With funds available for the new coach to bring in "5 top quality players" - 3 of which can be on the quota, who would you like to see brought in to take this team to the next level?

I'd like to see:
George Rose
Brent Kite
+ the best 3 British off-contract players there is, preferably backrowers.

Think people have misinterpreted what was said by RW.

He said we'll be looking at 5 quality players of a better standard than those we have already. He said we're also in the attractive position of having three quota positions available for the new coach (only Chase and Youngquest count on it - Isa, McGoldrick are non-fed and Widders is off back home).

He didn't say that's what we'd be getting.

I strongly feel that this coaching appointment is important because if a coach gets some signing decisions wrong and bring's in modest calibre oversee's players, you damage the pathways that have brought Arundel, Owen, Holmes, Clarke, Milner, Walker etc into the squad.

Should an attraction to a coach be that they can bring 3 quota players in? Really? I would more argue that the coach who puts themselves forward and isn't too interested in the quota spots would turn me on more?

I would rather we finished 8th next season and didn't fill the quota spots than buy 6th??? I am probably in a minority I understand that, but there is no attraction to me seeing a 1 yr with an option for an extra from an oversees player, they're not invested in the fabric of what we are trying to create. Retain 5 of our reserve grade players with that money and make one signing?!

The coach is a lot more than the on-field playing squad, where TM and his team seem to have been successful is there is a large proportion of our reserve grade that feel like they are developping and they can see their peers getting a shot in SL and so that motivates them to develop and strive..... That said, Richard has got to 'sell' the job too and saying to a coach you have scope to bring in whoever you want (within reason) will help in that space.

Agree with every word. We should wear the three spare quota spots as a badge of honour, the number of youngsters we're bringing through is the best thing to happen at Cas in a long, long time

I want Widders to stay !!!

I disagree. We don't have enough seasoned pro's, and if seasoned pro's are retiring then replacing them with more academy players will see us finishing bottom next year.

Snap!

So your a Cas fan and you would rather finish 8th, are you for real, we want the best out of Cas and we want to see silverware at the club. I think what you seem to forget is that a good overseas signing can bring more people through the gate, personally I would love to see 3 quality overseas players brought in.
Back to your point about buying 6th, do you think Man City and Chelsea fans think like that, all they are bothered about is picking that silverware up at the end of the season.

I hope for god that the new Cas coach doesnt have the same ambitions as you.

There are many issues been touched upon here (Importance of crowds, home grown youngsters, overseas quotas etc etc), quite a few of which pop up every couple of months or so and bring out some real radical and contradictory view points.

Remember some out there don't think crowds or crowd atmosphere's are important....I've had long discussions with some on this matter! Some don't think that supporting the development of our young local talent coming through is important either....I've had similar discussions about this again.

However back to the topic of players.....IMO - The coach and board of directors need to set out some key stage goals of what they want to achieve for the club in the short, medium and long term. In this they need to spell out exactly the structure they are going to create that will allow them to meet these goals, and exactly how the achievement of these goals is going to be measurable.

Bringing in the 'right' overseas players 'may' help to boost our league position, as may bringing in the right 'uk' players also, as may bringing through the right youngsters!!! However, these players need to be able to gel with the foundations that we currently have and the potential that we know to be within the youngster currently coming through and those set to come through. If all they do is artificially boost our league position 2 or 3 places for 1 or 2 seasons before plumitting back down again....then we've only achieved a short term goal, and taken a backwards step on the medium and longer term goals. Over the next 3 to 5 years we need a structure in place that will make us genuinely a top 5 team....for the whole of the season! However don't be under any disillusion that any of the current top 5 have plans to stand still and wait for us to displace them, and the same for all other teams who aspire to climb the league.

Now if we take a look at our academy results over the past few years, and the recent 9's results then we do have a lot of potential about to break through. We need a coach, a supporting squad of players and the right atmosphere in the club that can bring this potential through to it's fullest. Exactly how this is done, is perhaps the most important task and refelction of the quality and experience of whoever we appoint as our new coach!

In light of those who have critised the comments of 'Mdean' earlier, I would add that I would also rather finish 8th on a growth curve with higher positions to follow, than a flash in the pan 6th prior to a massive slump!

Anything worth having is only as good as the foundations it is built upon!

Shouldn't the foundations have already been laid over the last few seasons? Ever since we got the SL license 3 years ago? we have got the youth policy correct, hopefully we will get in the play offs this season and we made it into the SF of the CC, we need to build on this and look to go one better next season not go backwards. We need to bring in a better quality of overseas player, just like Warrington and Saints do, I mean look at Warrington, they finished below us in SL a few seasons ago, since then they have won 2 challenge cups, and looking good for the SL title this season, plus the fact they are a grade A team, why can't we follow there path.

The young players are all there, bringing in some top quality overseas players to replace the likes of Jones & Jackson in the match day squads would improve the team no end, what a difference having squad players like Jones & Jackson will be compared to say Massey & Snitch.

The team as it is now needs players adding better than what is already there, meaning the squad players will be better, which in turn leads to a better and more consistent season.

