Better than luaki who always appeared lazy to me- no worse than washbrook and Burnett and probably cost less.

what im saying is people a couple of mounths ago was calling for these players to go becuase they wasnt good enough yet we sign aspinwall who is worse and isnt an improvement at all

Squad definitely better balanced than last year, second row experienced cover was essential. Aspinwall virtually a straight Radford swap - so what was the point ?

Major signings were made early, everybody forgets what major signings and improvements Seymour, Heremia & McKinnon are.

So....

1 McKinnon
2 Whiting/Turner/Sharp
3 Martin
4 Yeaman
5 Briscoe
6 Horne
7 Seymour
8 O'Meley
9 Houghton
10 Lynch
11 Westerman
12 Tickle
13 Manu
14 Moa
15 O'Carroll
16 Aspinwall
17 Heremia

With only the two unpicked number 2's and young Jamie not in the 17. Young forwards defintely get some outings.

I can't understand HOW our salary cap is full ?? Just compare quality and 'strength in depth' with Wire, Wigan, Leeds, Hudds and Saints.

Just plain don't add up.

Really hope PG top class coach - cant see us getting above 6th.

Not entirely sure where the massive upgrade comes from the year after either - come on Adam - make us all feel guilty for questioning you - just one NRL winger will shift all those passes still sitting on the shelves.

Washy needed the change of scenery for me to kick on his career and the 3 year deal was always going to sway his decision. Burnett simply not good enough and was given a year at another SL club to prove himself. Lauaki was probably the most frustrating player ability wise and whether Wigan bring something else out of him remains to be seen.

Aspinwall has a point to prove which may benefit Hull FC, time will tell.

It isn't guaranteed that Aspinwall will be in the line-up. If Cunningham/Green/Kent have a great preseason, he may get the nod.

I think that it's a good signing for 1 year, which is all his contract is. He provides experienced cover for our starting back-row of Manu, Tickle, Weesterman and will be able to give them a breather. He's got plenty of Super League games under his belt, so he must be doing something right, and he's played a prop a few times. This is good because, ignoring Bowden, we only have 4 specialist props, meaning that if we get an injury to any of those he could provide cover there, or be decent cover in the back row whilst Tickle moves up to the front row.

I think that Gentle and McRae have a made a couple stop-gap signings that will be adequate and improve us for one year, after getting the jobs fairly late in the recruitment season they're having to pick from what's left. Giving these players short-term contracts gives us competition and cover for next season but allowing them to make their own 'proper' signings for 2013 and onwards.

For me, I'd expect us to start with this line-up for the first game of next season, injuries permitting.

McKinnon
Sharp
Martin
Yeaman
Briscoe
Horne
Seymour
O'Meley
Heremaia
Lynch
Manu
Tickle
Westerman

Houghton
Moa
O'Carroll
Aspinwall

couldnt of put it better myself

People forgot there is a big difference between aspinwall wages and lauaki wages

Have to agree with that, and I've thought it for about 5 seasons now. When Agar took over and started 'the cull' there were hints dropped that we had many players being paid more than their respective going rates. I suspect that there's still an element of that remaining, as I can't see any other explanation. We must be paying over the odds for some of our squad.

Aspinwall is a one year stop gap. The others would have wanted 2/3 year contracts

Don't know about other teams but we (Leeds) have unused overseas spots available after Cross & Buderus left

Don't talk sense, mate!

Last year they didn't want to come because we had muppet Agar and Fuhrer Kath and we had no money. What's stopping them this year? It sounds more likely that Aspinwall knows "a little more than we do" about Mcrae to get a job here! Can't imagine any other club signing him to be honest.

After reading some of the posters. I might just burn my season pass now
Forget 2012 season and wait for 2013 or 14 or 15 better not push it to far at my age. I can see the banners now Gentle out .

I've cheered up no end.

I've just seen hkr's new kit.

So it's not the greatest kit ever created in the history of sport? that's a surprise.

We wont see too much of it i expect, that lot tend to wait till the end of the season when the sales are on before purchasing current kits.