Ah sorry, he's playing for a "radlinski" then.

Al, I know you're only having a leg pull n'all that, but Ben is not extending our budget beyond existing levels. We've a decent bod wi decent contact able to recruit (at this level) and pull in a 'favour' or two!
I'm quite happy with Ben's signing and regard it as a zero risk quality signing for fev tho to be fair, he got little of the ball last night!

Now, back to the OP topic. Would you personally think JR would be a good signing for wakey's return to rugby outside the top flight??
(and JR is being paid much much more per week at Barra than Ben will be getting at Fev)!

I'm going to put a different spin on this.

I agree with RFF about Rooney this year. He has been atrocious. In the game at our place he was invisible. However the year before he was still decent and one of the players in this division that just has a look of being a standard above. Harris was the same when he was playing for Fev and Webster when he was playing for Hull KR. They seem to ghost around hardly getting touched and when they get involved they look class.

In Rooney's case I actually believe that the situation at Barrow is having a massive impact. He went there on a substantial wage and probably a bit of a promise of putting together a decent SL bid. In the last twelve months Barrow seem to be imploding and you can see it in the players performances. Chopping and changing coaches, Des doing the HT team talks, Directors standing down on a weekly basis. Now Catic has gone and there are rumours that Thackray is unhappy with the travelling. Stories of financial problems and potentially facing a points deduction for a hefty salary cap breach. It is not he most harmonious place to be and I think this could be affecting Rooney's game.

I don't think he is a Boss player but I think he is a better player than RFF is making out. If you went for him and dropped I think you would have one of the best halfbacks in this division back playing for you as I think it would rejuvenate him.

There is some truth in that, players suffer from circumstance as much as anyone else.

I was never a big Rooney fan, I always thought as a player he hovered between SL and Championship standard for most of his career. Being SL standard from about 2004 - 2007 with his defence always a constant weakness I'm afraid. That's not knocking him, it's better than most manage. However in the right team at the right level he probably does have something left to offer. I've seen way to many players have their careers revitalised by moving clubs including a few at BV to reject your theory completely.

At the end of the day I'd rather risk an ageing and fading English player taking up a place than an equivalent Aussie.

Hey, it's only opinions. And mine is no more valid than anyone else's.
Vasty - you have a good analysis of how he's been in his game. Never quite SL class and too good for the league below! He had guile, creativity, pace etc.
He's turned 30 now and a lot of his youthfulness is now behind him. This is a competitive league and I think there are some clever half backs at this level. You may hhave seen 3 on telly last night! Whether JR is of the class of kainy, Finn (last years championship player of the year) Handforth (who can drop a 50m kick on a tanner) Ben Black, Grimmer at Hunslet (my fav no6 in the league) Thacks at Yorks and Leigh's No6 - well again, that's down to how you assess the game and your own personal favourite style from a half back.
I guess what I'm saying is, he's a very likeable soul, but in my opinion, can't match those I've listed above - tho he was once probably as good or better than all of them!

Whats happened to Ned??

Catic is a bit of a loose cannon

always has been!
Much has been said of Ben Cockayne. But I'd sooner 'manage' Ben's off field stuff as he's bustin on the pitch!
Catic is a liability on AND off the pitch!

Neds a decent player, can't comment about his off field though that dodgy pony tail did make him look like a Carny!

However no way is he as nasty a piece of work as Cockayne.

To be fair a lot of players are muppets off the pitch after a beer or 2, most young rugby players are, I actually think it is part of the character that makes them talented rugby players, they enjoy the limelight and are extrovert gregarious characters. Obviously this is a generalisation, but whilst some do sail pretty close to the line off the field time and time again, certain players like Ben seem to thrive long jumping over it.

Catic has served 2 bans this year I believe, the last being a 4 match stretch for chelping back at a drugs testing official!!
On the pitch he's a penalty machine and is one of the most carded and penalised players in the competition. An absolute liability ON the pitch, which is the point I was making! Whereas Ben, simply isn't!!

Off the field, Ned is no angel. I don't know his forensic history but I don't believe it's as severe as Ben's - that I acknowledge!

The thing with Cockayne is that on the field he does the business it is off the field where his problems begin whereas with Ned it is both on and off the field where he has problems.

I hate it when people post, i know a tale posts on here but dont say fully what it is but im gonna join them. Heard a tale just after Rooney left involving Kear and if true, lets just say im not suprised Rooney left and would not come back until Kear has gone.

The now much maligned John Kear once said that to a group of us. He said the best Rugby players are often not people yoo'd want as friends or to employ in any other capacity.