I heard it was verbally agreed as Johnson's contract doesnt expire till November??

what about taking a punt at some local ameatur lads? at stanley for example you ve got class acts such as kev king, rhodesy, that brett lad im sure they coulddo a job at super league level

don't think it matters mate aslong as he's in his last year, ie due to run out

Kev King, sadly, couldn't cut it last time, why would he no?. Lets be honest, there's usually a reason why players play amateur level and not a pro - be it an attidute problem, couldn't be bothered with the training, dedication and fitness required to play for money, and most crucially of all, not good enough.

If they're not goo enough to be picked up by Championship (1) clubs, why would that 'do a job at Super League' level?

Big step from ams to pros. Have to choose carefully.
And to be honest, we have young lads coming through that can 'do a job'. We need someone who will be ok on the side lines for long stretches but can step up and not take anything away from the team.

I haven't got the magic formula though, and I'm sure JK and crew are working hard on the same subject we are discussing.

The gap between SL and NL1 is huge (see almost all Challenge Cup matches between the divisions). The gap between the NL's and the best amatures is not that huge in my opinion, the lads who like a bet will tell you the number of times a NL side has been missing lots of players and had to dip into the local amature side for numbers - the lads think they are on a good thing on the handicap yet the side full of amatures performs much better than expected. The lads who gamble (particularly on the lower divisions) will confirm I reckon that the difference made by these players is nowhere near as big as it used to be a few years back.

Pretty wild statement suggesting to look at the Yorkshire League for us, have a look at the lads from Barrow and Whitehaven first, they seem to have a couple of decent rough tough forwards - even then its a massive ask to take the step up, I think we have been spoiled over the last couple of years with Blaymire/Golden/Bibey etc.

Spicer, King, Applecart all suggested for returns...... We need to get real.

If these players are that good, why are they playing at that level?

Kev King is a good example of a decent player that didn't quite hit the hights of Super League and is enjoying playing at a lower level. He's going in the wrong direction to pick up a SL contract. It's not that he is bad, just that he has been tried and clubs are more likely to go for the untried to see what they can make.

Not all lower league players are lower standard than Super League though. Going to wrong club early on or maturity, or even just having a job you want to keep and play part time can keep you out of Super League.
Well worth looking there to pick up a player, it's just hard to find.

Some players that just have a bit of pace look great in the lower league but when you put them against equally fast players in SL you realise they haven't got anything else.

And thinking of pace, one player I was thinking about was Paul White. Salford are letting him go. I haven't always rated him but he improved drastically under Kear. Think he's been injured but he would be good cover for our great (but injury prone) wingers.

White has signed for Halifax

Kev was going really at batley in NFP1 but had to give up the pro game because of work commitments... not because he was a bad player.

Agree on the Paul White comment...excellent player to have when kicking on the 5th, he would be first there when chasing it down..

Watch this space...

Believe me, Thackray has been far, far from being the pick of Hull's forwards this year. And that's saying something when you consider the poor form the majority of the side have shown this year.

Played T.P wiv rhodesy this yr at the Belle Vue Cons

we won the T.P comp b4 the hull game at belle vue this yr, wasn't at S.L level but was on the best playin surface in the S.L

Well i now JK can work wonders but this guys not for me, if he can't stand out in a poor Hull pack (no disrespect) then he's going to struggle in SL full stop.

But who knows.

I thought that after seeing Ricky Bibey big al but look what JK and PB did for him... I would definately take a punt on Thackery...if we can afford to

The difference may be the price tag, i would imagine we picked Rickey up on a low wage but i doubt Jamie would come for the same.

Anythings possible though, and for a while now i've been a fan of JT but i don't think he's hungry for it anymore.

If no one else wants Thacks then he won't have a high asking price. Although, if he comes and plays well, other teams will come sniffing and suddenly his wage demand will go up. I'm guessing this is what has happend with the likes of Snitch / Wilkes

Yep thats the way it works and it we can work it that way then fine.

I reckon we could get a very good year out of him working under Kear.

On a similar note, I know it won't happen but i'd like to see what Kear and Broadbent could do with Stuart Fielden. I think they could get him firing again.

i think he needs anohter right hand to knock him back into form.
seriously though what a shame from the worlds best prop to the worst, cheers big willy

strange one thackray. there was a time when he was really effective coming off the bench and most teams would have been glad to have him in their pack.

if his stock has fallen so low he is struggling for a SL club and his price has fallen in a similar fashion then maybe he's worth a punt?

If we did have a 'punt' we should give a 2 year plus deal to stop a Snitch happening again.

Yes I know its a gamble and he may be poor but if you have the courage of conviction to sign em give them a deal to stay a while while they are cheap

Just another quick one about the hull players been released but what about cordoba, not seen much i know but the one game i saw he looked like he could be a project for kear, at 25 and holding a spanish passport worth a shot!!! Any views??

Still non-fed trained, and from what i've seen nowt you couldn't get elsewhere.