Salford Reds have received a shock inquiry from Leeds Rhinos about the possible availability of star centre Joel Moon. Less than a week after an independent tribunal ruled he is duty-bound to honour the final year of his contract with the City Reds Leeds’ have moved in to see if they can sign up the NRL star for 2013. READ MORE ON THIS STORY....

Salford Reds have received a shock inquiry from Leeds Rhinos about the possible availability of star centre Joel Moon. Less than a week after an independent tribunal ruled he is duty-bound to honour the final year of his contract with the City Reds Leeds’ have moved in to see if they can sign up the NRL star for 2013. READ MORE ON THIS STORY....

Cobblers. He's not over 30.

One of the better centres in the league imo and we need options in the backline to replace Smith and Webb. Sounds from the MEN article that he wants to go back to Australia.

Pointless bid if he's homesick!

.....not if you're attempting to delude wavering season ticket holders that you're 'serious' about recruiting

Is he homesick though? He thought he had the chance to return home after a year. Maybe he just doesnt like playing for Salford

So let me get this straight. You think the club are putting in a bid to Salford to sign Joel Moon, knowing that the player actually wants to go home, and knowing the player won't actually sign.

I'm sure that will bring the renewals in their thousands...if I was a season ticket holder I'd be straight on the phone - the prospect that we might sign Joel Moon



Don't get me wrong, from what I've seen he seems a decent enough player - but hardly the kind of signing that really excites is it?

Lunacy!

TBH not fussed.would rather give Keinhorst the shirt.

If you believe.......

Lunar-cy!

Agreed...also agree that an unhappy Aussie I presume on a 1 year deal, due to him wanting to return home, is not what Leeds need especially taking I imagine a bigger salary than other Leeds local products in the team....... Silly

Sign a BIG name or stick with Keinhorst and sort out Hooker and Pack.....

Could he be used as a bargaining chip?

See page one for an earlier version of this joke.

If he wants to play for leeds and doesnt see it as a 1yr stop gap before going back to aus then I think he would be a good signing. There are plenty of others who i would rather sign but the likes of Atkins, Reed and Inglis are simply not available!!

Hooker and the pack must be our main priority. We need to find away of getting a quality 80min hooker, sinny, burrow and mags on the pitch at the same time.

Might as well stick with McShane or Hood because whoever it is will struggle with game time as i fully expect Burrow to still get the lion's share of minutes in the 9 role and no point adding to the salary cap for someone who'll get maybe 30 mins tops every week. With the emergence of Stevie Ward, fitting him, Burrow, McGuire, Sinfield AND a hooker on the pitch at the same time is slim to zero, as i think Ward will start at 13 next year.

Moon ... Plays for team with no atmosphere

McDermott clearly thinks Keinhorst will be ready, otherwise he'd been getting rid of him instead of loaning to Hunslet. As such, we're after a centre in the short term (maybe only one year) until Jimmy is ready to step up, or at least until we can make a long-term recruitment decision at LC. Those asking for a 'big name' are after an Aussie whose powers are on the wane, and will want a big-money, long-term deal, i.e. the wage they're getting in the NRL, but with a longer commitment than any NRL side will give them.

Such a deal would leave us horribly exposed if either a) they get injured, as happens to older backs, or b) Keinhorst is judged ready, and displaces them from the team (a la Hardaker vis a vis Webb this season).

Given those circumstances, we can do several things.

a. Sign a 'big name' on a short term deal. Very expensive, potentially buying out an existing contract, or getting someone so old they have literally no better offers.

b. Rush the decision. Sign a 'big name' in the long term (e.g. Atkins) and get rid of Keinhorst. Again, expensive, probably the sort of money we simply don't have, given other commitments we want to make i.e. new pitch, new south stand

c. Stick with what we have. Play our best fit at LC (Carl Ablett). Saves us money, no new players, but does thin the squad in other areas.

d. sign a stopgap. Find someone willing to take a one-year deal, who's good enough to be our LC, and who won't break the bank.

Clearly, we are choosing between C and D. Option Carl means taking one of our best & youngest forwards out of the pack and sticking them at LC, putting a huge burden on Achurch to perform, Delaney to play a full 80, and Ablett himself to perform in a role which is very much his second choice.

The second option is to sign Joel Moon. Won't be hugely expensive (even if he is Salford's marquee player), but will plug away at left centre, and will be happy to take a one year deal, keeping Ablett in the forwards, and ensuring JK can come back in 2014 if it's decided he's good enough.

I think it's a sensible move personally, we'll have to see if it comes off.

You're underrating Moon a bit there.

Think Hall would enjoy playing outside a centre like Moon. (Insert a joke about orbiting here if you like)

He'd be a fantastic signing for Leeds, a natural left centre with class, pace, good hands and solid defence. It wouldn't be too long before he was being compared to Brad Godden and was a firm SS favourite.