The stark reality is we're not an attractive proposition for potential signings. No play off place since the random 2020 season, a string of players leaving before the end of their contracts and Cartwright will be our sixth coach since the start of 2020. We not going to sign top players. In 2016/2017 we would probably been able to sign a Lam or a McMeeken or a Whitehead.

Our best hope is that the likes of Hardaker, Sezer, Abdull and Cust improve us and make us a little harder to beat and less of a basket case over the next couple of years.

Agree, also got to hope that the experience the younger players have had this year makes them better squad players than what we've had the last few years.

Other big thing is fitness, it's quite clear last winter was very slack. We've already seen improvements in the last few months since Smith went. So a proper pre season under a disciplinarian coach with a new Head Physio assessing knocks better should improve us anyway.

Leeds has also been a graveyard for players of late, it's the Smith effect

There's a new head of strength and conditioning now at the club also im led to believe. Be good if the club could announce it.

Pretty sure it was announced a fortnight ago but he’s not coming until the end of the season.

Brown and Trueman never played together did they? I’m sure Brown would have been much better alongside Trueman and would have suited his game a bit more. Also I’d assume the plan was originally to maybe move Hoy to 6 when Truey was back and have Brown as the 9 or at least as the interchange hooker

I’d say Trueman, Hoy and Brown would have been better generally and offer much more creativity and balance than Abdul, Sezer and Cust. Theres obviously a risk with Trueman and his injury record but the same can be said about Abdul, Cust and Sezer. Think people have got the black and white specs on with this recruitment, I think it could be an absolute disaster if I’m honest.

Sorry, my bad Andy Shea, head physiotherapist.

Richie Myler the gift that keeps on giving.

Struggling to get my head round this one. 33 year old former Leeds flop, who's gone OK to meh in a bottom 2 NRL club. I thought we'd sign someone from left field but never in my wildest nightmares expected Sezer.

I was concerned when reading HDM the other day when Dan said something like 'the club are looking for someone who is experienced'. I immediately thought of Dishwater at Wire. So we were getting buttered up for something similar.

Dan and the club have a tough sell trying to spin this one. I don't get why we didn't take a punt on someone like Asi?

If you look at the 3 spine options of Sezer, Abdull and Cust are they better than the 3 of Trueman, Brown and Smith? Overall I'd probably say yes.... that's the way I'm trying to justify it anyway.

I think Walker will be off too. We need some pace and cover at 1 and centre

If Walker goes which I hope not I'd play Hardaker at 1. Ok he hasn't got any pace but that's his best position and he seems to be playing well there for Leigh.

Use the final quota place for a centre and try and sign a decent fed one as well. Failing that Chamberlain will be first choice. It doesn't look great.

Walker going will give us more headaches.

I’m not sure I fully buy into this ‘tough sell’ stuff, especially in rugby league. Obviously it’s true to a point the best players at the top of their game don’t want to sign for the worst teams generally, but it’s a salary cap sport and a short career. Offer players a better contract and more security and they’ll take it, Wests have been a basket case for years but have pulled Luai. The Bulldogs pulled themselves out of the doldrums by offering the likes of Crichton and JAC big money deals.

Was it such a hard sell for Asiata? He’s a good player and let’s face it he’s not come for rugby reasons, we obviously offered him a bigger better deal. Lam aside as I think his loyalty to his dad must have played a part, but if we are missing out on all these targets it’s because we can’t or won’t offer what’s needed financially. The players we are signing must be the only players available in our budget which must be well below everyone else in the competition.

Keep Abdull fit and trim he's a good player. Terrific left boot an array of kicking skills, great hand off and actually he does have a running game for a few metres anyway but rarely chooses to use it.

But Radford, Peters and McNamara tried and gave up on him. I was a bit upset when Rovers gave him away for nothing but it's proved to be the right decision.

From Lam to Sezer, jam tomorrow again.Paid for our passes during covid to help the club and the club have just taken the mick this season with the poor signings they bought and got rid of virtually right away.I think the club will be in for a shock selling passes unless they up the ante after looking at every other clubs signings, loyalty only goes so far. Us mugs who have always supported the club will still be there but many others won't be

Agree with this. Money does talk in this game. Not like football where it's big bucks. Offer players money and a decent contract length and they'll sign. Well known that's why Asiata signed as Degsy made that clear.


A lot of talk about players not been available. Therefore offer a transfer fee like we did with Rowley. Ask to speak to the player and say this is how much you'll earn if you come here and for this long. A bit like we did with Lam.

I personally think with Lam it was a case of the contract was only for NRL releases, as no extension has been announced. Just he'll be a player next season for them.

Bizarre to sign Sezer. Almost identical player to Abdul, and I think this won't make for a great balance in the team.

For heavens sake its not so much a case of which top level signing we will get but more a choice of who the hell will come to a club which is, as I said the other day, a basket case with a depressing record an appauling attitude over several seasons and overtly demanding fans. We are at rock bottom. Cartwright has arrived and I think he will be really good but he's probably come to support his dad and not because we are a great proposition. As for Asiata lets face it all he talked about on signing was making a future for his family so in the end at his age, its a good pay day and who could blame him.

I'd like to know who some fans feel is a realistic proposition for us, who would come? It almost has to be someone no one else wants. We could even offer transfer fees that a club might like but who's to say the actual player would come?

We have chased and made great offers to two top quality halves who I think would have changed the dynamic at the club pretty quickly but both turned us down for. I think, the obvious reason stated above, as did two top quality coaches. Let's face it would you come? I think we've done bloody well to get Cartwright and I wonder what he is thinking now watching our games week in week out.

We have, as fans, to lower our sights I feel and try and trust in our new coach who must steer the signings we bring from Australia and attempt to get the best he can cajole into coming, improve things and make us a better prospect for new players coming in in future years. .

We all want the very best for the FC and when players like Sneyd, Kelly Connor Manu Taylor and Minichiello were signing every year it was exciting and they came because of our potential and for a chance to win something, quite frankly at present we have no potential besides a host of quality young players who might or might not make it.

When Mini, Ellis, Manu, and Pritchard faced the attitude and inertia of the rest of the squad head on in the changing rooms at Widnes that night in 2016, they changed the whole dynamic of the team, by saying we came here to win things not to bugger about, they then policed it, but they also saw the potential of what we had and signed up to make the difference and a further name for themselves.
Anyone looking at our team at present must see moving here as a last resort.

Shaun McCrae, Motu Tony or Superman couldn't do any better than Myler because of the current state we are in as a club. It's not for the want of trying and having high aspirations but we are hardly attractive as a career development prospect are we?? I think for now, we just have to get the best Cartwright can persuade to come (if its Sizer than so be it), and hope he can make a difference. We are in dire straights right now and as I said earlier would you want to come??