I bet you don't, Italian women sre stunning up until about the age of 35, we were discussing the very subject in Sorrento the other week!

In some respects I feel the same but we don't have the quality of players coming through. If this is a short term strategy to make us competitive with a medium term aim to bring through a crop of top quality youngsters then I can live with it

Finally, some sense on the issue. Just surprised where it came from.

It clearly isn't the ONLY way. Balancing a decent coach with quality players, playing as a team (regardless of where they're from), with a decent game plan is the way to GF success

Always worries me when you or the zebra agree with me









My post should have had the caveat that this spot should only be used for a top class overseas player, not some injury prone journeyman

Interesting point this one. Wigan won the grand final last year with 5 overseas players but could potentially win it this year with 8, if you count Amos Roberts. I agree totally that it is short term thinking, although I don't see any young Sam Tomkins waiting in the wings for us.

indeed, not Phelps, Lauaki or Chase.

phelps is rovers bound

if we hadn't signed a specialist (injury prone, elderly) fullback then I'd have been more than happy to keep Phelps, but we just can't afford the luxury of a quota spot on a "utility" player.

Which oversea's player are Rovers releasing?

Now French women.....

The report in the HDM suggests he has come off non-fed rather than quota. While anything that the RFL approves is clearly not breaking the rules, this is not, as I understand it, in line with their previous definitions. Of course there is the discretionary case-by-case exemptions get out to cover these, to which we are no strangers - and for which we got ever so much grief.

Hull Kingston Australians and all that. I was thinking Hull F[size=50oreign[/size C[size=50ontingent[/size, might work well.



Clinton not taking his option would be the most likely way we could make space for Phelps. Seems a bit of an odd way to 'spend' a quota spot to me, but if we aren't looking to bring in anyone from the NRL... all things considered I'd have Phelps ahead of Tony, on a par with Halley/Blaymire, but behind Lee Smith.

James Smailes seems to think Heremaia still counts on quota, so we need to get Obst off quota due to residency to get an Aussie or Kiwi.
Otherwise its more than likely to be Lauaki.

Surely heremaia has south sea island ancestry? Makes him non quota if he is

He can play for England, he once played in a back garden in Leigh!

hypocrites



all these years youve took the mickey and slagged Rovers off, now your as bad hahaha

Forget the hypocrisy we just don't like you and will slag you off about anything

I'd say worse. At least you had the excuse of a) Only just getting into Super League and b) Having bigger neighbors who were snapping up the young talent. The fact we've tasted success with a strong core of local and British players and now we're resorting to this is even more embarrassing.

Let's just hope we're not going to be as bad on the field as you are with all your foreigners or that will be embarrassing.

are you referring to a solitary CC win??, or the dicking in the GF?

its a shame really, the franchise's IMO were meant to stop all the need for so many overseas players, no P/R meant you could bring youngsters through, but that hasnt happened at many clubs, unfortantly our 2 clubs havent grasped this notion.

I'm talking about the fact we reached more finals in a 4 year period (2005-200icon_cool.gif than all but 2 teams. It's definitely our most successful period for 2 decades. Depends how you define success I guess?

A first for everything but agree with you here Tony. Certain people saying this is good on here were quick to have a dig at Rovers in a similar situation.

and I would say our O/S players were of a higher standard, a MUCH higher standard, in those years.

Hmm. Tony, Domic, McMenemy and Swain.. Swain fair enough, not sure about Tony, Domic and McMenemy. They certainly aren't of the standard Fitzgibbon, Berrigan or O'Meley. Moa has performed exceptionally while here too.