Josh Walters has made the permanent move from Leeds Rhinos to Featherstone Rovers.

Looks like things are starting to progress squad wise with Josh Walters signing for Featherstone Rovers https://www.featherstonerovers.co.uk/ne ... vers-qQBa3

Looks like things are starting to progress squad wise with Josh Walters signing for Featherstone Rovers https://www.featherstonerovers.co.uk/ne ... vers-qQBa3

Must have both been typing at the same time

Indeed. I feel this one has been coming and don’t think it’ll be the end. I believe we have a big name lined up if we can shred some salary cap space.

Great to see they're still hard at work on the squad structure despite the season having started - maybe last Saturday gave them some added impetus...

I agree and I have posted this before on here that I was told that Seb Ikahihifo would be joining us for 2019,although there were numerous players to remove from our salary cap first in order to fit him under our cap

I'm not sure if we have moved on from here with regards to signing him as we initially wanted him during the off season ?

I believe we have moved on from this and I don’t think with Huddersfield’s injury issues, they’d let us look at him now. But I believe it’s bigger than this.

What ‘big name’ would be available at this time of year and one that freeing up Walters salary would make any dent on?

Cap-wise it could be do-able with a heavily backloaded contract. Fairly basic wage year 1, astronomic wage yrs 2 & 3. We [iknow[/i we can make space once this year's out the way.

My money's still on Ikahihifo btw

Walters and Ormonroyd’s salary + we may well have been slightly under the cap before releasing those players.

Cronulla Sharks are rumoured to be about to lose a 'big name player' as part of their impending salary cap breach punishment. A Fifita, Gallen (even at his age) or Woods would do nicely, though highly unlikely.

Thanks to Josh btw. Never short on effort and will always have the treble decider to his name.

Absolutely - the stick he's had from some fans has been unfair. Yes he's got limited skill set, but he always gives 100% and puts his body on the line and for I'm guessing somewhere around minimum RL wage - something that can't be said of some of his more naturally gifted colleagues.
Made the absolute most of what talent he does have - but Fev is more realistically his standard. Some cracking moments for him to look back on, achieved something most players can only dream of - that's a testament to his attitude.

Absolutely second that. He always gave full commitment and seemed a good lad. I think he’s found his level but he is only 24 still.

Interesting move. I'm not sure it puts us in a much better position than we were salary cap wise. Yeah, we have offloaded two players, but they are low earners and we have signed Donaldson since

dont't forget it's these two plus Garbutt

He’s copped some stick on here but you can’t knock his commitment, I honestly think he’ll go well in the championship as it’s probably his level, and that’s in no way an insult as the championship is a tough competition but realistically he was never really going to feature in the new regime. Quite interesting though as releasing two players so early on makes me think Sinfield and Furner have something in mind!

Garbutt was moved on to get Merrin in. We still needed a prop after he signed but looked like we still needed cap space

We're going to have to make decisions on Peteru, Ferres, Ablett, Sutcliffe and a couple of others. I think the cap goes up by another £100k for 2020 as well? There may even be a third marquee allowance by then.
Managing a squad under the salary cap must be a pain in the bum to be fair.

Good look to walters, not super league standard but could excel at this level, and maybe the super league door is not fully closed. did not deserve the stick he got, always plenty of effort, and he will always have that dream grand final winning try.

Ormanroyd, we he was never ever good enough a very average championship squad filler, do not know what we ever saw in him in the first place, hopefully the last of these type of second class project players.

Good Luck to both Omanroyd and Walters, both gave their best to the cause and unfortunately it hasn't worked out as we all hoped. It did however show just how poor recruitment was between McD and Hetherington and the performances last year showed a real lack of class. At least with these two leaving we may be in a position to buy a quality prop forward later in the year. Again with McD gone, and before Furner started who ever agreed to give a 2 year deal to Ablett when he had already announced he was off to OZ to play second grade rugby and be a plumber, then JJB was given a 1 year deal, we could have gone out and bought a top quality prop with this money. Ablett and JJB was top draw players of the highest quality but now father time has caught up with them both, yet we gave them both contracts. Ablett isn't fit JJB is not in the plans to play. This money could have been better used, and it does show a little of the old boys net work. While I do not begrudge these two guys a living, after all they are legends of the Rhinos, it was time for these two chaps to have been made to retire.

In true pantomime style.....Oh no he wasn’t

We signed and announced Merrin before Garbutt left which then filled our quota

We released Garbutt to free up a quota spot to sign Zeb but that deal collapsed/was put on hold as Giants were not interested in a player(s) exchange and we needed to release players to be able to bring him in given the reported wages he’s on at Giants

Surely Ablett and JJB were Sinfield's decision

We also don’t know what salary those boys are on; I would doubt they are being paid as much now as they were at peak, but could be wrong.
It’s the other senior players in the squad we must get right: Ablett and JJB both still have something to offer at times this year IMO. I’m looking at Peteru, Ferres, Sutcliffe, Singleton, Cuthbertson, Parcell, Handley this season because they all should be adding something to the first team or make way for someone else/an academy prospect. There is some serious salary wedge in that group and a couple of valuable overseas spots.