL players anymore and the few with any known quality are snapped up by clubs with deeper pockets than ours. Truth is there is very little out there in our price range and fans need to accept that.

This lad looks like one of the best of the rest and is available and most importantly as someone else noted is already here and acclimatised. He should be a useful addition, he may be a Korky, he may not.

It’s worse noting that Korkidas when he arrived with us had just been voted by Roosters fans as the worst rookie ever. You just don’t know with these players.

I'll be honest I don't know anything about him, but he sounds like the type of overseas player we usually get good service from.

Thinking along the lines of Slattery, MacGillivray, Henderson, Arona even Poching himself.

Pretty sure Pitt’s played 3 years largely at prop for London , fair comment re development player comment - what I perhaps should have said a more established. Player.

Wasn’t really criticising the club because with a smaller than most squad we need them

I think the point I’ve been trying to make and heaven knows I’ve been wrong in the past is that the day of the specialist forward is being eroded.

Even Saints don’t run with the six out and out props some on here want, total props like Walmesley are becoming quite rare.

I think it’s part cost, part the way the game is now played and part a lack of big men with big hearts.

I think most clubs are happy to have 2 or 3 out and out props and the rest as the so called middles which is where Pitts comes in. I suppose at London he was propping more often but much of that was Championship I believe?

In a way it’s a godsend for teams like us. Only two types of forwards. The bigger men up the middle the slightly smaller more agile down the channels. Middles and wides I suppose you call them.

A key change for us is ball handling, usually the job of the LF. We now have a number of forwards who can handle the ball and create. Arona, Pitts, Walker, Crowther and apparently Sid and Whitbread to name a few.

Will it work? It better! The theory is sound imho but if it’s not executed with commitment then we could be in bother.

Anyway that seems to be the route we’ve gone so no turning back now.

As for the Aussies then this lad is a punt like Sid all be it one with a bit more prestige attached, but the days of signing top players seems to have gone for most clubs.

Now watch us sign a superstar somehow

I genuinely think the game is changing hugely, especially with the game speeding up and rule changes ie 6 again etc. Before going to the NRL, Luke Thompson was head and shoulders above anything in SL at just over 16 stone and 6 foot. Paul Galen has a similar stature and would muller anything over here even in the later stages of his career. JakeTrbojevic playing prop in SOO when throughout his career shows that being a prop is a lot more then just lumbering up. Although Walmsley is the best and one of if not the biggest in SL, I think that’s also testament to him being in an excellent side like St’s who use him to great effect. That said, there are still some proper monsters in the NRL, who are ridiculously athletic ie big Nelson at the Storm.

There will always be a place for the huge forwards but they will have to have more than just size.

We've just let go of a player who is the epitome of why the 'big' men are going out of fashion. Chris Green is a huge man and he can play when he wants to, but that as shown was pretty rare. There are far too many like him and I think WP and other more enlightened coaches are sick of them, I would be. A smaller more versatile player who is 100% all the time is worth ten Greens IMHO.

I'm hoping the physical arms race is dying down and coaches look for players who can play and are committed and don't depend on two stone of extra muscle to get picked.

Nothing better for me than a huge forward swotting players off on a barnstorming run , would hate to see the game turn into a one size fits all where all the players look like they’ve come off a production line Nothing better than a little half back running rings around the opposition ( rob burrows)