Lyon only played 2 seasons so didnt complete the 3 required to come off quota before 2008...also it is cancelled if a player returns to NRL!!

I am sure if we looked hard enough though we could find him an Irish relative like Pat Richards??

Number of years in the competition doesn't come into it, and neither does the nationality of the player or of his relatives. It's simply a matter of whether a player was already in the competition when new laws came into place in 2008.

I think you are right, though, that exemptions are scrubbed when a player leaves the competition. Indeed, since Lyon wasn't in the Super League in 2008, he never had one in the first place.

Turner played at 6 for Salford

13 was his original spot and where he burst onto the scene in the Championship!

Turner didn't play at 6 for us, he played at centre. He played 7 for the 20's.

Sounds as though hudds have told mason he can leave. Would you have him back at saints? I think we could do worse, but also sem to remember someone saying him and brown don't get on, so maybe a non starter anyways.

I've not seen much of mason this year and seems to have has few injuries over the past few years but Nathan Brown will no his fitness levels.

On the subject of Brown and mason not getting on, the idiot that posted it also said Brett Hodgson left hudds because of brown, the following day Hodgson got man of the match against hudds and he said he was good mates with brown.

We should be looking at better players than Mason.

I enjoyed seeing mason get back on his feet at Hudds as I always rated him.

We have 5 good props, so it wouldn't be a priority, although we could look at utilising Laffranchi in the back row, perhaps. Its been discussed that he struggles against big teams.

Whilst Mason may not be a world beater, he's a good prop, he's got some yard dog in him (which perhaps we lack) and he's very good and landing on his front for a quick PTB, which is essential to our game.

There have been rumours he didn't get on with Brown, just as there were rumours that he didn't with Anderson. Who knows if they're true.

Wouldn't be a bad signing, but someone would have to make way given our current squad.

Mason in, Clough out? Another transfer where we don't actually improve like trading Shenton for Turner?

I'd be pretty happy if we signed Mason.

He's by no means a faultless player, but he would certainly bring a level of aggression that is badly missing from our pack.

If he doesn't cost much, Mason would be a decent signing. Would provide good cover at prop.

Perry
Roby
Puletua
Manu
Laffranchi
Wilkin

Soliola
LMS
Clough
Mason/Flanagan/Magennis/Forster

looks like a very strong pack with decent back up to me.

The more i think about who'd go if we were looking for more signings, the more Jon Wilkin's name comes to mind.
Whilst he has a lot of qualities, I can't stop thinking that it terms of both value for money and application in the current game that his wages would be better spent elsewhere.
I'm pretty sure Flash could take up the mantle of workhorse defender and actually, because of his extra physicality, would be better.
If we replaced Wilkin with someone like Mason, then utilised Laffranchi between the front and back row as needed, I think we'd be a better team going forward.

Except he has just signed a new four year contract hasn't he?

I think he's contracted 'til 2014.
I was more thinking about what I would do, rather than what I expect the club to do.

Wilkin is our kicker in open play. He may not be the best, but he is the best that we have got. Get rid of him, and you really need to bring in someone with a top kicking game. Mason certainly doesn't!

But, if your reason for playing a 2nd row is his kicking game, then you've found yourself going down the wrong path. We should be looking for a hard back row and a half back who can kick.
I do realise that saying what we need and pulling it off are two different things, mind.

[url=http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/story-16594687-detail/story.htmlWhat about htis guy??[/url

Now we're talking.

However, I've heard he is going to Leeds which would probably make more sense to him considering their location. He is exactly the quality of prop we should be looking at.

Also, with such a huge back row, maybe Brown thinks we are heavy enough up front and is looking to improve elsewhere.

Those are the kind of signings we no longer make. We're not ambitious or clinical enough to pull these kinds of deals off in the face of competition from the likes of Wigan, Warrington, Hull and Leeds.

Yeah, Hull have really had it over us recently. They may even scrape into the play-offs again this year, can't believe they beat us to Ryan McGoldrick. You may haver heard of a bloke called Jordan Turner too, who turned down a new contract at Hull to sign for Saints?

Leeds and Wigan were in for Shenton apparently, can't remember who he signed for. I'm sure Soliola had a few sniffing round him, and lots of fans (including some from all the clubs you list as "ambitious"icon_wink.gif thought us getting Lance was a coup given some of the other players moving around.

Who have Leeds beaten us to anyway, Griffin?

I was thinking about Griffin t'other day. We've certainly not suffered from him turning us down.

Cloughy is a better player.

I've always liked clough and appreciated the hard yards he's won, but I did wonder whether his lack of size/impact would leave him always being a 3rd/4th choice prop to be solid while not taking up too much salary. Good yards and tackles, but little chance of offload's, half breaks, quick plays or big hits.
However, the last month or so I think he seems to be growing in stature. Against a very tough pack at catalans, he showed some real gusto taking the ball in.

Scott Taylor should certainly be considered, will make a quality prop forward in the next couple of years if he applies himself. That article suggests KR will offload him to the highest bidder though which surely wouldn't be us? They would be entitled to compensation should his deal run out which would probably be beyond us too, but the vultures will be circling already now that it's public.