Can't see how are pack is weaker, backrow is stronger, Tickle and Galea last season were awful, at times I would have dropped both of these.

Paea replaces O Meley, so big improvement there, younger, makes more yards and less injury prone.

Lynch is a loss IMO, but him leaving will give Green more time and I think he will turn out a better player than Lynch was last season.

Feka is a gamble, if it pays off then we will have a good set of props, he knows it is his last chance to play top level rugby and it looks like he has been working hard to get into shape.

90% of fans I have spoken to rate Miller or least see something in his game, he has an exciting running game and good passing, kicking needs to improve though and this is possible our biggest concern next season.

Maybe our best 17 isn't as good as last year (although not far off), but our squad is better IMO, maybe not that much better to improve our league position unfortunately. I'd say the same for Rovers, better squad, but not as good best 17 and don't see much improvement in ether teams league places.

We have Miller at 7. Horne at 6, Horne is most likely to get injured so we need a 6 more.

6 and 7 positions have become very similar anyway, at Warrington you had Briers at stand of, but his role was that of an old fashioned SH.

Any 7 can play 6, not all 6's can play 7.

Its not Briscoes fault the service to him is/was poor, you have a player of that calibre on the wing and very rarely use him, it's a tragedy, no wonder he has left.

You have clearly replaced him with two players coming in, upto his standard, I seriously doubt.

Isn't Miller a 7 anyway?? He was brought in as a 7.

Horne plays his best rugby at 6 anyway rather then 7 imo.

Pretty much agree with all of that. Much will swing on any halfback coming in, the hoped improvement of Miller with a full preseason, and Paleaaesina (or one of Green/Bowden really kicking on). In the case of the latter, I think like you that our front row possibly isn't that much weaker than last season, but neither am I confident it will be an improvement, and certainly not by enough in an area that I think was a weakness for us this year. Unless somebody does really step up (including Watts having a better year), I think we may still have a bit of a problem there.

Morning, Sandy.

Certainly lots of gambles, if it pays off we could surprise a few people (including myself).

Totally agree with you regarding Paea and O'Meley!

Massive loss of experience in the forwards, massive!

In reality, Feka just ain't going to cut it, it will take something nobody has seen in 3 years to become a good player again, I seriously doubt he can pull it off.

Millers defence also looked really poor at times.

I think with the loss of international/former international players the loss of experience could be a real problem.

Yep, what i'm saying if we sign another player (Chishom, Siejka, Rankin) they're all 6's. If Miller gets injured we haven't got a 7.

Its all about value for money and did we get full value from Briscoe the last couple of years? With him being one of our highest earners I very much doubt that. We have signed 2 replacements who will take up about half on what Briscoe earnt towards the salary cap.

Well why would they pass to him if he's not on form an has a centre that wasn't upto scratch either. Instead they passed to a centre wing partnership that was on form, who turned out to be in the dream team.

2 Players we've replaced him with. Tom Biggs Rugby Union international who has followed FC most his life. Knows the 13 man game good plus being a winger isn't much of a change. Second Talanoa, big strong player who looks quite good.

Yes Briscoe is a good player and we have lost an international. But for the replacements we have for him i feel we've done some good business.

More worried about ability than experience and we still have plenty experience in the forwards with Paea, Watts (time to step up), Whiting, Feka, Ellis, Heremia and Westerman.

No good having exeperience like Galea if they are rubbish on the field.

Miller defence does need work, but the best halfs last season (Dobson and Chase) cant defend, this isnt a big concern IMO, he is only 20 and will get better and stronger.

Like me you have no idea about Feka, he seems to have worked hard for one last chance and sport is full of examples of players who have made great comebacks, in fact we have one in our squad called Aaron Heremia.

A lot will depend on what we do with Westerman, Radfords already said he'd going to change his role in the side.