Maybe the are planned first choice and it’s just the reality of the financial situation we are in, If we are struggling personally I’d sooner take risks on unknown players (just have someone better at identifying them rather than just taking whoever the bulldogs want rid) but I think it’s an obvious strategy to try and fill the side with steady journeyman in the hope we just don’t get hammered every week.

To be fair Hardaker and Chamberlain are better then what we’ve been able to field most weeks this season.

With Catalan and Warrington after Bateman, does that suggest perhaps that the rumoured signing of Whitehead will be happening, as I think Catalan would have been all over that. Whitehead and Cartwright in the Back Row, with Holmes off the bench?

I've watched him in the last couple of games and he's been pretty much a passenger on the pitch, struggling to keep up with play, having no real influence on the attack and looking like an oil tanker in defence. If other people can't see that then they need to remove their B&W tinted specs.

I think he has 5 try assists this season, for context, sneyd, in a worse team, has 14 and sneyd used to get slagged from pillar to post on here.

I may be proven wrong, I think it may have happened previously at some point, but his track record doesn't give me any belief I will be. Other than a few early season months at rovers last year and the year before, his career has been monumentally underwhelming and pinning our hopes on him will prove to be a mistake.

He's 28, not 21

Every comment you do is negative no matter who we sign you have a pop that's why it's boring nothing to do with no agreeing with me.

I think we have plenty of cap Sutcliffe and Carlos where two of our highest paid players, we know about Carlos after what Pearson said and Sutcliffe wouldn't have given up a testimonial at Leeds unless it was very lucrative.

Dont think the two signed will be massive wages, wont have been that much competition.

If we can create a quota spot we will sign an overseas centre IMO.

Litten not signed for next year yet and the two young are a coupe of years away, both still play for the academy.

Don't think cap is an issue when you look at the amount of players leaving and the fact we are going to utilize the full cap for the first time in years.

Litten has rumored to have signed for next season .

I still think one of Pele/Sao and Ockunbor gets moved on.

We sign another winger, Centre, hooker and one more forwrad (maybe two)

If anyone doubts what Abdull can bring to the side, go and watch Rivals Round on You Tube. I've only watched the first 20 minutes, but he is bossing it. Defensively strong, directing the side around, great kicking game

Must admit I'd be very surprised if Okunbor is still at the club come pre season and maybe even Sao if the rumour of the Fire Service job is 100%.

On Abdul, my only reservation with his signing is his injury record particularly if we see both him and Trueman as first choice pairing. Ability wise they both have it in buckets but both have suffered from persistent injury issues so its a big gamble if we are expecting them to do more than 50% of games together. Hopefully the club will be getting in some serious Fitness and Strength & Conditioning staff to address this and the clubs own poor injury record overall.

The squad for 2025 so whilst not being world beating certainly looks to be an improvement of this seasons and will likely be costing a lot less, leaving more room on cap to hopefully add in some quality at 9 and centre at the very least.

Hope you’re right. Reasonably happy with Hardaker(!) and Ed C, just bot sure if either would be happy as squad players. A strike centre is a must, we’ve not had one for years.

Lafai or Leutele are only centres I've heard rumours about for next season.
But in this whirlwind, topsy turvey, rollercoaster rise of a season we have had...and still having...anything is possible.
Signings still likely to come out out of left field

not at all. I said cartwright and asiata are good signings, also said holmes would be ok. My opinion is that in abdul we're pinning our hopes in a key position on yet another player (in a long list of previous ones) who has shown no ability to get on the field week in, week out and perform to a high standard. Disagree all you want, I don't mind but it's a valid point. If you find it boring then that says a lot about you

https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2023/05/2 ... -round-13/ Some good bits from Treigh Stewart in this game above. Gone through all his games, and he looks great on his feet, quick and dangerous. Defensively not too great, but hard to tell from highlights

https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2023/05/2 ... -round-13/ Some good bits from Treigh Stewart in this game above. Gone through all his games, and he looks great on his feet, quick and dangerous. Defensively not too great, but hard to tell from highlights

No b&w tinted glasses here

In fact I got accused of the opposite when I questioned the loan signing of Aydin a few weeks back.
Amazing how fans try to accuse you of being one or the other the minute your opinion differs to theirs?

But I get the feeling you are going to criticise Abdull no matter what he achieves this season.

Granted I haven’t seen that much of their games this season but I caught a bit of the Saints game the other day and he looked far from knackered. It was around the hour mark and he was leading their line speed in defence. A Saints player made a break and he caught them up and dragged them down. He certainly didn’t appear lazy like some of our current squad do.