Looks like it - have the feeling that this is being announced now in case Leeds bow out on Friday and Buderus needs to make his own announcement. No star NRL replacement seems to have materialised yet, at least in the hooking role. www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3815172

Looks like it - have the feeling that this is being announced now in case Leeds bow out on Friday and Buderus needs to make his own announcement. No star NRL replacement seems to have materialised yet, at least in the hooking role. www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3815172

Quote ="Exeter Rhino". No star NRL replacement seems to have materialised yet, at least in the hooking role. www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3815172'" Good. Maybe we've learned the lesson the hard way. Success was enjoyed with a quality junior before he was ousted for a star NRL player. Now let's go back to a junior. I'd be more than satisfied with Hood and McShane sharing the role next year.

Quote ="Exeter Rhino". No star NRL replacement seems to have materialised yet, at least in the hooking role. www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/s ... _1_3815172'" Good. Maybe we've learned the lesson the hard way. Success was enjoyed with a quality junior before he was ousted for a star NRL player. Now let's go back to a junior. I'd be more than satisfied with Hood and McShane sharing the role next year.

2012 Squad 1 - 17

1. Webb
2. BJB
3. Watkins
4. Hardaker
5. Hall

6. McGuire
7. Burrow

8. Bailey
9. McShane
10. Peacock
11. JJB
12. Ablett
13. Sinfield

14. Hood
15. Delaney
16. Leuluai
17. Kirke

That is if we don't buy anyone better.

Frogga to be out of the club by May then?

Not overly frightening TBH, I think Leeds have signing(s) to come.

0.68cm a carry at Catalan tells me everything I need to go! When you consider he's 1.78m tall, that's pretty awful!

Sorry?

Quite happy with mcshane and hood taking or appear to be taking the hooking role.

With Rob jumping in when needed.

Will be interesting to see where rob plays next year

Indeed. You would think he would revert back once maccy D gets the "balance" back with a good offseason and/or an astute signing or 2.

He was given [ithat[/i jersey number...

Where's Clarkson ??

I must confess I thought Rob would be playing hooker in 2012 as that was the way McD thought it suited his skills. However with McShane and Hood getting 4 year contracts it now looks different. Thought McS was on the outside but obviously things have been made up. So I agree it looks like Rob will revert back to half-back. I agree we need a couple of good signings which add to the team. No need for a replacement hooker now so I would have thought a ball carrying second rower and a quality centre as I see Hardaker on the wing with BJB at full-back and Webb covering that position and half-back. I think Smith will be off-loaded. Is the Griffin signing now dead?

i hope so

Plus the other point, we have Amor back, Ambler back we have signed Richard Moore, plus Bailey, Peacock, etc etc, how many props do we need next year?

I agree with most of that, but I think I would be tempted to give Hardaker the 4 shirt for next year and let him establish himself as a centre. Since he moved there a few weeks back he's been excellent, and if it's good enough to keep Ablett out of the position for Friday night, enough said for me!

Seconded.

Moore is surely the last of the crap signings.

Seen nothing to suggest Griffin would be any better than Amor/Ambler.

Where do you think the team needs strengthening for 2012?

As you say, a good pacy ball carrying second rower, and maybe a versatile back who can play in a couple of different positions equally well. I do feel that as well as Brent Webb has done at FB, we do really need a bit of competiton for that spot next year to send out the message that Webb has someone who can and will take his spot if he doesn't play well consistently. What will be interesting next year is to see if Mac continues to utilise Robbie off the bench as an impact player, and if so will Sinny likewise be still utilised at SO. If so, maybe look at bringing in a quality loose-forward type of player to take a little bit of the pressure of Chris Clarkson.
We'll have plenty of competiton for places, plenty of options, and a fair bit of cover for injuries and suspensions etc, so hopefully we wont be bemoaning an injury crisis to contribute to another inconsistent season.

I agree with your comments and hope Gary H also does! The Rhinos are obviously interested in Adam Cuthbertson who is a really good player and I hope we win the race to sign him but I think he will probably stay in the NRL As regards a versatile back I haven't seen any names mentioned. Brisbane Rhino was pushing the quality of Tony Williams of Manly who is also OOC but he thinks he will go to another NRL club. He can play centre, wing, second row and loose foward.No doubt we'll find out in due course!

Where has the cuthbertson rumour come from? What makes anyone think Williams who is in the form of his life is gonna come to a second rate comp?

I reckon much will depend on the outcome of Friday night and maybe next week if we are still alive. Maybe GH doesnt want to upset the momentum at the moment while we are still fighting for the GF, before making any recruitment announcements. Given his comments a couple of weeks back when he stated on the club's website that we would be spending up to the full salary cap again, he must have something in the pipeline, given the amount of cap space we will have with Senior, Lauatiti, and possibly Buderus leaving the club this year.

The Cuthbertson rumour came from an Aussie paper quoting his agent as saying he is not going to be retained by St George due to other salary cap needs and that it looked like he may have to move to England and that he was in talks with us, Saints and I think the other SL team was Hull KR.

There is a link somewhere within this thread to the article.

My 'reading between the lines' brought me to the conclusion it was the usual agents ploy of trying to create interest elsewhere in order to broker a better deal in the NRL?

Time will see, but if the rumour is correct I think he could be a very good signing

I would imagine sheer hope rather than any real insight!