So you are saying it's great we have a squad where we have players like Jowitt, Hampshire, Gigot and Walker who can play well in multiple positions?
And we have a big squad that includes youth with first team experience with only 2 yet to play and we've given one of our good prospects the chance for regular first team rugby so comes back even better and saves a but of change along the way?

I agree. CC and MC have done a good job there.

Stacked againts us there a bit, ex Salford and Hudds splashing the cash, unfortunate

7 or 8 no 5 or 6 yes the problem for me is with our prop situation we have 2 quality props 1 hardly ever played even before coming to trin and the other is championship standard

BUT that said covid has hit us so the squad is what it is

1 more good Prop and we have a decent squad there.

Arona is top class as a prop now if that’s who you mean where he played before who cares and I don’t agree as regards Tangata, give the lad a chance not like he had the easiest start to his career at the club.

I also think you’re wrong as regards Fifita, he’s not class at present.

We are no worse off than most teams for props and middles we just moan about it more than most.

get real we need every position covered by at least 40 international class players to even beat Leigh... no chance, lay off the egg nog!

Pop Tart/Wildthing....any chance you can post the 2021 squad as a "sticky" and delete the old ones that are still up there, please ??

Yes of course.
I copied to the main thread Sticky last time so we could see all the years.
I'll check it out.

I won't move this one though so it can still be discussed..

What’s anybody know about this Windrow lad? Looks to be a big unit for his age. Been a while since we produced a big player. Without wanting to provoke size rage again I do tend to think of Crowther and especially Batchelor as compact forwards. This lad looks a lot bigger for his age than most, might be wrong as I’ve never actually seen him, just going on the figures I’ve read.

Played well in the academy he is what I would describe as a direct forward and a good tackler, gets in there and gets the player to the floor and generally wins the wrestle. With the academy going back to U19’s again this up coming season him and Harry can play and get some important game time with there being no “official” reserves league.

A little too unbalanced for me good job leigh should be beatable to every team

I think they’ll provide a lot more opposition this time to a few teams, never underestimate the underdog.The lower finishing teams from last season have/are recruiting some decent players.

Have to say that Hull Kr on paper in the forwards look much more prepared.

Leigh just got a decent signing in Lewis Tierney who I think is a decent SL winger they will serve them well. Couple of shrewd signings and Leigh could be competitive.

While I’m happy with what we have for options In the backs and second row/loose I think we are lacking in the front row and will suffer if there’s not some quality and bodies signed up in this area.

One thing I’m hoping puts us at a advantage I Hope is the strong coaching contingent and the extra investment in fitness staff. Investment in this area could see players like batch, Jowitt, Crowther, Croft, walker reach that next level. Fitness is so key these days especially with the speed of the game and less stoppages.

So like most teams then.

Who are the four fullbacks, well of course there are just two. The other two play FB as a back up position but don’t let the truth get in the way will you.

If we had 8 props and 2 Fb’s you’d be moaning that we were two FBs short.

Basically your looking for issues because that’s the bit you enjoy as far as I can tell.

Yeah because we couldn’t possibly beat anyone else, even though we generally do.

Most people, including yourself, have already posted we're acouple of props short! Now you're arguing that we're not!

Which are the two players say are only back up full backs?

I said a prop short, but that’s not the same as saying we will be uncompetitive is it?

If we have a good season for injuries we will be up there so long as the effort is there. The short fall of one prop will only matter if we get injuries, the same as every other team. I can’t see many teams who have more than 4-5 specialist props, the numbers are made up by Swiss army players, why should we be any different?

We have 2 fullbacks, Walker and Jowitt, Hampshire is primarily a HB and Gigot is a utility back. Unless I’m missing somebody that’s is.

We have 4 props which is less than most teams and has for full back jowitt and walker are fullback gigot main postion is full back as he says in interviews he can cover other postions and hampshire arguably best form as been at full back

Most clubs run with at least 6 experienced props, we've only got four. Kelepi will make it five but we then lose his impact from the back row. Add Battye and one more, someone like Naverette, and I think we'd look a lot stronger.

Got to disagree about the full back situation. Walker, Gigot and Jowitt are all natural full backs. Hampshire sees himself as an half, but his best form has come at 1. Pretty much every coach he's ever had has only used him as a back up half.

No they don’t, find me these clubs with 6 experienced specialist props please. There aren’t many, most have four to five out and out props, the rest are middles or youngsters.

Following your logic Aydin is a prop and has nearly as much first team as some listed props at some other clubs. You’re seeing what you want to see.

So tomorrow I’ll be a bore and go through all the SL teams and list the specialist and experienced props and see where we are and put this one to bed. I will by the way include Tanginoa because like it or not he’s a very good prop.

Hampshire is a HB in the same way Tanginoa is a prop, he can play well at both, what Hampshire is is a utility player, ditto Gigot who is not a natural FB. You seem to want it all ways.

Walkers is the out of step player because he’d the one we could get away with losing to find the cash for a prop. That said he could still prove his worth if we have a crisis on the backs.

It’s impossible to cover every eventuality as regards players, every team even Saints have week areas, it’s just how the dice falls sometimes. Why panic in December, it’s just bizarre imho.

See answer to other poster.

Tanginoa is a very good prop, I just think he's a better second rower. But Chester has commented recently that he hopes to use him in the back row so to include him is distorting the facts. But if you insist on including him and Aydin, make sure you include all the cover and youngsters from other clubs as well.

Agree about Walker, although I think he'd be fine had we not signed Gigot. I understand why we brought him in when we did, but with Jowitt hitting form and the need for an organising half it's not really worked out and left us top heavy.

I'm not panicking, there's two and a half months to go and as I said in my original post we've still got some work to do. I'm basing my opinion on the squad as it is now, not what I think it'll be come March. I still reckon we'll add Battye, but London will need to get their squad in order for that to happen.

Not sure if this is a cack handed attempt at humour, or just another blatant attack of sarcasm on your part

He’s said himself he thinks we’re two props short, but for some reason he doesn’t want anyone else to say it as well.

I accept that in an ideal world Kelepi would play second row but he’s played far more at prop for us out of his 30 odd consecutive appearances.

So I’ve got
Fifita
Arona
Kelepi
Green
Tangata
Aydin

Add Joe westerman at a push and hopefully Eddie Battye and I just don’t see the need for doom and gloom?