I agree 100% with you, we have already got the youngsters, now let's see some good overseas players brought in, other clubs have brought in the likes of Trent Waterhouse, Anthony Lefrancchi, Wade McKinnon and Lance Hohaia, all of them front line NRL players, just wish we had the same recruitment drive as other clubs and bring in this quality of player.

Danny Kirmond from Hudds ?

Is he out of contract at end of season.?

If so think we may have talks with him as well.

I didn't discuss my long term ambitions, I think you have taken what I said slightly one-eyed.

Signing the likes of Darren Lockyer, Cam Smith, Billy Slater or as Warrington did Andrew Johns is a huge draw and clearly a no brainer. But with all due respect to the majority of overseas signings made by SuperLeague clubs, they aint.

So my point is, rather than sign a Ben Cross, I would rather leave the spots blank and as another poster said wear them like a badge of honour and sign another Davies or Walker or Clarke or Milner.

That was my only point, that is short term moderation for hopefully long term development.

I understand what your saying but does wearing a badge of honour bring us silverware?
And for how long do you wear a badge of honour, when will we go out and fill our overseas quota.
I know Leeds have been successful with there large influx of home grown players but they also have had some very good overseas players to complement them, such as Webb, Donald, Lauititi, Toopi and Leuluai.

oh no they're not front line NRL players,they're just the next bunch of unwanted NRL players that fancy a nice pay day over here,Hohai is the best of a bad bunch there imo

At the end of the day, the quota is 5. I'd utilise the quota of five players and have five world-class overseas stars supplemented by 20+ Cas youngsters. That should ultimately be the dream we aspire to.

Yes you could be right but they also could turn out to be very influential players, that's the risk you take.

How are laffranchi and hohai unwanted? bad bunch? they are top class players who will light up super league next season. I can only dream that cas bring in players of that calibre.

Those players mentioned would probably get a start in the England side,such is the depth of talent down under.

Thing is since we went to a summer game we won't see world class Aussies in their prime in Super League anymore....Origin and the national jersey is too big a pull for the likes of Slater,Inglis,Thurston,Hayne etc.

There is alot of good 1st grade players in the N.R.L to look at....must say i think Harlequins have done great in getting that ex Melbourne prop (Kuofusi)?.

Think we need 2 props, a big raw boned backrower (we must have the smallest back 3 in the league), and if the new coach doesn't play Mcgoldrick there a quality centre. We are relatively inexperienced there and im afraid to say i think Isa maybe be too injury prone

If I'm honest, I disagree.

I think the backrow is decent - Ferres, Jones, Aspinwall, Thompson, Holmes. We need Ferres and Holmes to work in their strength over the summer and we'll have to beasts in the backrow. I also think that in the long run, we'll probably see Isa there as he has the ball-handling skills and the hard-running to make it.

In that instance, I think we need a big centre to slot in on the other side of Arundel and to help out Chase on the left flank. We also need a hard-running prop that can make metres and offload. As it stands:

FB: Mathers/Eden
W: Youngquest/Owen/Dixon
C: Arundel/Isa
SO: Chase/McGoldrick
SH: Orr
P: Huby/Emmitt/Walker/Jackson/Fozzard/Massey
H: Milner/Clark
SR: Ferres/Jones/Aspinwall/Holmes/Thompson/Snitch/Widders
LF: Hudson/Davies

Widders is retiring, Fozzard may also be off and I think it's time we let Snitch go too. Not impressed me this season and with Thompson and Holmes coming through I really don't see a future for him. His wages can be better utilised elsewhere.

I think we're definitely top heavy in the SR department and the loss of two (Snitch and Widders) can even be supplement by Emmitt playing SR as he did at start of the season.

Shopping list for me: Centre, Prop x 2, utility back. Thus making our squad.

1. Mathers
2. Owen
3. Arundel
4. New centre
5. Dixon
6. Chase
7. Orr
8. New Prop
9. Milner
10. Huby
11. Emmitt
12. Holmes
13. Ferres

14. Hudson
15. Walker
16. Jackson
17. Thompson

18. Clark
19. Aspinwall
20. Jones
21. Isa
22. Eden
23. McGoldrick
24. Youngquest
25. Massey
26. Davies
27. Utility back
28. Parker (?)
29. Billy Harris
30. Sam Orange
31. A Junior
32. A Junior

You've got the same problem we (Leeds) will have in recruiting a centre: there aren't any. England has precisely no world class centres to choose from, and the exchange rate makes SL ever-less attractive for an Aussie payday recruit.

I heard a rumour that Ferres was out of contract. Is that true?

Totally agree. What separates the Warringtons & Saints of this world from the likes of us, Wakey etc is the quality of the overseas players they sign.

Of the 5 overseas players on our books this year I believe 3 are contracted for next season - Chase, Youngquest & McGoldrick).

It looks like Widders is going so we should be looking to replace him with a good overseas forward, preferably a prop.

We then have to think hard about whether Isa is of a good enough quality to retain beyond this season.

I believe we have a further non-federation spot available cos McGoldrick is exempt but for me I'd stick with the maximum of 5 overseas players in the squad. I've been quite proud of the fact this season that we've often played with only 2 or 3 non-British players in our side, as opposed to some SL sides that manage to have 7 or 8 through various loopholes.