A lot of these rumours have been around for months. The silence from the Club has also been around for months. Any announcements could be made one at a time just to keep interest up. All we have heard is departures, and pretty much half of that has been negative. The balance of the squad looks terrible at the moment and I'm not confident it will improve much. I think we'll struggle to get what we need. Ah well I suppose we'll find out eventually but the longer they leave it people will be prioritising how they spend their hard earned cash. The longer it goes without positive news might mean that cash gets used on other forms of entertainment!

So what about Menzies, Sykes, Hall and L'Estrange? Oh, and wasn't there something about Halley as well?

Yep. Spot on.

Hall and L'Estrange I'll give you, the rest are already existing players. It's the outgoing vs incoming that isn't balanced yet.

This was announced last year Dave. An attempt to raise funds? I'm sure it will help but forgive me but the main driver was preparation

In words of Alan Partridge - a dosser and a dwad

as per my other post, can definitely remember them talking about it last January

One wonders whether Souths (and Caisley?) might have gate-crashed an existing arrangement or understanding for Sam to go to (say) Manly end 2010?

Extensions are not departures. As to balance, the season isn't even over yet, there maybe quite a bit more movement to come in the player market as a whole.

From today's Daily Express:

"Bradford will move for a top young English forward to replace Burgess once the deal goes through."

Wonder if this is just speculation or more than that? I guess time will tell.

We'll I'd probably be happy if we were picking up players from Saints, Leeds, Wigan, Catalan, Paramatta or Melbourne - if we are waiting for players from those teams to finish their season before we announce them as we have done in the past.

I'll take, Pryce as a replacement for Jeffries, Hall for Tadulala, Moi Moi for Burgess, Inglis for Tupou etc....

Would probably end up being Ryan Bailey, Ashley Gibson, Karl Pryce and a still injured Clinton Toopi

Who would we be interested in?

LMS from Quins?

James Graham, Roby, Westerman...

Westerman possibly but we won't be able to afford Roby or Graham, never mind them wanting to leave Saints for us!

Luke Burgess?

Swap one Burgess for another!

What's the betting it'll be the incredibly overrated Tony Clubb or LMS?

We'll wait and see what comes off. Would be nice to bring in a good replacement, but I'll be hoping it's not Clubb, LMS or Westerman. I don't think Westerman is nearly what everyone makes him out to be.

Personally I'd not bother with Moi Moi if we could get hold of LMS / Burgess as a replacement as I think we'd be better getting 2 o/s backs.

All you Bradford fans will be put out of your misery tomorrow.

That's the day it will be made official by Souths on their website.

You've obviously not met Eddie.

If he goes, which looks pretty likely now, it will be interesting to see who we go for.

Lets be honest, most SL clubs revenues will be down due to the current financial climate and should make it easier to go for a player or two. Im not sure it will be a direct Burgess replacement though.

For mine, it depends where Glenn Hall is playing. If he's playing back row, we definitely need another prop. If he's playing prop, perhaps a back rower. Either way, I think it is a replacement for whichever position Burgess was planned on being played in next year.

Paul King it is then

I suppose it depends, for example we could bring say moi moi in on a free, but then spend on a half.

One thing is for certain, its going to be an interesting off season

And he'd be free I imagine...... but still not what we want.

No it won't. The Bulls say that as of this afternoon they haven't even heard from Souths. So unless they are lying, and I have no reason to believe they are, the only way there will be anything official tomorrow is if between now and then there is a Bulls-Souths signed deal involving the payment of a large amount of spondoolicks.

As Hood says, Sam can sign as many Aus contracts as he wants, it makes no odds.

I wouldn't have King given. If he can't put his heart in his hometown club what hope is there for his pension funders?