Improved a lot this last year or so. Good cover/competition for the backs. Whilst admittedly not in the same class when fit and on top form, probably cost a fraction of what's been paid to Webster or McDonnell as well.

McDonnell is on peanuts, easily the lowest wage in our back line. That's why he wants out, the offer we made him was insulting for someone of his growing stature.

To be fair to Mcdonnell he's now showing us what he can do surely they cud revisit an approach to offer him more surely were not that skint our loss is someone elses gain a decent full back is dire for us

Why did he take it then?

Probably just on crumbs before us.

It was all we had under the cap (the money originally intended for Taulapapa you'd assume), he wanted to see how he settled, prove himself and maybe get in the shop window was what I took from his HullKRTV interview. Where it's been suggested he's not happy, my [uguess[/u, is that he was promised an improved deal if he did well, and what we (the club) and he understood by 'improved' was at relations-straining variance.

I would certainly aggree with your suggestion regarding the club making Shannon a better offer, he's certainly got better imo as the season has progressed and letting him go could be a descision that comes back to bite us on the bum.
Lets not forget also that there isn't exactly an abbundance of good quality fullbacks out there ready to be signed and ceratinly not for peanuts, also, for those who keep on sugesting that Sherrif should take McDonells place, forget it, he may well be the answer longer term but he simply is not ready for first team football on a regular basis at the moment.

We would be stupid not to offer Shannon a good deal. He rapidly becoming one of the best full backs in super league IMO.

If you believe what he has been saying, its not going to change his mind. He was only coming over for one season and then going back. If he signs for another SL club, then we know he is a =#FF0000Edit-AS

Is that what he said in his interview?

If Dobson couldn't get a regular NRL gig after impressing with both Catalans and Wigan, then McDonell's got zip all chance.

He would be a bench-warmer at best if he went home, whereas he has a chance to play 5/6 years in SL from what I have seen of him already. It's not that he's that good, I just can't see a better option at this stage, and there are plenty of clubs in the market for a decent full back this time around.

I tend to agree, I'm still not massively impressed but to be fair to the lad many Aussies with much much (i.e. some) higher profile's come over and take longer to adapt than half a season.

He is showing signs of suddenly improving, his last three games have shown week on week improvement.