All we need is someone to give them the ball!

I agree on that bar one thing.

I’ve seen a lot of Kershaw type wingers and one thing I’ve noticed is that they don’t tend to age well.

There game is almost totally based on physicality and once age/wear and tear takes it’s toll they fade. Some adapt but most don’t.

I agree he’s improved dramatically but fit me he plays from the heart and isn’t a game player if you get what I mean.

I may be wrong, hope I am but I don’t think he will return to SL, he will find his niche.

A perfect example of this kind of player was Shaun Aincough, he looked a world beater at Wigan for a season but a few years down the line he was a foot note.
He had a very similar style imo to Kershaw. Ditto David Jones if you want to go back further.

Again hope I’m wrong and I’d have kept him, but if you look at say Murphy there is far more potential, though that’s all it is for now.

Ainscough I think lacked the physicality that Kershaw has and he certainly lacked the size. His main issue however was his defence and positioning. He never cracked that at SL level and it is what ultimately cost him. Going forward he could finish but for every try he scored he would leak at least one or 2 with very poor errors.

The difference between him and Kershaw I believe is that Kershaw has shown improvement since getting his chance in SL. Ainscough came from a dominant junior system where he was a bit of a phenomenon and flat track bully so didn’t really have his weaknesses exposed and as such didn’t have to develop them.

I think generally if you are scoring tries in the lower divisions you get noticed. He’s scored plenty already when on loan and I expect him to continue to do so as he is a significantly better player now than he was a couple of years ago.

I appreciate the doesn’t age well comment as he does take a lot of hammer but generally speaking so do most wingers these days as they are expected to be meter makers early in the sets. I can’t think of many wingers these days who haven’t had long spells on the sideline as a result of this change is style, he does seem more robust than most but yet to be proven I guess due to him still having a relatively short career to date.

Lastly which probably outweighs much of the above luck can often play a part, an injury in a rota opens a space up, or his staying injury free and getting good runs of games. That will always attract interest because of the nature of the way the wingers role has changed.

I do miss the days of the leaner flying wingman and I think in Mackinson, Grace and TJ there is still room for them in the game but even the above are expected to make the early carries and rack up the yards as the pack get a bit of a rest. It’s a change in style which personally I’m not fond of.

Well only time will tell but I think I'm right.

The other thing is that this clearly seems to be of Kershaw's choosing, if true, which can't be denied.

He was I believe offered a two-year deal but went for one year. I suspect he will have been offered an extension that he refused as it wasn't enough but I can't prove it. Then he took a deal with a Championship club, which to me shows a lack of ambition. Fair enough if it's costing him to stay with us I get it but as I say we can only offer what we can afford same as him.

It's a tough world in RL at present.

Not Lineham, he's taylor made physically for our 'use wingers in your own 20 to drive the ball out at all costs' policy!

It's just the way the game has developed.
If you went back to a winger who can't do anything but finish a flowing move you will lose as your forwards will be tired and the opposition will score tries for fun challenging your winger in the air.

It use to be the joke that the winger could freeze to death on the wing in a game played down the middle. That's a pretty inefficient use of your players.
If you have 13 players and two of them stand still until you get close to the line in attack, then you have a lot of players getting tired.

Now saying that, if you are the size of say Regan Grace, you can still succeed as long as you do what he does and step the defenders or at least run at a gap. They may still tackle you but it won't be a heavy front on tackle.
Senior as an example seems to thing he's Dwayne Johnson and tries to power through defenders. Never going to happen.
Kershaw, and I assume Lineham have the muscle power and leg drive to hit the tackle and still make yards.

I understand why it is the way it is…I just miss the days of wingers being out and out finishers,

What is happening with our other out of contract players.

Sorry if I've missed it' but has the LK move been announced officially yet?

No just a very strong rumour.

Personally instead of Lineham I'd have signed Lachlan Walmsley from Haven...pace to burn, knows where try line is and can kick

And if he were that good he’d have been signed by Saints. The games history is littered with such players, big stars in the lower leagues but utterly out of their depth in SL, we’ve had a fair few.

Sometimes a punt pays off but when you can get an utterly proven player like Lineham why would you even consider it. For a club like ours with a tiny budget it would be suicidal.

We will start next season with two highly proven SL wingers, that to me is far better than just one and a total uknown quantity on the other.

It’s a huge no for me.

Note: that’s not to say I don’t think he’s any good, he could turn out to be brilliant, but he’s not worth the risk. If we are going to take risks let’s take them with our own youth players.

That would've gone down really well.

He`s a quota player and he is unproven at this level and you would rather sign him over a proven SL winger that is number 1 choice at a top 4 club? It just doesn`t make sense.