He's in his prime.

But probably not good enough to play first team.

Too old, jesus. How old was Langer ? How old is Menzies ? Christ, there's not a jott of fat on the fella.

He's a cracking player, will be a cracking signing & will add a huge amount to our team, no doubt on & off the field. We've a pretty decent prospect lurking in the wings in Rhys Evans who I'm sure will appreciate working at close quarters with Brett.

As much as I like Mathers - he's limited. He simply can't do what Hogdson can do, he can ghost between defenders, he can put himself at the line and create, he kicks goals for fun, has one of the best goal-line defences in SL, looks a good communicator (something we've praised Mathers for & need to maintain), has clearly looked after himself. I can't see what the negatives are ?

Folk are too quick to push 'injuries' forward, Bridge, Grix, Solomona, Carvell, Morley - They all get them, and they all have periods where they stay relatively injury free. It's the chance you take, age isn't a factor is it.

We're literally, literally in danger here of finding neagtives about signing the best Fullback in SL. Madness.

Precisely my point JWP.

You answered your own question. Age is a factor in injuries in sports, it's biology, you can't oppose it. Brett Hodgson is in terrific shape and has obviously looked after himself to a very high standard. But anyone who has literally spent 14 years of their life being smashed around a rugby league field at the standard Hodgson has played at will have done damage to that body.

Most players get to a point where they can no longer recover from one game to play at the same standard in the next. I'm not saying it has happened to him yet, but there is that risk. IF he signs for Warrington it will be because he's after money, there is no other motivation to a guy who has been in the game as long as Hodgson. He has settled well in Yorkshire and they have superb facilities and a top class coach. The only difference would be that either you would have offered him more money or that you had offered him a longer contract. If his current club, the one he's played so well for, won't give him two years I would at least be wondering why. Huddersfield do have a few youngsters with superb potential so perhaps thats the reason.

It would be a good signing for Warrington purely because he's so much better than Richie Mathers. But it's not quite the brilliant news that your club signing the MOS would normally be purely because it's not a long term signing. If he signed, this time next season there would be threads about how the club was planning to replace him.

A good question for you is would you rather sign Brett Hodgson for 2 years at 33 (He will be by the time next season starts I believe?) or Gareth Widdop at 21? One will be superb for one and possibly two years or would you sign a player with the potential (But no guarantee) to be a club great over a decade and more? With the likes of Briers, Morley, Hicks and Carvell etc all moving towards retirement (The first three of them due to age and Carvell due to his injuries throughout his career) and with the likes of King, Monaghan and the Andersons all off home as part of the natural cycle of overseas stars, it could be that Warrington have to go into the dreaded 'rebuilding phase' just as their spell at potentially the very top of the game has started.

Is there the risk that Warrington are going all out for short term success? I can only really see Myler and Harrison who are of the age and potential to be players to form a squad around.

Smith did this sort of thing with great success at Leeds. Furner, Millard, Bai, McKenna, Dunemann etc, he clearly doesn't see age as a barrier so long as you've looked after yourself well, which clearly Hodgson has.

His motives will be simple, to gain the contract with the greater longevity & stability for him whilst also providing himself with an enviornment where he can enjoy his rugby, hopefully challenge for honours and i'm sure he'll be keen to pass on his experience to others, like Riley & Rhys Evans. He'll have a good deal of faith in Smith having worked with him before.

As for the comments ref Widdup, I'd take Hodgson all day long given that we have Rhys Evans coming through -who barring injury will be special we don't need another apprentice, we need a sorcerer. He's the ideal man, the best one currently kicking around.

We'll have no problems cycle wise, with Cooper, Harrison, Riley, Bridge, Myler, Atkins, Westwood etc all having a good number of years ahead of them.

I dont think Mathers is handling the situation very profesionally

Too right he isn't he should not be advertising the clubs laundry so to speak for everyone to see on a social netoworking site.

Sad to see Mathers being treated like this, no matter how useless he is. All those backslaps and now he'll hate the club he so obviously loves playing for.

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ap ... ddersfield

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ap ... ddersfield

Being treated like what? He's been given the chance to play for his contract. Just because your a nice bloke doesn't mean you should be offered a new contract automatically!

Your calling his playing ability on one part but then saying he's being treated unfairly because we've not yet offered him a contract, make ya mind up!

I'm sorry - he was fantastic last year (though not the stand-out player in the comp), not seen anything of him this, but I cannot get excited about this signing. OK RM may not be the answer, but I would much rather see the youngsters coming through the ranks or as suggested moving for someone like Widdop from Storm who is 11 years younger and British....

Oh what a lovely day, Wigan beat last night and Brett Hodson signed for next season www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ap ... ddersfield

Oh what a lovely day, Wigan beat last night and Brett Hodson signed for next season www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ap ... ddersfield

and possibly not as good, i know he's been getting good reviews, but so did james mcmanus pre the world cup at newcastle, i've not heard bugger all about him since.

But that's just it, the youngsters are already here. We've probably got the best bloody young fullback in England, but he's 17/18, so he's not ready yet. This signing :-

a. Gives him two years learning from one of the best FB's in the business.

b. Allows him to physically mature & develop two years.

Did you not want us to sign Solomona as he's holding back Mitchell & Blythe ?

quite interesting on the shudders board, they're calling shenanigans on how this has been amazingly made public just after the cup draw was announced.

www.nrl.com/news/news/newsarticl ... fault.aspx

www.nrl.com/news/news/newsarticl ... fault.aspx

I have said all along that Mathers isn't good enough for a team with our ambition. Seems Tony agrees.

Its mentioned on sky sports news now...Bret hodgson to leave hudds, in favour of warrington.

poor mathersicon_sad.gif im gutted for him yes he makes mistakes but like ive said before hes only 1 of a few players you see trying to get the team going

Age isn't a problem if you keep yourself in good shape, look at the Manchester United team for example;

Van Der Sar - 39
Gary Neville - 35
Ryan Giggs - 36
Paul Scholes - 35
Rio Ferdinand - 31

All players still going strong with plenty to offer.

all ugly buggers though.

WOAH have a look at Bretts right thigh in the photo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Signing a 32 year old full back is not something that fills me with excitement.

Exactly, Leeds have done this a lot, used the older signing as a way of facilitating players coming through their Academy into the first team....fans and the media slag it off saying its short-term but if you have good players in the Academy then short term is what you are looking for. The older players who are still fit enough to compete in their 30s are generally the ones who have looked after their bodies ie are the most professional, also generally married, have kids etc so are better mentors for the Academy lads than the younger big names who take impressionable academy players out on the town getting bladdered.

If there's some good talent in the 16-19 age bracket then they can get brought into training with the 1st team, get mentored by the likes of Hodgson/Solomona and basically be squad players for two seasons playing a handful of games, then they are properly set to replace the outgoing player when he retires. If we sign Hodgson I bet one of the things which gets said is "I would rather us sign a younger Aussie" but if you do that then it sends a message to the lads in the Academy competing for that position that that spot in the 1st team is taken for the next 5/6 years and they have to start looking elsewhere.

When Leeds signed Marcus Bai he was 32 and people said it was a negative signing, but they had Lee Smith, Ashley Gibson, Jordan Tansey all aged 17-18 at the time, by the time Bai left they were 19-20 and ready to go, if Leeds had signed a 22 year old Aussie then he would be 28 now and probably still taking up that spot.