Is Meli off quota now ?

If the rumours are true then I think it would be a big mistake to bring him in.

The thing that concerns me about Meli is that we're building a squad weighted at either young (Tansey, Briscoe, Hall, Houghton, Turner, Burnett) or over 30 (Meli, Long, Fitz, Manu, Radders, Berrigan, Ogre?) and not enough players in their prime, 25-30 (Tickle, Lauaki probably being the exceptions. I'd add Horne, Washy and Dowes here but think they peaked 4 years ago

). Point being that once the old guard retires in 1-2 years, we're left with major squad rebuilding to do as we're left with players who are currently young prospects. We're then into a short termist buying in of experience abd leadership as we were this time last year.

We've been doing this for three seasons now IMO, and we're still "fire fighting" in major positions. The only position where the club have appointed someone who'll last is at fullback.

Whiting has been immense this year as everyone knows so no desrepect to him at all but I'm certain Calderwood would have backed himself to score early on in that corner and more than likely would have done.

Cant understand the decision not to play Calderwood if he is fit as he is the only specialist winger we have and have had for long enough. Briscoe althugh doing a decent job for me is still a centre and best suited there. We just seem to want to play players out of position at times. I cant nderstand why we didnt move Turner during the game into the middle to link up with Horne as Washy (no offence to him) just doesn't create anything when playing in the 6/7 role. All in all it was a performance lacking in just about every aspect iin the game and not the first time we have been totally out enthused by the opposition which for me is a big worry.

Why on earth he insists on keeping wellies out on the wing is beyond me. A brilliant rugby brain as we can see every week and he's stuck out there in a position that is better suited to a speed merchant which Rich will never be.

I wouldn't disagree with any of your post which is why I find the decision to leave Calderwood out crazy when we are a mess in the middle as having Calders in gave us options to move either Turner or Whiting into the middle. Plus one thing that calderwood offers without doubt is pure effort and determination which was an ingredient sadly lacking from Saturday night.

I'd even have been pleased if Agar would for once actually try something different even if it fails than just going for the same proven failing. Why not go with Calderwood with Hall in the centre and try Whiting & Turner in the middle as it cant be any worse than Washy/Berro/Horne which has failed everytime to generate any kind of creativity or spark.

Maybe time to drop yeaman and put whiting in the centres with turner

It baffled me why Calderwood wasn`t playing on Saturday. We need a specialist winger back. Whiting is doing a steady job but he is wasted on the wing.

I did say right at the start of the season that Calderwood seems to be out of favour.

His biggest weakness in my view. A bit more imagination in some of his selections would improve him as a coach no end.

His 2 coaching mentors have both had a safety first mentality and their teams have played a % brand of rugby. Wouldn't be so bad if we were actually good at it

If Agar has not played MC due to a personal spat then Agar should resign. If MC was fit to play he would have been far & away a better choice on the wing in a game that could really have put us in a position of confidence going into the derby.
As it was we were pants anyway across the park but Agar's judgement is severely clouded & making mistakes like this & others will cost us any semblence of a decent season.
I for one would be prepared to keep him on a one year but if the rumours are true then who are we going to get for the next couple of years? More money wasted when we desperately need quality in the halves.

At the back end of last year when we had precisely zero to play for he could, and should in my view (and I said so at the time), have been trying players in different roles to see how thet went. I'm thinking in particular of Rich Whiting being given 3 or 4 games at stand off just to have a look. Who knows - actions taken then might have helped us in the predicament we are in now.

Possibly. He's certainly one of the few in the team I'd expect to have the ability to organise those around him

He should have been given a go although I don't think he is the organiser we need when Long does not play. It needs someone with a bit of personality and I can only think of Tansey in our current squad. The likes of Horne, Turner and Whiting need to play alongside a more dominant half.

Maybe so - the point is we would know more than we do now. Opportunities were missed by the coach IMO.

I agree he should have been given the chance. I have my doubts about Whiting in that role but it would have been the prefect time to blood him there.

Hasn't Calderwood become a much better player in his absence? He offers commitment and workrate but little else; I wouldn't be sorry to see him go at the end of the season if we found somebody with some cutting edge to replace him.

Having said that, if he's been fit enough to play for the last two games, i cannot understand how our coach is leaving him out and forcing Whiting out to play on the wing.

What is Whiting's preferred position? I'd like to see him at 13, but what is his preference?

I think he sees himself as a back rower. He'd make a good SR or 13, and a decent stand off, I reckon. Either way, he needs to be moved to a more central position.

He is. As enthusiastic as anyone in the squad, and more so than many. It's a shame about his injuries. I'll be sorry to see him go.

If its true about Meli then it shows us as a laughing stock again

Do we not like to have players longer then 2 years?

Why do they insist on only short term fixes?

why oh why another 30 something??

He prefers second row, but not big enough for me in that role.

Put it this way, the team you saw on Saturday is the team that will start against the dobbins on thursday , Agar does not have the balls to changed anything other than what injuries dictate.

I think in this case it's a shrewd move, the long term fix is Reece Lyne and Meli IMO is the best option out there for the short term. He's still scoring plenty of tries and as he showed at the KC he is what we need out wide big, strong and aggressive.

He's a lot bigger than Burnett, and nearly as big as Tickle.