Good post, but that wasn't my point, the poster claimed that Pryce was knackered, when in fact he has played more games than Campese this year.

I agree with you, but they play different roles, both have been free signings for their clubs and it's a shame that both got season finishing injuries.

Campese most probably falls more into the Gareth Ellis camp as far as knackered players go. Plus they are most probably analogous examples in terms of age, experience and their impact on the salary cap.

I think Rovers and Hull have had (and continue to have) differing stategies -

We always tend to put the bulk of our cap into the halves and then never quite get the balance right in the pack and backline. You could see at the start of our season we were missing a prop or 2 and a big back rower. There is no immediate sign of these for next year either.

Hull tend to spend the bulk of their cap on the pack and then struggle to get the balance right with their backs. You may have found the right balance for next season or you may have just found another pack that can dominate and make more metres than the opposition, only to burn tackles for fun in the oppositions 20 without the firepower to get over the line.

I would say he's equally knackered to Pryce really, however I think not being in his best physical shape is a bigger issue for Pryce than it is Campese.
Pryce has a half back game largely built around running at the line and having the speed to worry defences. Campese on the other hand tends to play more of a traditional organiser/distributor role and so does not rely on his physical attributes as much as Pryce does.

Pryce and Campese are so different animals and where employed as such. we needed a leader badly, someone to direct the troops and act as an organiser. FC needed a running HB to help Sneyd along, I think Pryce filled the bill.

We've both had the worries of both players come home to roost, Campo has his inevitable injury, Pryce has been hit and miss and without Sneyd looks a bit toothless. Both have probably made our teams better but neither are long term solutions. One more injury for either and its probably the end of them.

Need clarification on this, but is the 'marquee' signing exempt from the quota roster's?

When comparing the halfbacks of both clubs in terms of style of play it would be Campo vs Sneyd and Pryce vs Kelly which both our players blow their opposites out the water imo. In terms of injuries it's campo vs pryce and sneyd vs kelly and all you have to do is to look at games played to see that. Am I right in thinking pryce has had a few spells out through different injuries? Where as campo has only had 1 big spell out from a very very unfortunate hand off and then missed the 60-0 away game at wigan through a twinge in his hammy. Kelly has had a couple of minor bumps and a absences from the squad but Id guess sneyd has missed more.

Pryce only performs when he feels like it, which I think will be the weakness within Hull FC next year. The fat lad may step up every now and then, but I don't think he has the natural ability of a half back and is instead a ball playing forward (as everyone has suggested), and after seeing Carlos play in the NRL he looks like Jism does to us at the minute (sorry, did I say Jism? I meant Chisholm) ..... But, that said, if FC manage to hold onto Hougton next year, their pack will look humongous and talented throughout (and a damn sight better then ours).

Report in a Newcastle gossip article today that Tilse will probably return to Newcastle next year and local clubs are all keen to sign him.

YIPPEE Hope so i dont think we will miss him

Will the manner of Saturday's defeat will have any bearing on our plans for next season?

we really need a couple of big big props if there is any available that is

It shouldn't, not much more so than any one game, whatever the result.

We came 10th in the league, with a pack that struggled to make enough metres. There are some positives to build on, but they were only seen sporadically. That's what our plans, that are probably well advanced anyway, need to be based on imo.

I don't think Saturday did anything other than brutally reinforce what we already knew. There'll always be results like that unless and until we become a top team ourselves - not necessarily in a Cup Final, of course.

We need to make more metres and miss fewer tackles, while keeping the attacking fluency that we saw on our good days. Easy said.

Surely you mean better props and bigger more mobile back rowers.

We haven't replaced Mick Weyman, Clint Newton or Ben Galea effectively. That's the standard of player we need, whether Domestic, EU or Antipodean.

I think the packs ok we need a really good centre to go with thornley Welham and salter just don't cut it as was seen on Saturday

Somehow we need to introduce more energy & more physicality to our game. We were beaten up across the park on Saturday & hardly won a collision all afternoon. Happened too often this season.