One's thing is for certain, it needs resolving!. We just aren't going to kick on as a club until it happens.
I think the club have learnt their lesson from last years high profile pursuit of a half back.
I expect it to be very low key this time.

Spot on. We must have one of the worst ptbs in SL, it's this that causes us to be such a poor attacking side. No matter who the halfbacks/hookers are, it will always be harder to break down a set defence moving up to meet you than a scrambling defence on the retreat.

I agree with those that have mentioned pace. We are so laboured in the middle of the pitch, just no threat. Holdsworth can organise and kick. We need someone alongside him with real pace, get that and we have a shot.

It's not just about a halfback though. We are a lazy team with ball in hand and no matter who the halves are they need runners, we had them at Saints and it showed. Too often we offer the halves nothing or just one option. Then there is the slow ptb's which are another big issue.

Get a halfback with pace, quicker ptbs and some dummy runners and then see the improvement.

Whoever Hull go for i can guarantee is Saints will be going for the same player, its a small market and we both need a quality half back.

Unless a transfer fee is involved of course, Saints dont pay for players anymore.

Slow ptbs are a big issue for us. A top half with authority bossing players around and demanding off the ball running would help though so I don't quite subscribe to the 'it wouldn't matter who was playing 7' argument. In regard to the ptb if our ball players played closer to the line it would help us win more collisions and ptb more quickly - at the moment because we don't challenge the opposition's defence enough they win more rucks than us. All these things are linked but come back to the same root cause IMO. Since DJ got smashed off the ball at Saints we seem to be putting our plays on even further in front of the opposition than normal.

Tickle is out of contract come end of this season, so he'll go to widnes for free so hull had to pay a transfer fee for handbury

It's Hanbury not Handbury. Fast player with a decent brain. No world beater but would improve us. Would be nice to set our sights higher but realistically who is available ?

It's noticeable how far away from the line DJ is standing, must be for protection after his recent injury. Your halfback has to play in the face of the opposition to make a difference.

Miller must be coming to Hull, he's injured!

IF we had Green & Smith from Wigan,as our halfbacks, do fans think, we'd attack the same as Wigan??

For mine, its not about personnel totally, its more about structure & coaching.

I wouldn't disagree about the structure etc. Just that teams can stand off our ball players as they know they can't get round them with pace or a quick step round them. That then makes it easier to pick up any runners, which makes our structure look rubbish. Faster players can compensate for slower play the balls.

Nobody with the skill set we need. Gentle will know Hanbury too, so I'd imagine he has already thought about him.

For me the player we need played against us on Saturday and ripped us apart as he has done ever since he left.

The Giants are skint and crowds are appaling, a good offer to them and a generous contract to Danny should do it. (get Seymour off the books to pay for it)

We cant sit around waiting for one to come through the academy or an out of contract player come for free, the right player will have to be paid for.

You watched a different game to me.

Plus Hudds will never sell Brough and I doubt he wants to come here anyway.

Some folk have a totally unrealistic view of how player transfers work.

Allegedly Wigan enquired about Brough last season, - £800,000 was the reply.
Don't think the Giants are skint neither, (they have a wealthy backer in Ken Davy, who sold his company in 2001 for £75million.)

But apart from the facts, good post.

he didnt tear us apart, but he did keep us coming off our own line - his kicking game was getting boring after a while

KARL EASTMOND ANYONE???

Hardly any available half-backs who we could realistically target

Who????

There is a injury prone,over-rated ex league half-back called KYLE Eastmond at Bath RU

Shaun said at the last fans forum that he spoke to someone at huddersfield about danny, and was told huddersfield had turn down a £500,000 fee for danny from a rugby union club

To be fair I already got shot down in flames on this one and rightly so on some of the points.

I suppose the poitn I was trying to make is if we want a top notch 7 then we are going to have to pay top dollar?

There simply isnt enough around, and if we can't even hope to sign Brough then who? By all accounts we cant even tempt Dobson from Hull KR so who can we target who is better?

It would seem no-one. not in SL or in NRL - unless we pay big money.

Seen thread after thread on this site about this issue, and numerous names banded around, and all of them come down to the same conclusion, there isnt anyone cheap.

I guess what is really annoying is we've had Brough, could have had/didnt want Dobson (depending on who you believe), there was talk of Sammut for a while before he went to Bradford - any of them would be doing a job for us now.

Maybe the answer is somewhere in Union.

Either way, if AP wants trips to Wembley and Grand Finals hes gonna have to get that chequebook out, or we can all sit around talking about it as we have done for years.

2013

Todd Carney, Luke Kelly, Maurice Kennedy, Samisoni Langi, Matt McGahan, Daniel Mortimer, Corey Norman, Michael Picker, Ben Roberts, Todd Ryan, William Smith, Jamie Soward, Ryan Stig, Carlos Tuimavave

Dane Chisholm, Cameron Cullen, Adrian Davis, Nathan Fien, Brett Finch, Pita Godinet, Trent Hodkinson, Ben Hunt, Sam Irwin, Isaac John, Luke Keary, Robert Lui, Alehana Mara, Jacob Miller, Michael Morgan, Jeff Robson, Jason Seage, Arana Taumata, Chad Townsend, Sam Williams

2014
Braith Anasta, Wade Graham, Ben Hampton, Justin Hunt, Kris Keating, Jarrod Mullen, Kyle Stanley, John Sutton, Gareth Widdop

osh Drinkwater, Beau Henry, Shaun Johnson, Albert Kelly, Penani Manumalealii, Josh McCrone, Anthony Milford, Scott Prince, Jordan Rankin, Tyrone Roberts, Harry Siejka, Peter Wallace

The point is not that there isn't anyone cheap. The point is that there are very few players at any cost.


Brough left because he wanted to and because he had some attitude problems. It took him a while to sort himself out and develop into the player he is now. Hindsight is always 20/20. The Dobson thing is tedious TBH. Regardless of whether we did or didn't want him, we couldn't have him as we had no quota space at the time he needed to come here.


I'm interested in what seems to have made you think that AP isn't willing to spend money?

Biggest myth, ever. Matt Sing was going to be paid off. Kath wouldn't sanction the deal as Dobson wanted too much money (according to her).