It's a reasonable point I guess, but if you couple the fact that we've had a major regime change not just with the coach but with the owners and the fact that I assume we'd be willing to pay up his contract, I don't think it would make us look that unreasonable, certainly not enough to affect our chances of making good signings in the future.

Wouldn't read too much into it, Obst will go and we will recruit. Just a matter of time.

So we paid a transfer fee and gave a 2 year deal, and possibly even a good wage if there's anything in this lack of cap space unless Obst leaves talk from McRae, for a player that not only do we no longer want, but in whom nobody else appears interested either. Brilliant.

Just look at our recruitment for next season, we have brought in some quality players. What more do you want, we have brought 6 already with at least one more to come. Plus the young lads to bring through.

AP was always going to be limited for 2012 due to what had gone on before he came.

Completely agree.

Out:
Fitzgibbon
Lauaki
Radford
Dowes
Washbrook

In:
Lynch
O'Carroll

And we were pretty lucky with injuries to the forwards in 2011. On the one hand it means that the academy forwards will get some gametime. On the other, thanks to Agar, they've got diddly squat first team experience so will be a huge learning curve. Hmmm.

But Wakey reckon Agar has form for bringing young players through

The props are fine imo, most teams 5th choice prop are youngsters and ours will be the same. The back row is fine with Manu, Westy and Ticks. What we lack is a proven backrower off the bench, that will come when Obst goes imo.

We will have to rely on the younger lads more but that's a good thing imo, we need to know what they can do. Wigan and Saints have done okay with kids.

I think we're lacking a couple of mid-range forwards personally, whilst having more pivots than you can shake a stick at:

Horne
Obst
Ellis
Seymour
Houghton
Heremaia

Balance not really right for me. Offload Obst and bring in a forward, then it looks better, but not great as it stands IMO.

Agree with the youngsters deserving a chance, the likes of Green, Kent & Pearce deserve a chance if their good enough, hopefully we will sign an impact back rower and use the younger boys as and when required.

Over-reaction.com. What a surprise!

Pretty confident Obst will go and we will bring in at least another forward. At the moment we are short of an experieced back rower, but other then that we look good. Not forgetting Whiting will probably move up to the pack next season.

Let's just wait and see.

Give the new team a chance FFS , the coach isnt even in the country yet and your already second guessing his opening statements , give it a rest

it is if you value your integrity as a person / club!!!!

Wait for the 'there's no sentiment in sport' line!

which areas specifically do we lack quality ?
also for half of last season everyone was screaming to play the kids and bring them through, now its a depth problem, jesus make your mind up....

I am sure there are more to come , however were miles away from the start of the new season and loads can happen between now and then, i am sure of it... no way Macrae would enter a season without a back up plan thats just not his way
stop worrying and worrymongering

Just pay him off....no sentiment in sport

well said , in a nutshell.
wouldnt be surprised to see more than just obst go too

Along with 'nice guys don't get anywhere, look at Agar'.

and what everyone wanted Agar to do as well!!!, the young guns will become the back up and in pearce, Crooks etc we have some great young fellas i believe

and the touch paper is now lit

The thing is that they've spent a lot of money over a lot of years bringing players on. I assume this is one area where Pearson's charge of lack of investment by the old board applies.
Your frontline players are good, but [uas things stand[/u, you've got no depth of experience, little potential to rotate the squad and not much competition for places in the forwards.

That'll no doubt come back to bite me.

Mrs B has "remote-saved" it already...

Our pack is woefully short of depth, our right hand side lacks quality and our halves are not exactly the highest proven quality either.

As for "worrymongering", get a grip of yourself FFS. I'm expressing a very common concern about our squad for next season and about McCrae's recent media quotes.

I don't "need to make my mind up" either, as you put it, because I've certainly never "screamed to play any kids". If we have any ideas of competing for the top four next season, we need more than we currently have and three or four untried academy forwards is not first choice back-up.

Personally I would say we are still short of enough quality in the centres and half-backs. We only have one of each of the necessary quality to be a top side IMO, but the addition/development of others can come in time. I think the only real concern for next season is a bench back row option, which we will still hopefully see if Obst can find somewhere else. That's just not looking promising ATM.

You've hit the nail on the head there. You actually talk a hell of a lot of sense for a dobbin !

I wouldn't go as far as 'woefully short', we're really only 1 player lighter than last year. Looking at the list of outs:

Fitzgibbon - essentially replaced by Lynch
Radford - replaced by O'Carroll
Dowes - replaced by Bowden
Washbrook - replaced any of Kent/Green/Pearce/Cunningham or even Whiting

That leaves Lauaki as the one we need to replace.

IMO we're perhaps stuck in the '25 experienced players in case of injury' mentality that Kear introduced, when really the best use of the cap is to have about 20 with good 1st team experience and then youngsters.