Can someone tell me when you, as hull fans, were happy with the half back combination you had? This half back debate seems to have been going since the dawn of time! What I can't understand is how so many coaches can get it wrong or why recruitment hasn't been 100% focused on this! Do you think Horne been around as "the local lad" has had an effect on this? Nobody seems to be able to play with him.

For what it's worth, Seymour had loads of opportunities, he just wasn't very good. His off field problems were perhaps a part of the reason for that, but you can't lay the blame for his depression at the door of the club/coach/fans. Do do so is crass and unfair, and shows a singular lack of understanding about the nature of the illness.

But who else then? Heremaia simply has to go back to hooker, it's better to have one weakness than 2.

What we need to do is put Miller in (preferably with Rankin), be sensible about what to expect, and not immediately look to hang him from the floodlights when he doesn't immediately produce a dominant, match-winning display. I know it's a big ask for a lot of fans, but we need to give him the time to get an understanding with a halfback partner and the rest of the team and the sooner we start the sooner it will improve. It won't be an instant success, but we as fans need to deal with that (and the entire mentality we have around that issue) and give it/him a fighting chance.

Paul Cooke could. When he and Horne played together, I'd say most were happy with the combination. Since then, we've had other players who were capable - most notably Dykes and Head - but who couldn't stay fit for more than a few games at a time. It really is getting to the stage where, if the club don't pull out all the stops to sign someone to address this glaring inadequacy in the squad, fans will begin to drift away in their droves.

Personally I think the main problem has not always been Horne himself, but the fact that we haven't signed the right sort of partner for him. Regardless of the fact that Horne wore the 7, Cooke played most of that role for us in the leadership sense, organising a team has never been a strength of Horne's. Since Cooke left we've signed a succession of players who either weren't organisers either, didn't have 2 working legs, or had attitude/motivational problems.

I do think that Horne is past his best now, too, though. We can't rely on him to stay fit and produce consistent performances, unfortunately.

There was a time when we had Paul Cooke. Say what you will about Judas but he and Horne were a cracking half back partnership. Since he left we've never recovered be it down to injuries of the players signed, the quality of those players, or our fruitless pursuits of certain players (Chase and Prince).

We also had Danny Brough once upon a time too.

+ we had a leader like Swain from 9 to guide the team round the park.

Good call. Swain was a brilliant captain, a real leader. That charge down of Sinfield's kick in the Cup final in 2005 was epic. Always one of the first things I think about when I think of him.

I also think with Horne teams know exactly what to expect from him when he was younger and fitter he had the speed to do what he's is still doing now, Unfortunately the speed he once relied on is no longer there so he gets caught out too easily.

That's why although as pointed out putting Miller and Rankin in the halfs now may not be instantly rewarded we have to let them build a partnership (the fact they have played together in the halfs previously may speed there interaction up)

All of that just makes the decision not to give Rankin and Miller a shot, initially in the friendlies, and then a reasonable run at the start of the season all the more baffling. I’ve criticised our half back pairing over the weeks but there are shoots of light starting to show, it’ll take time no doubt but I’d rather stick with it for a few more weeks as the options we have will be worse.

I said a few weeks back if FC turn out againt us with Heremaia in the halves I’d be delighted because at Hooker he causes real problems.

I agree completely.

I wasn't seeking to lay his depression at the door of the club/coach/fans. However he played somethjing like 170 first grade NRL games so he can't have been that bad when he came here. He was signed by Agar but I don't think Gentle ever rated him and treated him accordingly. Miller was signed by Gentle and I don't think Radford rates him.

well this threads going well

They weren't given a chance because the coach had already decided that Horne was getting first shot, regardless of what happened in preseason. Same happened for Yeamo too, Arundel never stood a chance of getting first shot.

Ah, right. Sorry I jumped to that conclusion. A few on here have tried to do so, however.



Players have bad spells/go downhill for all sorts of reasons. He could have been decent in the NRL and still not very good for us. He only had a handful of good games in a Hull shirt and was far too inconsistent for me.



You might be right on the Radford/Miller thing, but I think Seymour deserved to be dropped by Gentle.