I would have liked a quality centre but the budgets the budget. I think a lot depends on how Craig Hall goes this year- if fit and interested he would start for me

Well at least after Vasty has put you on the straight and narrow regarding Topou, you now, at least rate him.
Our head coach see's him as a centre you clearly don't, the difference being he knew him from Oz, where as 3 month ago you had never heard of him and could not even spell his name properly, I can't make my mind up here whose opinion to agree with, you or B Smith

Completely disagree about Gibson.

Says who! You can't just make up things to support your latest prejudice.

I've not seen anyone suggesting he's world class but I've certainly not seen anyone describe him like you do either - workmanlike from what I've seen - so s big step up.I will say again on paper he is our best centre and ranks average in terms of SL centres. Whether he performs for us is yet to be seen but stop rewriting history please.

You will never agree about players ability. With regards to centre's how many English centres playing SL are word class. Why does the England squad play a s r in that position. The vast majority of centres playing in SL are fit for purpose and I would certainly place Gibson in that list.
I honestly don't see many class acts .

None passing centre? Like Ryan Atkins? If Tupou gets good ball he'll bust tackles and can pass on the other side of the line.

Don't get your arguments here my.point was we need a quality centre not fitting the 'best options' at centre we should get a quality centre in. We have released 13 players god knows why we kept Arundel. Gibson maybe a good squad player but starting centre not sure about. I know 3 cas season ticket holders and they are glad he's gone. Will give him chance but you know I'm usually correct. At least we both agree on Arundel and Vera Lynn been woeful. We signed Topou and bjb on big money we have released 13 and halved Belle Vue rent surely there something spare for a creative strong running centre

No mate seriously your not.

Don't know whether this is part of your act but I think you're being dim or at least I hope you are.

What at least two posters have tried to explain to you is that this mythical centre doesn't exist. Even out of the unavailable centres in SL non are world class and very few are even quality in the Neil Fox sense of the word. Even Watkins who is the best in SL IMO is not that good as IMHO many people mistake natural ability of which he is greatly endowed with being world class which so far he has only shown in tiny glimpses. Even in Australia the production line of centres seems to have slowed, I can't immediately name any specially good ones outside the obvious i.e. players we couldn't sign in a million years.

TBF on you your not 100% wrong as Gibson is an iffy signing to a degree but then nearly all signings are especially for clubs like us - it's just how it is.

So please put us out of our misery and name this available and affordable centre who is so much better than Gibson?

Finally Cas fans slagging off a player moving to Wakefield what a surprise, are you seriously using that as an argument?

Squad looking ok need halfback cover and not looking too hot in the centres but the same could be said for the whole of SL
Cant see a top 8 finish question is are we strong enough to avoide another million pound game?
Cant see past Top 6 Leeds,Sts,Wigan,wire,Hudds,Cas bottom 4 Salford Widnes trinity and one of Hull HKR Catalan
wont be canon fodder again but see SL as more of a closed shop than ever next year Think Bradford and Leigh blew their big chance last season

A lot of changes at Leeds may result in a season of change. I don't think they will be anything like the force of last season.
Hull always under perform and will probably do so next season.
HKR same as last season for me
widnes will be up against it as will Salford.

Any chance at all that we are one of the SL clubs talking to Jamal Idris?

I don't see Cas as an automatic top 6 team at all, they should fit somewhere between 8 and 5 but it's also not beyond the realms that they finish in the bottom 4.

I think we'll be in the bottom 4 but vastly improved over last season with no chance of us being cast adrift at the foot of the table. There is an outside chance that we'll be in the top 8, it relies on the possibility that our new look team will hit it off and form combinations that take us beyond where we might hope. The other more imponderable variable is the longer term impact that Brian Smith will have on this group, that alone could see us become a top 8 team.

I think we will finish 8th.

I am gong for 9th missing out to 8th and 7th who are drawing on point difference.