oil rigs? Seriously - if your ramblings on here are not exaggerated I would advise you to stay away from heavy machinery. and/or customers.

No, in a top class buisness in Castle Bolton, but that's made up just like everything else I say.

In Catal Huyuk?

Lets keep this on topic please.

No, in Castle Bolton.

But let's do what the man says baby and keep this on topic.

given the general lack of enthusiasm from a lot of posters when we were linked to walker, then I'm a bit bemused by how negative some people are being now we're denying interest. Surely on the positive side this now means we have a quota spot available, and I can think of at least two high profile quota players who may be available unexpectedly ( meaning we may have withdrawn from walker deal to get a quota spot back).

On semi leaving I think thats been inevitable for a while now and I for one wouldnt have been happy if the club had paid him an inflated wage/long deal to retain him in competition with a union side who can probably offer him a longer deal.

Thing to remember this year is that we're in the unusual position for us of not being involved in playoffs and hence theres a good possibility that any potential signings are still involved / only just knocked out. In the past we been involved till a later stage of the competition. given past history this year I wouldnt be surprised if clubs getting 'bad' news re james/semi leaving out of the way before announcing a signing or two.

Has Matt Orford announced a new deal at Manly? Maybe a sweetner for Burgess in 2010? I know he is out OOC but maybe a word in his hear to convince the Ox that now is the time to come over...

I'll save any comments until our signings are announced. And if I think they are an improvement I will say so. If I think they are as the last few seasons poor and we are being told they have strengthened the squad, I will also say so. All we can do is wait and see what we are told.

We surely have something to announce this week regarding players coming rather than leaving!? Even if we have a couple of players coming from the NRL that we're awaiting Visa confirmation on.. that cannot be it surely?

thats pretty much tack Im taking. cant see point in slagging club off about signings which are only rumours. I'd imagine in a few weeks at most our full recruitment will be revealed and at that point we can have informed discussion.

This is the clincher it must be Boazza

5. jim carter (at 13:29:34 on 20 Sep 2009) wrote:
listen john inverson i work for the nrl in australia in the transfer department. all the transfers in the nrl go through me mate. i can only give you my surename. Johnston. ther is a guy who does the same thing in your european super league. everything i have told you is true so watch out mate

Why would 20 year old Israel Folau give up Brisbane, Queensland and Australia to come play for Bradford. Unless he really wants to travel or something alike or has being offered mega money then i cant see why he would come. I could belive the Moi Moi rumour because we have been after him before. I cant see Chris Walker coming even if we have offered him a deal as he wants to stay in Queensland.

He needs to do his year's missionary work as a Mormon at some point, doesn't he?

Indeed I remember reading that somewhere too. Does it need to be whilst you're young or can it be put on old until he's past it and ready for retirement?

It's not an obligation that all mormons must take. But most devout mormons choose to.

So, to summarise us after the season has gone.

OUT
Ben Jeffries
Terry Newton
Glenn Morrison
Matt Cook
Tame Tupou
Matt James
David Solomona
Semi Tadulala
(Potentially Duane Straugheir too)

IN
Heath L'Estrange
Glenn Hall


I know there are no more back row signings coming, but I'll be very surprised if there aren't at least 3 in other positions.

Which I found a little surprising. If we get hit with an injury or two to the back row we will be struggling.

I'm not convinced about Worrincey as a starting 2nd row. I personally feel he is more potent off the bench when we need to add some speed and he can hit a gap well against tiring defences.

So what will be our starting back 3 in the pack?

11.Menzies
12.Whitehead/Donaldson/Olbison/Burgess/Hall
13.Langley

Looking at that will surely have to use Hall at 2nd row more than Prop if we are not replacing the 3 departing 2nd rowers. The young guys look good but lose Menzies/Langley and we look very bare indeed.

The season's been one week shorter than the last two years.

8. Scruton
9. Godwin
10.Lynch
11.Burgess/Hall
12.Langley
13.Menzies.

14. Hall/Burges
15. Kopczak
16. L'estrange
17. Donaldson/Whitehead

I don't have too many issues with our starting 17, although I'm not in the 'Burgess for 2nd row' camp. I just feel we're going into the season a bit light and if we get 1 or 2 injuries we are really asking a lot of some very inexperienced players. It's not like the rest of our team has enough quality to carry them if needed! I don't think we can afford a quota spot on a 2nd rower but if a quality British one came available I would be surprised if we weren't interested.

Probably are going into the season a 'bit light', but it's only a bit lighter than usual to us. I think/hope Macca is following the Saints/Leeds/Noble model of filling up with youngsters and getting the best 17 out on the field. That's the way to go in my books.

I'm not to bothered how experienced we are after the first 17, I don't buy into this boll0cks that we should have established players as cover and depth as we seen in recent seasons.

The youngsters need to get experience and the only way they'll get that is by playing and not waiting for their chances behind some of the crap we've signed recently.

Why do people bother what positions players are who take up quota spots? If he's a good player and will benift us then we should take a serious look and not be bothered that he's overseas and a certain position.

Hear, hear

Which is why I said a 'quality British 2nd row' not some average joe just to fill out the squad.


I agree to a point, but there are certain positions where the quality in quantity just isn't there in the SL pool of players. We have very few top quality British halfbacks and also top draw centres are not exactly falling from tree's. So I think there is a case for making sure you use your quota spots on positions were the talent is sp in SL.

Hood did promise us more "exciting signings" to come, did he not?

He'll look in very bad light if he does not deliver on this promise. So I'll keep my powder dry for now, and await news of these exciting signings.

He said last years would be "exciting signings" it's open to interpretation what he may we might not.