But what's going big at half back going to cost? When we were linked with Luke Brooks at the start of the year his salary dwarfed our marquee figure. Brooks is one of the most maligned half backs in the NRL (you probably dismissed as such) but he was out of our reach. You've been talking about signing young, first grade half backs with their whole careers in front of them. It just isn't going to happen. Best we can hope for is a young unproven half whose pathway is blocked (Volkman) or a veteran who is looking to extend his career, maybe Chad Townsend. We need to accept the grim reality that the UK game is no longer in the same financial ,universe as the NRL, and plan accordingly. The best plan is to invest in our own youth development, and pick up what we can from the NRL in the meantime.

I agree Arthur, it’s a painful truth that we simply cannot attract the cream of the NRL to come over here. So, with this knowledge, and that we’ve had almost certainly both halfback positions to fill at the end of the season, why are we still scratching around for signings? This reflects terribly on GH and the club IMO.

Agreed Batley and I think that we couldn't give the 2 halves this year a definitive decision on retaining them well into the season reflects those delayed plans. It's seems fairly clear that we are being more reactive to filling slots than identifying the targets early and working to a plan.

If we had a plan we should have de- registered Tetevano weeks ago when it became apparent he wouldn't play for us again, giving us a quota spot for this year.

Difficult that one really as theres rightfully in his circumstances an obligation to the player. However, we've known this was his last season all year.

They could have had a long list of targets that they want to bring in but if the players don’t want to come they don’t want to come. So now we’re probably looking at players that do want to come, where the quality isn’t as high.

For all we know, we started with Nathan Cleary and worked our way down to Frawley

theres a hell of a lot of levels between those two, that process must have involved a lot of conversations with a lot of players! I wonder if one was tyrone may though he decided Hull was a more exotic location?

And we came back with Matt Frawley

I doubt that’s correct as on the way down they’ve not been in contact with me or my agent.

Who were we talking to, his Mum?

Ooh he's a lovely boy my Matthew always picks up after himself.

I read that in a Terry Jones style as Brian’s mum…

only talking about that film at work this morning.


blessed are the cheesemakers...

Ahead of it’s time on the trans issues too.

Absolutely and so have plenty of fans.

Good post.

Its been so badly managed that the years of 'transition' to date have been completely wasted. The clearout that was so obviously needed is almost done - there will be hardly any players left at the start of next year who were here at the start of 2022, and even fewer starting in key positions. That should have happened years ago. It didn't and we are still right at the start of developing a quality team.

Smith is right in saying that the best way to success is to develop as many quality players as you can, and then bring in quality. Problem is that while we may have a lot of talented kids at the club now, it will be at least 3-4 years before we have enough of them at the right stage of development to make a real difference. Even that approach only works if you bring in real quality to fill the gaps. Ali, Senior, Bai, Webb, Donald, Peacock, Leuluai, Ellis etc were as important to the Golden Generation succeeding as having Sinfield and co come through the juniors.

Unless we get the signings right - and its looking shaky right now - we will still be struggling even if the kids turn out as hoped.

Every year is the start of the new transition then we desperately try to get rid of last season's signings who are this season's deadwood.

Excellent Post.

The problem we have these days is that the quality available for signings especially overseas just isn't the same as it was back then, that's why its even more important we get the signings right.

I'm glad its not me making those calls

I'm not suggesting we can sign that quality, but more that its always been a myth that the Golden Generation was just about homegrown players. They were key, but the right signings made it work.

That's true it wasn't just about the homegrown players, I think what did make a difference was the quality of those players coming through all at the same time. I mean let's be honest a club would be happy to produce one of any of Sinfield, McGuire or Burrow but to have all 3 at pretty much the same time won't happen again any time soon, add in players like Chev, Matt Diskin Id even add players like Hall, Abblett in there later on, we were very fortunate to have watched that team for so long!

John Wilkin saying Leeds are the biggest flop of SL in 2023:

[iThe biggest flop in Super League right now is Leeds Rhinos. They've just limped out of the playoffs. Your best player is playing for Castleford, and your best young player has left because you wouldn't pay him enough money. A bizarre club at the minute that makes very little sense.[/i

I agree with the general point he makes, but the specifics are nonsense, i.e. the suggestion that Austin was ever our best player (sure, he was up there for about four games), and even more so that Sam Walters is our best young player (he has the potential to be Adrian Morley but could still end up being Andy Hay - he certainly played that way against Wigan).

Good to see Wilkin is still 'healing' after those GF losses

Wilkin is talking nonsense as usual, Huddersfield have been a bigger flop.

Walters is a good player but the over hyping by everyone is way OTT, he’s never going to be on Morleys level, Morley was an international at Walters age