Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 1:55 pm  

My Team (for the time being):

1. Moss
2. Caro
3. Oakes
4. Ryan
5. Macani

6. Pryce
7. Chisholm

8. Kavanagh
9. Lumb
10. Joseph
11. Burr
12. Foster
13. Bentley

14. Keyes
15. Peltier
16. Magrin
17. Kirk

Thomas, Mendieka, Campbell, Trueman, Halafihi and Rickett being rotations.

Foster to the pack as I feel like having him in the centres leaves our pack too lightweight for my liking, having him at second-row sures this up a bit. Never thought I'd say this as long as I supported Bradford but we need Props and Second Rowers haha!

Bit depressing compared the the team we had 8 weeks ago.......

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:07 pm  

I'd also look at getting Harvey Livett on loan from Warrington. Loose Forward and got MOM in Warrington's friendly. Could do him some good getting some gametime at Champ level! Also wouldn't mind seeing Benjamin Jullien (centre) come on loan to us from Uncle Tony in order to move Foster to the pack.

[Bullseye]

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:10 pm  

Moss having a British passport means the visa issue may just apply to Lachlan Burr.

Mick, Ethan Ryan did play a lot of centre for the 19s. I think he’s just served his apprenticeship on the wing in the first team, a bit like Leon did 17 years ago!

We look ok for backs IMO. Unless we lose a load more players.

Re: Who Would Your Team Be : Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:25 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

Can't argue with that. If we keep those lads we have a fighting chance with a few loan forwards.

Id even be tempted to stick oakes in the centre and foster in the back row with bentley to the bench to spell him. Solid base for me someone like a Philbin on loan would be ideal. Kavanagh really impressed me at 13 against New Zealand and played big minutes. I'd even be tempted to look at Bailey for 12 months if finances allow

[Bulliac]

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:40 pm  

It's not a 'load' of players I'm really worried about, tbh I don't think we will lose a lot more as most clubs are done recruiting now. So the ones we'll probably lose are the ones clubs feel are worth a bit more, that is the better ones.

Once we lose, say Chisholm, Moss, maybe Kavanagh, then we're looking pretty much a mid-table championship side, a mid table championship side with a 12 point deficit and only 23 games to make anything up [and 3 of them against HKR].

I'd agree the threequarters look good. There is no lack of skill there, but on the debit side some are very young and lacking open age experience and this is a very hard nosed, physical league. I think it might be a little unfair to expect some of them to be the 'frontline' players, duty of care and all that.

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:45 pm  

Bulliac wrote:

It's not a 'load' of players I'm really worried about, tbh I don't think we will lose a lot more as most clubs are done recruiting now. So the ones we'll probably lose are the ones clubs feel are worth a bit more, that is the better ones.

Once we lose, say Chisholm, Moss, maybe Kavanagh, then we're looking pretty much a mid-table championship side, a mid table championship side with a 12 point deficit and only 23 games to make anything up [and 3 of them against HKR].

I'd agree the threequarters look good. There is no lack of skill there, but on the debit side some are very young and lacking open age experience and this is a very hard nosed, physical league. I think it might be a little unfair to expect some of them to be the 'frontline' players, duty of care and all that.

thats my positivity gone in that bold writing

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:46 pm  

Bulliac wrote:

Once we lose, say Chisholm, Moss, maybe Kavanagh, then we're looking pretty much a mid-table championship side, a mid table championship side with a 12 point deficit and only 23 games to make anything up [and 3 of them against HKR].

Gotta be honest, I think that's overly optimistic. Losing those 3 IMO would make us a bottom end Championship side, not mid table. There'll only be the likes of Burr, Pryce, Foster & Ryan who have any real quality.

I honestly think keeping those three you mention could be a big difference. If we lose those aswell, we're looking in a really really bad state.

[Bulliac]

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:38 pm  

HamsterChops wrote:

Gotta be honest, I think that's overly optimistic. Losing those 3 IMO would make us a bottom end Championship side, not mid table. There'll only be the likes of Burr, Pryce, Foster & Ryan who have any real quality.

I honestly think keeping those three you mention could be a big difference. If we lose those aswell, we're looking in a really really bad state.

Hard to say, to be fair.

I agree those three are probably critical in our having any kind of season at all [though definitely they are the three most likely to leave, imo] though I disagree a little about the quality side of things. Maybe I should have said potential? A few of those being touted are, definitely very promising players, but still somewhere between a bit and quite a lot, 'undercooked', as first team squad players; Oakes, Trueman, Foster, Bentley, Keyes and Lumb are well short of experience if we're expecting them to be regular players.

Oh, my guesstimate about mid-table was intended to mean if we'd still been on zero at the kick off, on -12 we're relegation fodder, I accept that totally.

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:41 pm  

Bulliac wrote:

Hard to say, to be fair.

I agree those three are probably critical in our having any kind of season at all [though definitely they are the three most likely to leave, imo] though I disagree a little about the quality side of things. Maybe I should have said potential? A few of those being touted are, definitely very promising players, but still somewhere between a bit and quite a lot, 'undercooked', as first team squad players; Oakes, Trueman, Foster, Bentley, Keyes and Lumb are well short of experience if we're expecting them to be regular players.

I don't disagree with you. Without a few signings, we are definitely going to be relying on some young heads to step up earlier than was probably planned before things went pear shaped.

Re: Free Agents/Who would your 1st team be? : Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:42 pm  

another hooker and a 3 forwards and we are back in business, at least competing anyway.

If we can employ a bit of Dunkirk spirit and fight against adversity we may just get there, or at least employ a bit more effort & Enthusiasm than was there at points last year.