Makes you wonder why they changed the goal posts on Wallace’s move to cas and hull if they had a deal that was similar in place

If you read my post, you will see I don't expect a Championship club to 'hold onto' a player indefinitely who has a shot at SL. I just find it a bit concerning that we cannot currently provide a competitive contract for an 18 year old with a few games under his belt in the 1st team. You are obviously content to see the club cash in before they have even made it into the 1st team regularly, I'm not. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect the club to be able to hang onto their best talent for at least a season or two after making their debut, particularly when they're so young.

Only time will tell if this was the right deal. Whilst its sickening to see him go so early in his career, the club have been put in a position where there potentially risked loosing a significant lump of money by not doing business with the Giants.

It could be the deal of the year as who is to say that he will kick on and be the player most are predicting? I remember is similar situation with Reiss Butterworth a few years back... went to Giants as the next big thing and failed to reach his expected potential (League 1 next year with Dewsbury on PT contract).

On the other hand, he could have had a breakthrough year and gone for peanuts. Its a no-win situation for us so we have taken the best option and will mean that 85% of the academy costs are covered for another year.

Well perhaps the RFL will soon take the dilemma about whether it is worth funding an elite academy under the current circumstances out of the clubs hands.

Without a huge injection of cash, we seem to be going around in circles. I have no objections to the club at some point cashing in on a player with SL aspirations. But before they have even made an impression on the Bulls 1st team, something is surely wrong in our approach. At least when our other giant neighbours snapped up Doyle, he had played a few games for the club!

But Doyle went for nowt... hardly makes it worth our while developing him into the player he is right now does it. Would have made more financial sense to have cashed in 2yrs ago when SL cam sniffing. We would have had an extra £50-100k in the bank and he wouldn't have been lining up against us this year!!!

Well I'd like to see them play in a Bulls shirt, Doyle in particular had some great performances in the RAB..I get excited by the entertainment on the field, not the accounts. We managed to keep him when there were rumours of SL but since got outbid for him by Keighley. Another great success story by the club. If he had of gone to SL, he would of still have likely lined up against us on dual reg/loan.

Wonder if the new director constitutes a new signing

The Wallace deal fell though over £7k

I'm glad we've managed to keep Wallace! It's just a shame he will move on at the end of next season.

And where, exactly does that information come from? And I mean, exactly?

Losing Flanagan Jnr is a bit disappointing but he's hardly proved himself at all and for £85k it's a massive gamble by Hudders. I thought Oliver Wilson looked far more ready when he went.

I can understand the point about why are we developing players if we never see any benefit on the pitch before they're sold. We don't pay our money to watch a balance sheet. As I see it the academy is there to help produce players. For everyone that goes we hopefully keep some others. Having an academy is integral to getting a higher licensing grade and with the ground and crowds as they are we need all the ticks we can get.

Let's face it we're not going to get promoted on the field until we're a fulltime outfit and that isn't happening anytime soon. In the meantime we need to become more like Batley on the field and become really hard to beat and punch above our weight. That can be done with smarter recruitment and a better culture.

We still need some backs to be able to push into the top 6 with any confidence.

Rumours that Joe Arundel will be joining us after his release from Halifax.

Irrelevant now as the move didn’t happen

Trivia question, can anyone name 5 players who played for us, left, and then came back again.

I'll start us off with...

Paul Harkin
Graham Mackay

Steve Crossley, Dan Fleming...

George Flanagan
Nathan Mcavoy
Ben Jefferies
Paul Sykes
Elliot Kear

Jeff Grayshon

Some even come back for a 3rd spell like Mr Crossley and Mr Reardon and Mr Baldwinson

The pedantic side of me has to mention that Flannagan never played a game during his 1st spell.


Off the top of my head Crossley, Ben Evans, Baldwindson, Mellor, Pickersgill, Pryce, Reardon or Chisholm would have been much better examples.

Joe Keyes

Fair enough. As I say, it just sends a few alarm bells ringing with me as I really did not see this one coming quite so soon. I got the impression that the Flanagans were Bulls and really did expect him to have a breakthrough year or two before moving on. Only they really know if it was money, coaching or a combination of many things. It would appear unlikely that he will be ready for regular SL in 2024, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up then.

Hopefully Hudd’s haven’t read the contract too carefully and we’ve actually flogged them Snr.

Fair enough. As I say, it just sends a few :mna0igymalarm bells ringing

It's not alarm bells its tinnitus!



Seasons Greeting to you and yours.

I must say I don’t think we will be announcing anyone this close to Christmas

A Very Merry Christmas to all Bulls fans from o'er t'ump

Dalton Desmond Walker leaves the club and returns to Australia.