Questions on next year's forwards, I have no problems with our forwards this season, however, for next season we cannot stand still. Kirmond probably cannot do another season, he has been great for our club & I feel he could be a club ambassador ! -- England also has come to an end with too many injuries ! -- Randal also has too many injuries and is too slow as hooker, however I think his tackling is very good ?? -- Huby cannot play more than a 20 mins from the bench & is also picking up injuries ?? -- pauli for what ever reason does not deliver relative to his size for long minutes ?? -- That is nearly a full pack ? If we run with this next season we will be in trouble, we therefore must make replacement signings in size, speed & players that can all play long minutes if we are serious about building & progressing further !!!!!

So you have no problem with this seasons forwards! But you've just crucified half of them! But you have no problem ! Really

Yes, as players I have enjoyed them & still do, & I would support them next year if we sign them up again, but facts are facts, sentiment will not progress us, I will be there next year, full season tickets, New shirts & several team builder monthly payments. If you look @ saints pack, wires pack, they have forwards that can all play long minutes, yes they get injured but they have better longevity, they do however not hold on to those that cannot deliver for whatever reason.

I bet CC and MC are really glad you've been able to offer such sound advice.

It might be down to the large crowd's they get and the much larger amount they can spend on the salary cap plus the odd marque player they can pay for!

Although I agree with some of your points, you can only talk about those out of contract.

I actually thought like many others we had our strongest pack for years, but we just don't seem to dominate opposition packs enough. Apart from Fifita who is obviously a cut above, which of our other props would get anywhere near getting into the other teams who currently sit above us in the league?? I thought Koppy started well enough, but he's dropped off alarmingly for me, England just can't stay fit for long enough, Hirst has the size, but just stops in contact half the time, there's not enough aggression from them! They don't fight to get quick play the balls, it's just too soft, Huby is actually the most skilful prop we probably have, but injuries have basically killed his career.......

Why does he have to do that? He's just saying which of this seasons forwards he does'nt rate! Well thats what i can see.

Well OK, he doesn't have to of course.

What I meant was, as I'm assuming he wanted to actually do something to improve it, we would need to start with out of contract players.

What have they got to do with it, he’s a fan on a FANS FORUM offering an opinion about next years team.

Thanks pop tart, you are right in your assumptions, wow I think some are offended, I thought the forum was for discussion's by/for fans, with regards to CC & MC, they as a whole will read what fans think & of course quite rightly for different views & circumstances do what they think is right & not the view of one supporter who cares to ask questions ? However, we all need to continue various opinions & views regardless of attempted put downs.
I repeat what I said, I will be there next year - fully whatever, ??

Westerman to Wakey

Welcome jimmy! Hows your old mate Gazza and who are you sponging off these days?

Wow, could we pay his wages, he wouldn't come last time, he chose Hull ! Straight away & reportedly said, all though other offers were made once hull made an offer that size to secure his future it was instant acceptance !

Unlike Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde i have never had a problem with you poppy but sometimes you do seem to implement your own rules to suit But keep it up you do a decent enough job for nowt

What annoys me and this has been going on for years is we don't run onto the ball with speed, or look for the offload (exception of the new guy). Our forwards generally get the ball as the opposition are about five meters away.

I sort of agree,. Fifita is a cut above & he nearly always has 100+ meter games, plus his tackling although goes unnoticed, regularly has 20+ a agme & he rarely misses one - what I'd give for another one, even nearly as good.

I was looking the other day to see if what I have been watching was backed up by numbers and both England and Hirst average about 50 meters a game from 7 or 8 carries, that for me is poor, generally not enough carries and not enough meters. Only England has broken 100 meters in a game against Wire and it's the only time either came close to it. England since his injuries hasn't got back to the heights he hit in 2017 imo. Hirst we always knew was a work in progress but how far has he really progressed since his first season? plus only the management etc will know if that's value for money. Huby's game time is a worry and also a shoulder injury that required reconstruction can be a huge problem for a RL player let alone a prop at 33.

Koppy's only signed for this year I think and for the most I'd be looking to see if he wants another year. His form had dipped with the teams at times but he's still a good prop. He's rarely had injury problems, so even though he's 33 nest year it wouldn't worry me.

Koppy signed a contract extension for 2020

I just thinking we are seeing a dip in form personally, all the injuries and players moving about has caught up with us.
We have excellent pack and I see us coming on on strong again soon
We've struggled since we lost Arona IMO
In koppy and dave you could ask for two better props and pack leaders

Remember we have huby to come back also

Plus we've got our new Tongan friend from manly, it will take a bit for him to get going, he's shown some nice touches yesterday I thought

It's a combined effort, we need everyone at 100% when it matters

If we have to have a bad run I'd rather it be mid season than at the end when it really matters

I do think England injuries have caught up with him and Tyler seems to pick up too many injuries relative to what he gives us on the pitch (however Tyler still has the rest of the seasons to impress)

I am happy with our pack although if England retires and we don't renew Tyler's contract I'd like to think we can bring in better replacements

We just need to find our form again and things will come good, a couple of poor performances doesn't make us a bad team

I think some confuse my posting an opinion with me applying Mod rules.
Just here to talk about the rugby. Only put my sheriff badge on when a punch up starts.

I suppose it's natural to look at the team when things go wrong, but this season's run of injuries exonerates most players from blame IMO.

I still think our team of 4 or 5 matches into the season would have beaten Saints such was the quality on the park and the rugby being played.

Injuries haven't affected us they have completely destroyed us and ruined a very promising start to the season. TJ would have been at the top of the try scoring list and we would have been top 3.

I think it's a credit to the team spirit, coaching staff etc that we are where we are.


I would not judge any of the forwards yet, until they are all back on the park, and match fit. Then I would decide. Reactions regarding keep or get rid, at this point would be inaccurate and unfair.

Interesting point about Huby, as I understand it all our props including Fifita (until our prop injuries got more serious)were all doing approx 20 minutes each so maybe that's an unfair comment on him, as for his injuries' other than a serious shoulder injury which from experience can be quite complicated, what other injuries has he picked up, as somebody remarked your entitled to your opinions but that doesn't make them facts, but that's only my opinion.

I think we've got to stay realistic, in an ideal world I'd be looking to move probably around 8-9 of our 17 forwards on but the reality is we'd only replace them with similar sort of players.

Someone at the weekend told me that they don’t think Huby will play again but not sure how true it is.

I remember he missed about 8 or so games last year with injury, he missed from the end of May till the end of July, can't remember if it was a knee. I know he's a had a few problems with his knees before.

I've tried taking notice this season about how long our Props were playing, especially after many opposition fans thought Fifita was a gonna suffer due to interchange reductions and generally our pack would as well. Most games I've really watched Fifita, he can play more minutes depending on the game situation etec, but he gets subbed between 25-30 minutes and comes back in the 2nd half for another 20/25. Koppy generally does similar minutes. England can do a decent first stint but doesn't do as long in the 2nd half. Hirst doesn't quite do as long as the other props, maybe 30 minutes a game.

It is a fact that Huby has had a lot of injury problems throughout his career though, he spent more or less a full season out at Cas with a knee injury, half a season out at Hudds with a knee injury, he missed around 10 weeks for us last season with a knee inury and had obviously had around 16 weeks this season with his shoulder. Cant be helped, but they are the facts, it not an opinion.