Liam666 wrote:
Pleased to hear Mini and Washbrook will likely get new contracts.
If Talanoa is getting a new contract I wouldn't keep Michaels, while he is reliable he hasn't been first choice winger with a fully fit squad and would prefer to see Naughton or Rawsthorne given a chance instead.
Michaels was first choice winger all last season lest you forget. Personally I'd have him over talanoa every week. He might not have the brute strength but in other areas he's hugely better than FT, that being defensively.
People keep saying we can free up a quota spot by releasing Michaels, yes that's true, but for whom, a big name Australian/NZ NRL star to replace Ellis, I don't think so. A big name star to play on the wing or in the centres, nope, in the halves maybe, not there either, what about in the backrowers, nope, we have mini there as our big earner and from the way pearson and Radford were talking a few weeks back I don't think we'll be signing a marquee player.
But why MUST we free up a quota spot for next season when of the two players SM is massively more valuable to us than FT? I agree that we need to be looking long term to bring players through and it's a bloody shame we lost Lancaster as the kid was scoring tries for fun when he got his chance but others hopefully can come through in the same way Minikin at Cas has. in the meantime SM gets a wing spot for me with the aim to bring in a younger player and we release FT.