Yeh they went up to Longcroft school, trained on the Astro doing some ball work for an hour.

There's only so far these things can go before they're not worth the time. Like you say, it looks like either Crusaders or Hull are going to have to give in to make the deal happen.

I think the Sammutt links are just a smokescreen that Hull are happy to go along with. Everybody in the game has known that Hull have been looking for a half back since the end of last season. Therefore i reckon that Agents will have offered Hull every out of contract and want-away half back in the world of Rugby League. With that in mind would Hull really be in discussions with Crusaders to sign a reasonable/middle of the road scrum half at this late stage for what is likely to be a large transfer fee? Unlikely in the extreme.
It is more likely that Hull identified their target early and have been in discussions since to manoeuvre his release from his current club. I am pretty sure Rangi Chase is your man.

Obviously no NRL halves of the desired quality within our price range (cheap) at the end of last season and now we near the new season it's important that we sign someone in SL already so we dont encounter visa delays otherwise there's no point really.

Castleford Squad numbers: 6. Chase www.castigers.com/article.php?id=1229

Castleford Squad numbers: 6. Chase www.castigers.com/article.php?id=1229

I would be very happy with either Sammut or Chase but would not be surprised if we sign a player not mentionned on the rumours thread so far.

Could still be a possibility, but if there's no names there's no rumours!

Think about it logically Dave. Hull knew of their need for a half before they committed a big fee and contract for Westerman. They wouldnt have done that without leaving enough in the pot for a quality half. And thats not withstanding Berrigans money.

Would be my preference

I personally think we may well have approached Cas & Crusaders for Chase and Sammut, however the fact that it is so close to the start of the season both clubs will be very reluctant to sell due to the uproar it will cause with their fans and the fact that they would struggle to get a replacement, think we may well go into the season with what we have.

I think about most things logically mate.

As an alternative option to your above it may have been that Hull scoured the market for a half back, couldnt find one, spent the cash on Westerman and decided to deal with it this year and review next year when we have cash spare. Berrigan leaves, free's up cash, FC decide to scour the market again for a half.

In summary, they could have decided that a half simply wasnt going to happen this year so signed Westerman. They could have also been let down at the 11th hour with regards to a half back. We just dont know.

That could well be the case BDT, what I've been thinking too.

I don't think we will sign anyone, if we had a viable option we'd have closed the deal by now, and in all honesty, would Chase or Sammut really make that much of a difference, neither are really top class, if we were talking about a world class half then I could see the point, but brining someone in largely because they are more likely to remain fit doesn't seem sensible to me.