Lot of 20 year olds playing in S L in first teams in Australia, Young players are far imore advanced over there, than over here.

Not sure about that, especially the forwards. Quality 18-21 year olds are playing SL over here, over there they’re playing state cup/Flegg rugby. No coincidence majority of our forwards do extremely well in Aus. If there’s one thing we have been able to compete over the last 20/30 years with the Aussies/Nz, it’s forwards.

Has Windrow left the club? I can't see anything.

I would consider Boothroyd as a kind of DR player. I suspect Cronulla rate him and wants him to get more game time before committing, but away from the NRL. With the Dolphins and another new team on the way, even the NRL is stretched, so maybe developing players for a year or so at one of the better Championship clubs is a good option. I say this mainly because of the excellent backroom staff we now have and the good facilities that are coming online. It might be miles off, just seems a bit of an unusual signing otherwise. We may see more if we have developed a bit of a hook-up with the Sharks. They are a club we have a history with.

It’s a very intriguing signing is this. He’s clearly not coming from the other side of the world to play in reserve grade, as flegg is a much higher standard, he’s coming for a starting spot. If he’s getting into the 18 list at the jets he’s doing very well. He’s either coming over for 1 year to develop himself, as he’ll have to be an absolute gun to warrant a quota spot if we go into SL in 2025, or he’s backing himself to warrant that spot.

I think this is a great singing.
He’s raw and a big unit with a bit of pace.
I feel that’s what Wakefield have missed is pace in the forwards.

I wonder, if he’s a replacement for Kelepi who is heavily linked with Hull KR?

Sam Eseh did very well as a 18/19-year-old for Featherstone and Barrow in the Championship, think he was the young player of the year. This guy will be more developed than Esesh was at that time IMO and it's not like he's being dropped into SL, he's playing in the Championship and we haven't brought him over to do anything except fight for a first-team place, otherwise, he'd have probably stopped where he was.

He was 23 by the time he joined us after 3 seasons with Canberra.
He played State of Origin the year after he left us.

Not really a good comparison I agree.

As he has been a Cronulla player, is it not likely that the Fifita brothers have been asked for advice about him or may even have recommended him to us ? Give the lad a chance before writing him off.

Student visa? Combine playing in the Championship with some study?

I know the Crusaders got burnt with that, but they had full-time players. If a young lad, might be able to combine the two more easily

I haven’t seen anybody wrote him off. In fact it’s the opposite. I do think we need to manage expectations in that a young lad coming across may need to be given a bit of time to find his feet early in the season.

That said there’s no reason he can’t be a success and appears to have good pedigree.

Welcome onboard Toby.

A bit of youth in our back row. Much needed, I feel

First interview with him.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Vo2-H ... Garikovich

First interview with him.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Vo2-H ... Garikovich

It would be interesting if we sign Louis Johnson as well.

Wouldn't say that, though I know what you meaning. I don't know the Windrow situation, but I think Boothroyd is definitely considered to be a player who will play, I don't think they would bother otherwise.

Has Windrow actually gone?

For reasons I'm not sure of, neither Poching or more surprisingly Applegarth seemed to want to play Windrow, and they had plenty of chances. From a purely spectator perspective he certainly always looked the part, and in the odd friendly he played (unfair to count the Leigh game), he seemed to do quite well, yet never really got a sniff at first team. Does make you wonder at times.