Didn't know that but they still have to be affordable

Highly unlikely Evans will ever get a game unless we get severe injuries but if he does play him on the wing outside Koni he will probably score 22 tries and be in the Ashes squad at the end of the season and the fans will be raving about him. It worked for Handley.

As for the club lacking ambition these days and never gonna win anything again i agree this signing isnt quite as mega as Anselme, Botham, Kirke, Vickery, Coady etc but those was the days of real ambition.

That Vickery even got a contract. He must have got a decent little payoff when they finished him

Quality.

I'm honestly surprised that you've gone for Evans. He's been solid but not spectacular at Bradford - at least when he's been fit. Just a suprise that you haven't got a junior coming through who'd do the same job as you'd imagine Evans will be doing - cover for cover

indeed. bang average player, never stood out in the championship but hey, people are saying he's a good signing but probably wont play.

Of the 4 mentioned, assuming they are correct, the only one that surprises me is Corey Johnson, assuming it's true. Fev only have Dean Parata as a recognised hooker at present, and he's injured and will likely miss at least the pre-season. The likes of Holroyd and Mustapha would have Ferguson, Bussey, Lockwood, Susino, Albert, Cooper and Harrison in front of them - not to mention any other Leeds middles that don't make the Leeds 17.

Not sure anyone has said hes a good signing they just getting in a tizz over a two bob signing that just there to cover if needed.

do we need a 2 bob signing? really? possibly bulls wanted him gone and I'm guessing even with him coming him we"ll have clear £75k on the cap for a year

With the squad we have, he will play a minimum of four or five games before we get to severe stage. Those games will be at the expense of Broadbents development.

Like I said earlier, we needed cover in the backs. That cover had to be promote in the club or recruit outside. But do not kid ourselves that player will not be called upon in a minimum of games, it will happen.

We have demonstrated already in other areas, that the statement about youth this year is total rubbish. We are continuing that theme here. Personally, I am on the fence, as I do think the backs needed recruitment, but do think we should have done it better. On the forwards though, I think we are making a long term mess of it though, and ultimately it is linked to this deal.

I see Evans has a stop gap signing ,the coaching team most think Broadbent isn't ready yet.I presume who ever the players who are loaned to Bradford they will be a recall call.It looks like Johnson(if hes Bulls bound) will have to wait a year before getting his real chance of a first team slot that is unless Dwyer earns a contract extension which for mine would be madness.

Let's give the lad a chance but it shows how weak our youth set up has been in recent years.

There is a hell of a lot of questions still to be answered on our coaching team. So I wouldn’t put any confidence on them getting that right, even if the statement was correct.

We dont know the deal with Bradford yet and whos going and also if they can be recalled at any point or not.

Its 100% the correct call for these lads to be getting tested in the championship rather than the reserves.

Lets at least play a few games before slating the policies and coaching staff lol.

Totally agree Marty.

Too many on here looking into their crystal balls and seeing doom and gloom.

As I've said before, the key for me is a structured path to the first team for our youth players. We have to trust that the club understands and is implementing this. Why do we have to trust? Because we are just fans, we have no influence and if you don't have some faith in your club you will just drive yourself nuts.

kids going to the championship for a season isnt the issue.thats good for them long term.
signing a poor player who was average at best in the championship is

I hear what you are saying but he's only on loan and if he's crap then he won't get picked.

League Express suggesting this evening that Holroyd might feature for Fev, rather than Bradford, with Mustapha and Waite-Pullan (who played for Fev today) mentioned as two of the likely loanees to Bradford.

Makes more sense. Waite-Pullan will never play for us anyway. But thought Mustapha might have got the odd inclusion this year.

What disappoints me the most about this is we are still cobbling the squad together within a few weeks of the season and with 2 places to fill in we are buying short term at this level.

We signed Rhyse Martin in June last year, any club that was really at it and straining every sinew would have got him sorting a PNG passport out on July 3 when he landed in Leeds. Not us we are using it as an excuse for poor management.

I understand Wigan have had Tommy L named as part coach and part player for a few years no doubt helping them stretch the cap.

Hull have had, their squad sorted for ages including plenty of big tough overseas forwards and Josh Jones, they have 4 wingers, Faraimo, Naulago, The Returning Fonua and Swift and at number 29, Gareth Ellis. ellis no doubt is being paid ten bob and a conker as a player.

I understand Sinfield has had a big job to turn things round but we don't look like we are frankly doing as much as our competitors to get the best squad we can.

I await to be hugely impressed by no 21.

Some fair criticism there but it was always going to take some time to completely renew the squad wasn't it? Yes, there have been some less than inspirational signings along the way. However, Merrin was good (if now gone), Hurrell is box office, Leeming and Mellor are solid, Ava and Martin are very good and Prior will also be solid for us I think. We've also brought in McLelland, Walters, O'Connor, Hall to bolster the junior ranks who all have potential too.

Half back needed sorting and although the jury is somewhat out on Lui and Gale for different reasons, they are a hell of an upgrade on what we had before IMO.

We have commercial constraints and there is still some leftover cap by the looks of things - really good mid-season signings are possible/likely and we should wait until the right player in the right position becomes available.

The squad is now competitive I would say, and going in the right direction. We should still be patient though. Even if we signed the best 21 in the world, I don't believe our young lads are at their peak yet and therefore Leeds isn't going to be at full potential for another year or two.

I agree we are still short and it will take time but the fact we have been poor for 3/4 years should be motivation to work harder to get things like passports sorted out. There was lots of talk of Prior coming in alongside Merrin, that would still have been impossible had Merrin stayed.

For example, could this season we have signed Gale as part coach, part player or even Prior. Our coaching options look pretty thin to me as well as the squad. Could cuthbo have been part coach. If others are doing it why not us

I repeat, how easy is it for an Australian to get a PNG passport? Can anybody get one? I want one, where do i apply?

Now that Blake Austin and Jackson Hastings have played for GB can they get a British passport? As Australians can they get PNG passports?

Its all getting too confusing for me, must be Sir Kev's fault.

From what I know of the salary cap registering a player as a coach doesn’t get around the cap. Their wage for both playing and coaching would count on the cap. The only way you could work around it is to not play the “coach” for the first half of the season say and then play him for the 2nd half. As the salary of the “coach” would only count from the point at which they are registered as a player or play in a game but then counts for the rest of the season.

So if Leuluai doesn’t play for the first half or a decent proportion of the season to begin with then they may have saved some cap space. If he does then they haven’t saved anything.

Is Martin even eligible for a PNG passport? We have no idea on here if he is or if that’s even what the club is attempting.

The passport issue is no excuse for loaning in mediocre 2nd division players.
Yes it will take time but padding the squad out with has beens & never will bes caused part of the problems we witnessed fighting relegation.
Also whats happening with the Coaching set up? Carr was earmarked but he's long gone home??