[Bullseye]

Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:37 am  

So we’ve been rumoured to be looking at/signing a bunch of London players. What does anyone know about them quality wise? Are they going to improve us?

Jon Magrin – Prop/Loose Forward
Iliess Macani – Wing/Fullback
Mark Ioane – Prop
Alex Foster – Second Row

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:42 am  

From what I've seen of him, Alex Foster looks a decent player, but another in that mould that we've seen before. Probably not quite big enough to be a really impactful second rower and not quite quick and skillful enough to be a centre.

That being said, he's a better option than Blythe. who currently fills a similar role. Probably a decent squad player and maybe a good bench option, but I'm not convinced he's good enough to be a starter week in, week out.

Iliess Macani, I don't understand. Reminds me a lot of Will Sharp and will probably end up in a similar position. Bouncing around Championship teams, scoring some tries because of his pace, but never really setting the world alight. I don't think he improves on Moss, Clare, Caro or Ryan though.

Macani & Ioane I can't say I've seen enough of to really form an opinion.

I worry a little that Rohan's former London links are swaying his thinking. Although it could equally be that those links let him know there's a couple of gems there that have yet to be properly discovered.

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:47 am  

No disrespect to any of these players , but I think you should be getting better players than these lads ,2 of them played against us on Saturday and did nowt to impress me, Bradford are still a big Club in my eyes and you need a couple of real quality players, not blokes London don't want.

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:47 am  

Macani I think is a pointless signing and I just don't get. Agree with Hamster, he'll probably score some tries due to his power. But I don't think he's much skill or great defensive. More an thelete rather than a rugby player.

Foster I think is a tackling machine.

Ioane I think is a decent prop. Hes helped London finish second at the end of the day.

Margrin I think is a young player with potential.

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:52 am  

Don't get the Macani one. I know it's not as straightforward as this but I'd have gone for someone like Garry Lo at Sheffield or Dalton Grant from Dewsbury instead.

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:55 am  

Charlie knows.

[Bullseye]

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 9:59 am  

Have we ever recruited anyone genuinely decent from London?

I still have nightmares about Michael Worrincy.

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:17 am  

Bullseye wrote:

So we’ve been rumoured to be looking at/signing a bunch of London players. What does anyone know about them quality wise? Are they going to improve us?

Jon Magrin – Prop/Loose Forward
Iliess Macani – Wing/Fullback
Mark Ioane – Prop
Alex Foster – Second Row

mark Ioane is staying at London
Alex Foster is missing home, talking to a few clubs and would be an excellent signing
Magrin and Macani are both London lads not offered new deals

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:19 am  

In general I like the idea of a coach who can sign players nobody has really particularly heard of, having seen something in them that he thinks he can develop.

Smith seems to know potential when he sees it on the very limited evidence we so far have, and these lads certainly fit the first half of my description. I'll have to rely on Rohan for the second half, as I wouldn't recognize any of them in the street.

I suppose I am worried that we are dredging the bottom of the pond for makeweights that individually aren't up to much. Again. But maybe we can't afford owt else, and we won't know what Smith can make of them until he tries.

As for big club-big names - nice of Charlie to say but I doubt our bank manager, or HMRC accounts department, would agree

Re: Magrin/Macani/Ioane/Foster from London : Wed Aug 10, 2016 10:22 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

In general I like the idea of a coach who can sign players nobody has really particularly heard of, having seen something in them that he thinks he can develop.

Smith seems to know potential when he sees it on the very limited evidence we so far have, and these lads certainly fit the first half of my description. I'll have to rely on Rohan for the second half, as I wouldn't recognize any of them in the street.

I suppose I am worried that we are dredging the bottom of the pond for makeweights that individually aren't up to much. Again. But maybe we can't afford owt else, and we won't know what Smith can make of them until he tries.

I think that's not far off where I am with this too. It's hard to say which way it will fall until we've seen these players in action for a few games at least.