If that's AU$210k then the difference isn't so great.

No that is £210k GBP average

That's right. Average SL wage is 85k.

Think we should look to release :
Briscoe
Sutcliffe
Prior
Tetavano
Mellor
Thompson.
I`m 50/50 wrt Dwyer leaving.
Austin if we can get a better option.

That should clear some reasonable salary cap to bring in 2 or 3 decent hard hitting forwards.

You can add Donaldson to that list. He works hard but has no impact with the ball and we have oodles of second rowers. We've made some mistakes with big name signings - Tetevano, Fusitu'a and Sezer are yet to do anything to justify big money, but they could come good. For years an equally big issue has been retaining these squad fillers.

The justification is always 'they won't get in the first 17' - the problem is, any injuries and they do. If Donaldson was playing 5 or 6 games a year then fine, but he's likely to play 20+. If Sutcliffe stays he'll probably do the same even if he's not notionally in the top 17. These fillers are a crutch for coaches that need to be kicked out. We could afford Ian Kirke in the days when he was the only one and we had a remarkably injury-free squad. Nowadays we seem to be missing 3 or 4 first 17 players every week at best, and these fillers are playing far too many games with no need (or ability) to get any better or pressure on performance.

We need to be much more ruthless and focus on getting the highest quality first 20 players combined with youth development. And then give kids a chance but be ruthless if they're not up to it - no more Sutcliffes hanging around because nobody has the guts to get rid.

Agree with the above. The problem with any overseas signing is that you will be paying an inflated rate for them whatever the scenario due to the salary cap difference.

My question would be whether if you offered similar or better players already in SL the same amount, would they come across.

Walmsley is 10x the player Tetevano is, but I don't think we would have offered a player like him the same kind of money.

Likewise, I'm sure Bodene Thompson is on a reasonable salary, but there's plenty of decent squad props across SL who would be just as good for the same or less money.

If you're going for an overseas player, they simply have to be one of the best in their position in the whole league IMO.

On paper Sezer and to a lesser extent Austin were that when we signed them. I'm still hoping both will come good at some point.

I agree I think Sezer and Austin have more in the their locker and should come good.
Not sure I agree that we need a top class player from overseas.
I would much rather see an up and coming on the fringes type of overseas signing wanting to make a name for himself.
Let him stay 2 years and get picked up by one of the NRL teams.
I also disagree about Donaldson.
It`s not his fault he`s playing 20 +games. It`s the poor form or injuries to the other squad members that means he keeps playing.
Whilst he is no world beater and doesn`t break the line.
He does know how to tackle and put his body on the line and gives it his all.
And he will be cheap!
With a better squad of players he will only play 6 or 7 games at most.

So if we don't have Donaldson who fills in when a front line player can't stay fit or unsuspended.

Also whilst he is limited with the ball, he wins enough penalties when carrying to provide benefit to the team

People who say they don't want a player like Donaldson have never seriously given thought to managing a salary cap.

I think that’s harsh on Donaldson tbf. While his yards per carry aren’t great he does win penalties and has a massive impact on the defensive effort and line speed, something Dwyer gets a lot of props for too. He’s a good squad filler and rarely puts a foot wrong or gets injured or banned for that matter.

He’d be the last of the regular list of ‘squad players’ likely to be released that I wanted to see go.

Maybe give him and O’Connor a 1 year extension and challenge O’Connor to take that spot. There’s some similarities in there as undersized 13s tho admittedly O’Connor may have a higher ceiling.

Donaldson has the heart of a lion and it's very rare he steps off the pitch having been one of our worst performers.
That said, questions need to be asked if we don't have young players capable of stepping up into that back row cover role. That we now have O'Connor hints at some improvement but then again, is he big enough? I sometimes worry that we spend an awful lot of time developing players lacking one of the base attributes for their roles, whether that be size, speed, toughness or stamina. The only way to escape the salary cap trap (which, let's face it, isn't high enough to buy in a competitive squad) is to produce quality youngsters. And we can only do that by attracting proper athletes. A big heart on its own simply won't cut the mustard at the top level of the modern game.

