Hope he's better than what I saw of the Wales game. Looked unfit and missed a lot of tackles. However welcome to Bradford Ben, hope you prove to be a success!

Agreed. Smart piece of recruitment under the circumstances. A decent player with motivation to improve.

He didn't have the greatest of games but he put in 44 tackles IIRC. Wales were on a hiding to nothing so perhaps not the best game to judge him on.

Good signing based on what i've heard from a friend at Wire.

The lad is young, has raw talent and has a desire to make his mark. I asked my friend about how he would compare with Tom Burgess and he said whilst he didn't have the size Tom had, he thought his go forward was just as good.

The only down point was that he picks up a injuries too easily.

On another point, I was reading the T&A article on this and watched the video of the Bulls returning to training.

[urlhttp://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbulls/10027398.Bradford_Bulls_snap_up_Warrington_prop/[/url

Is it me or is that Adrian Purtell in training (look at the player running with the ball on 40secs). If so it's good to see him back for the pre-season and gives hope that he'll be back in action soon.

Certainly looks like him. Other thing I noticed from this video and picture other day about lads being back in training was that it looks like we've still got use of tong despite the landlords being one of the creditors of the old holding company. Presumably means new company has come to an agreement for a new lease.

Given the circumstances I think this is a fairly good signing. FC is doing a fantastic. One or two new props still needed.

The ownership of the Tong site seems much more complicated than I thought, to be honest. I understood the 'old' company had some (financial) stake in the facility, I know for certain that Bullbuilder paid for some training facilities at the site, and I would have thought this passed over to the 'new' company when it bought the assets. Unless the free holder (council, education dept?) took those assets to cover non payments by the 'old' company before the take over.

quote from TnA today:

Cummins – who is aiming to sign at least one more prop – said: “Those games for Wales will prove to be a great experience for Ben and he’s a good prospect.
"He’s not the finished article and, as things stand, he’s not going to be our front-line prop. But he is going to bolster the squad and he will get the opportunity to play in Super League.

How much he plays will be determined by how well he trains in the off-season and how he develops.“

So two front line props still needed. No news on McAvoy yet, but if he counts as one of the "at least one" it could mean Langley is going to prop which would mean front line: Scruton Nas sidlow??? Langley, plus Evans and McAvoy = 6 props.

I'm beginning to feel like the "we need more props brigade" - 6 out of a squad of 25 leaves the team awfully thin if (when) injuries occur to the backs, three quarters etc.. Gale already crocked and other players, not fully recovered after being injured last season. Looks like it might be a long season of up the middle. Predictable and easy to counter. The shortage of cash is limiting our options but it should be an opportunity to think out side the box and re-think how we can change the game to suit our circumstances not how to play the game because of our circumstances. We changed the game in the past to suit our needs and all followed (in the wake), the Bulls need to be innovators not poor copies of what's gone before.

I recommend thriteen full backs or some other nonsense.

Gale's injury isn't as bad as first feared. He'll be fit for the start of SL.

It's the timing of our recruitment that's also to blame. We didn't get the green light until well after we needed it. As a result we're playing catch up in recruitment.

You can't really play RL without props. I'm all for innovation but there's no getting away from that. In the words of Sir Peter Fox "you need big men up front taking the big men on".

The pack should maybe look like this:

8 Langley
9 L'Estrange
10 Manuokafoa
11 Olbison
12 Whitehead
13 Bateman

14 Diskin
15 New Prop
16 New Prop / Evans
17 Addy

Don't know whether Bateman is better suited at SR or LF?

Sounds as insightful as Sir Raymond of France.

Not sure it's a matter of 'changing the game' so much, as a matter of playing to your strengths. Trouble is, without a reasonable pack, and particularly some decent props who can at least hold their own and give some 'go-forward', you tend to not even be in the game and be starting every set near your own line.

We will see the ball at some stage in every game, but we need someone to punch a few holes and unleash, what I still feel is a strong set of threequarters, playing behind decent halves. Without being given the space though they will struggle, as would any backs. As I see it at the moment, we have two class runners in Nas and Langers (assuming etc etc), plus a number of promising, but unproven, players around them; yes we have numbers but not much, as of right now, of SL quality. Much may depend on Scrutes, who is potentially the ace in the hole, but his form and availability wasn't outstanding last season, so we'll wait and see how it pans out when the curtain goes up.

I know where you are coming from but I think your are overstating your case slightly. we will be playing with the usual number of 7 backs, and with Gale and Sammut bedded in as a combination we should see some good set and open play moves from the backs. In one of my earlier posts I pointed out that even with a few new props there should be space within the 25 for other players, such as aother wing etc. Given the props share of the workload ie the hard yards and massive amounts of tackling, 4 frontline and 2 reserves seems about right bearing in mind Langley has effectively been playing as a prop much of the time.

Jamie Foster heading over to Yorkshire to tie up a transfer deal tomorrow. Destination is strongly rumoured to be you guys.

Foster added. Still talking about at least one more prop, with two more and Donaldson theres still space for other signings within the 25.

I think thats right, plus you can take Adam Walker of the options list now hes gone to HKR.

Thanks Duckman, I will add sidlow as a rumour...

I will add, unconfirmed rumours that Elvis is dead.

I've never denied the need for props. It's just the preoccupation with posters on this theme to be prop, prop, prop and more props. Filling the 25 with a balance of players is important but there is an opportunity this season to change "the up the middle, sling it wide" tactics, this season we will not be able to compete with the larger squads of the other SL teams. We are handicapped by the RFL, Sky money, small squad etc., we need to develop a game that suits our situation rather than take on the game as if nothing's happened and we have the resources to cope. It would be great to be able to compete on the same terms as the rest of the SL teams and have unlimited (to the cap) players.

whilst agreeing we need another prop feel another half would not go amiss

There isnt enough props in the squad, its unbalanced by that very situation.

Lets wait and see.
There will be more signings

But maybe not that many more if FCs comment in t&a is anything to go by.