I agree, but I'm not asking him round for tea.

It depends on how Powell sees him as a person. Like Gale said in his podcast, we've recruited good people as well as players. Can Bateman fit in that. Not sure really.

Am I missing something with Bateman?

Second stint at Wigan wasn’t all that but he’d definitely be one of the better SR’s in the league even at 31. A seasoned SL player averaging way over 20 games a year.

Place he’s from isn’t the nicest but I haven’t seen anything terrible in the media like you have with Hardaker over the years. Does he have that sort of history?

I remember him having quite a few fights with different teammates over the years, both here and down under. Wigan fans will know better than me but it's a theme that used to get talked about on their forum regularly, as well as when it's made the RL news.

Didn’t he have a fight with Lee Mossop after Haydock races, plus the police were called to a gym incident but can’t remember if it was the same evening

It’s good to finally have the finances to dream about the players we want to sign but we must be cautious and not follow the Salford strategy created by the owner of trying to buy for the sake of it. I am sure the current back room staff and ME will not fall into the same trap because how many times have I read on here that you cannot buy success.

He was involved in a nasty incident with another player but it's years ago perhaps he's grown up now.

Hastings would be a cracking 3rd signing. Adding to TJ and Mckmeeken and then adding a good 5/6 solid quality SL players of the right quality could really see Trinity have a good return to SL in 2025.

Still hoping the Storton rumour is good. Saw him a few times and like the look of him.

Yep that was ten years ago, nothing serious since.

If we are turning our noses up at the likes of Bateman than I seriously think some of our fans have lost their grasp on reality. He’s only 30, tough as hell, and a game breaker.

I agree, he’s not going to be busting tackles and scoring 10 + a season but he will be a very good experienced player to have with a good 2/3 years left in him. He’d certainly be the right standard to help push into playoffs if that’s where we are aiming in our debut return season to SL.

Quote ="BarnsleyGull"Reckon it could be one or both of the Senior brothers.....'" As I suspected at Cas........ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-leagu ... 33g4vv8x9o

Quote ="BarnsleyGull"Reckon it could be one or both of the Senior brothers.....'" As I suspected at Cas........ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-leagu ... 33g4vv8x9o

100% this. A lot of fans are getting carried away with themselves big time. If someone would have linked Bateman with Wakefield Trinity a year ago, you would have been laughed out of the room quicker than you could say Timmysmithsatroll.

The fact now that there is a small chance that we are even in this conversation shows where we are at, Bateman is a brilliant player, tough as nails and more important than anything is a winner, if we had the chance to get him I'd 100% go for it.

Where is this Hastings talk coming from? He`s under contract, are Newcastle wanting rid?

How many Quota spots do we have for next year and how many have already been filled?

How many forwards do we need.The Cash as got to be spent on the backs We are no were near having a back line ready for S L ,As a unit they are not the best in the Championship Just the fact that we are full-time that is winning us matches

Who do you expect to play in the SR next year?

He also had a fight with his teammate Curtis Scott when at Canberra, that was all over the news at the time, so he's got form for falling out with players and starting fights, we knew that from his Wigan days.

As a player now, he'll turn 31 this year, so no doubt he'd be a good signing for 2 years. He's struggled with shoulder injuries a bit, which isn't a surprise with his playing style, is a bit like Big Sam in that regard.

Personally, from watching him over his career, he was at his peak at Wigan then Canberra where he won Daly M backrower of the year. When he came back to Wigan I thought he'd lost a little that made him so world-class, but he still had big games for them. Then he chose to go back to the NRL and ended up at Wests, which at the time I thought was probably a poor move and the times I've watched him this year, even though he's still a tackling monster and has a great work ethic, the team around him just isn't great at all.

There's no doubt that even if he ever thought of coming to Trinity, which I doubt, he'd bring valuable big-game experience to what will be next season a fairly young pack and a winners mentality. I wonder if DP sees him as a player who will fit into the club's culture and the team we're trying to assemble.

That's interesting, who's got the best backline in the championship then?

I wouldn't change many if any of our backs to players for others in the championship, out of Jowitt, McGillvery, Walmsley, Thornley, Pratt, Lino, and Gale when he's fit.

that's only because we're full-time time is getting a bit boring now tbh. As Powell has said loads of times now, the actual time that all teams spend training and fitness is about the same. The only difference our guys have is we get to go over tape, individually and as a team so that we can do more analysis and planning and obviously they can rest more if they want. When we were in SL with all the other full-time teams, we lacked in fitness compared to most at times and that came down to how good your cardio and fitness guys have trained in pre-season, we constantly used to moan about our fitness when we had Clogger at the helm because eh's a dinosaur compared to Ben Cooper and the guys. We obviously must have better guys that have worked with them and got them into better shape

We have one available quota spot for next year.

Interesting, the team have done a great job so far with the overseas, so can't wait to see which way they go and who it is.

Can`t see how anyone can argue that we don`t have the best back line in the championship, we have the championship player of the year in our team and he isn`t even the best winger at the club.

This includes the fact that neither Bain or Boothroyd are currently tied down for next year, so we can only secure one of them - or neither...and we go for someone else.

Bain signed a 2 year deal didn't he?

Two things from the fan forum regarding this. Ste Mills said we have one quota spot available. The fans didn't press him (wish I had) would have been good to know if that is currently or for next year. He also said we aren't looking at a marquee signing from Oz, again he also said things change on a daily basis, maybe we had already sorted it hence not looking who knows!

All part of the fun ride we are on

Far as am aware

Walmsley
Lino
Uele
Bain
Rodwell
Vagana
Atoni

Are alll signed for next season which comes to 7 then there is boothroyd in the squad unsigned as yet so I get that to 8 so am not even sure where the one comes from , I know there’s talk of players exploiting loopholes but don’t know if that’s real or not

I believe that we are trying to get Vangna off quota in the same way that Leigh got Lachlan Lam off the quota