Let's be honest, the state of RL / SL is not fantastic. Battered by COVID, crippled by infighting, hamstrung by concerns over player wellbeing. And all the while the "traditional" working-class support base is changing.

We have significant challenges, not all of our own making as above... I still believe we need some kind of takeover/merger with NRL to be honest, and/or that UK clubs might need a closer partnership with an NRL sister club... the difficulty is in getting the Australians to have any concern for the worldwide game beyond their domestic interests.

Commercially the game is on its bum, and with a weak Leeds that's not helping anyone. Without action to address this, I can only see the gap widening between SL and NRL; too big a gap makes us into a feeder competition and denies us the chance to see real start marquee players over here... anyway! Not all doom and gloom but I haven't enjoyed the last couple of seasons much TBH.

Agree, if we don't act soon to change things we will lose shed loads of talent to the NRL when they (even our top earners) can earn 3 times as much over there.

The age old problem is salary cap and the gap keeps getting wider. It’s no use thinking we can get ARL superstars. What we might get is end of career superstars and that’s a very big gamble or someone from the NSW/ Queensland Cup comp that wants to make a name to get an ARL contract. Again a gamble on two counts 1 they excel and we lose them after 1 o 2 years or 2 they don’t cut the mustard. Add the big problem of bringing through a really good kid like Newman or Gannon and being able to keep them. I think the latter might well be our biggest problem over here.

No impact with the ball? He runs harder than most of the forwards we have and gets 1/2 penalties a game from players trying to take his head off.

Donaldson is contracted until 2023 so i doubt he'll be going anywhere before then.

Nor should he.
Donaldson is a really useful squad member.
He'll be comparatively cheap and he gives everything.
Best tackling technique at the club, reliable and stays injury free.

Problem is, we've played him every week at prop and expect him to tear up trees!
He's a very useful back-up back rower.

If anyone deserves some stick it’s certainly not Donaldson,100% every time he plays !

Though I agree on your first comments, Donaldson has actually said himself that he gets exposed in the wider back row positions and really is an 'undersized' squad 13/very occasional prop. Though I'd agree he's is the squad filler to stay.

Donno is one of those players who falls between two stools, he’s too small for Prop or current 13, but doesn’t offer enough attack for second row. His work rate is great and that along with his attitude is what keeps him employed at SL level.

Would Donaldson get a game at Saints?
If not why do we have him.
If we need to find the template on how to replace a team that is getting old watch the storm.
They have replaced Slater Cameron Smith , Cooper Cronk, and many more .
These are at least equal to our Goldens and they are still on top.
Get the best talent available at all cost including the coaches Gawy.

People on here should stop making excuses for our so called Senior Management , we are a massive one club city sorry Hunslet and need to be able to overcome Saints, and Wigan, Catalan etc.

So id say Amor and McCarthy scarsbrook are the squad fillers at saints. I'd say they were better players, but not by much.

I agree in the main though, the transition from 2015 has been terrible. Poor signing after poor signing. Junior after junior not living up to their potential. All supported by a poor coaching setup

I agree about people not having to make excuses for the Senior Management Team as they have over the years made some bad signings coupled with retaining others who should have been moved on.
Sir Kev imo is part of that debacle.
Whilst you say Donaldson would not get into the Saints team.
How many of our current squad do you think would make their starting 17?

Both are miles better than Donaldson

Is not as easy a comparison as saying ‘would he get a game at saints though’ either. Saints have clearly had good forward intakes come through the system in recent years. Their Donaldson spot was/is filled by the likes of Wingfield, ashworth, greenwood, Lees before he was a starter and even then they’ve got some plodders or projects still, in Amor who is just steady, and Norman who they signed from widnes.

With the exception of Dupree and maybe trout who were let go/used in a deal, I don’t think we’ve had those forwards come through who can fill that gap, which is why Donaldson and even bodene was necessary at the time. Hopefully we’re coming out the other side of that now. That’s also not to say our development has been shocking, we’ve just not really seen it in terms of props. As others have said the biggest issues with Donno is he’s not actually a prop and he’s having to play fat more than everyone thought.

As for comparing with the Storm, there are so many reasons that that is just ridiculous imo. Starting with money, coaching and the player pool…