Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 2:33 pm  

CobraCraig wrote:

I think this might be the reason Miski doesn’t get retained, Mago I think is a deffo goner and then maybe Cust will go if he can’t get back into the side (I’m certainly not writing him off like a lot seem to be). We are likely going to need 1/2 props and 1/2 second rowers dependant on where Hill and Nsemba are at the end of the season and I would certainly want at least one top second rower which looking at the market will have to be a quota player.

It’s a tough one with Miski because he’s flying at the minute and that work out of our end is massive for us. He also seems a coaches dream really, with little fuss about not playing and he just comes in when needed and cracks on. It all depends how many quota spots we need. If we need 2, I think I’d obviously let Mago go and next in line currently would probably be Cust but there’s time for that to change. If Miski were to be let go, I’d like to see Tom Davies brought back as a like for like.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 3:38 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

It’s a tough one with Miski because he’s flying at the minute and that work out of our end is massive for us. He also seems a coaches dream really, with little fuss about not playing and he just comes in when needed and cracks on. It all depends how many quota spots we need. If we need 2, I think I’d obviously let Mago go and next in line currently would probably be Cust but there’s time for that to change. If Miski were to be let go, I’d like to see Tom Davies brought back as a like for like.

Tom will be on a bigger contract than Abbas so that will eat into our salary cap.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 4:24 pm  

Zig wrote:

Tom will be on a bigger contract than Abbas so that will eat into our salary cap.

No doubt about it. It’s all a balancing act and one you don’t envy. We have a lot of lads now like Smithies, Havard, Smith etc who will also want more money. I think the moves that make the most sense currently are for Hampshire to act as halfback cover, Cust and Mago to go, the option to be taken on Miski/Ellis and Isa to be given another year but it’ll depend what we can get from over here.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 5:40 pm  

Kai O'Donnell from Leigh might be a shout.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 5:43 pm  

MadDogg wrote:

Kai O'Donnell from Leigh might be a shout.

Read a report saying Wane has spoken to him about representing England.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 6:23 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

No doubt about it. It’s all a balancing act and one you don’t envy. We have a lot of lads now like Smithies, Havard, Smith etc who will also want more money. I think the moves that make the most sense currently are for Hampshire to act as halfback cover, Cust and Mago to go, the option to be taken on Miski/Ellis and Isa to be given another year but it’ll depend what we can get from over here.

I don't think that you will be too far out with your assumptions come 2024.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 7:46 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

No doubt about it. It’s all a balancing act and one you don’t envy. We have a lot of lads now like Smithies, Havard, Smith etc who will also want more money. I think the moves that make the most sense currently are for Hampshire to act as halfback cover, Cust and Mago to go, the option to be taken on Miski/Ellis and Isa to be given another year but it’ll depend what we can get from over here.

I find it a little odd how at the end of last season ( I thought he went fairly well without pulling up trees) it was almost unanimous on here that fans wanted Cust to extend his contract yet after a less then stellar start it now gone 180 degrees and most want him gone. I’m certainly not giving up on him.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:00 pm  

CobraCraig wrote:

I find it a little odd how at the end of last season ( I thought he went fairly well without pulling up trees) it was almost unanimous on here that fans wanted Cust to extend his contract yet after a less then stellar start it now gone 180 degrees and most want him gone. I’m certainly not giving up on him.

We look a better more balanced side without him in it.

It’s tough because he’s been good, as you say without pulling up trees, but if he plays it means our 2 most dangerous players are less effective and we don’t start our sets as well off kick returns.

Cust wont have come here on peanuts and in my opinion he doesn’t compliment Smith well as both are organisers,

The quota position means we need to maximise those spots.

I really like Cust but this is professional sport and there is no room for sentiment.

If we were losing Smith, for example, I’d be desperate to retain Cust but for me Smith leads us round the field and Field provides the strike that compliments that.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:32 pm  

CobraCraig wrote:

I find it a little odd how at the end of last season ( I thought he went fairly well without pulling up trees) it was almost unanimous on here that fans wanted Cust to extend his contract yet after a less then stellar start it now gone 180 degrees and most want him gone. I’m certainly not giving up on him.

It’s easy to say ‘I wasn’t one of them’ but I genuinely wasn’t hugely sold last year. I thought he started well but after about 10 games, his step was worked out and his fundamentals as a halfback are not particularly strong. I was very critical of him after Magic last year, when he was blowing out of his backside trying to get across to cover their winning try.

You’re right that many wanted us to extend him. On the other forum, there was a post in pre season saying that basically we had it all on trying to convince him to stay here and I disagreed. I thought he had it all on to convince us that he should be kept on and I still do. It’s not that I don’t think he’s a decent player, because I think he is but I’m not convinced he’s a halfback and I’m not convinced he’s worth a quota spot. What I do agree on though is not giving up on him. He’s obviously been playing injured and he lost a lot of confidence in his elbow last year. He is also quite young and inexperienced, especially as a half. He also seems a genuinely good lad and I hope he gets back and smashes it over the rest of the season.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Apr 15, 2023 9:51 pm  

Would he be an option as our 9 if Field is going to play in the halves?