Highly rated lad Big unit mussed thus season through injury. Bit more than a project guess this is replacement for Walters https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 782225.amp

Highly rated lad Big unit mussed thus season through injury. Bit more than a project guess this is replacement for Walters https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 782225.amp

Not much SL experience we need a lot more quality

It’s a big body project which is probably a retrograde step from Walters but you never know.

Our first line props will be Holroyd, Oledski, Lisone, Sangare and they will get picked if fit. Not sure a project prop is what we needed but I’m guessing we are prioritising SH and Centre (correctly). Once we know who we’re signing there and at what price / quota, I guess we can think about the pack again.

Good luck to him anyway.

Given what others have said about us not really having any props ready to come through the system yet it’s an understandable depth signing, and I would argue if we’re going to have projects, they should be ones with youth and outstanding physical attributes.

We can't possibly go with only those 4.
We will get injuries and Sangare is not good enough or fit enough to be in the 4 rotation every week.

Looks like this kid is to replace Walters (and presume we have missed out on Eseh).
We absolutely must replace Tetevano.

Don't mind this type of signing. Looks a decent prospect and the cap won't take much of a hit. Regardless of this signing we still have significant spending money and QS etc to play with to get this side back into the top 4

Assuming we have another starting prop coming in, he will be 6th maybe 7th choice if Goudaman spells at prop. He’s just squad filler and if he ends up more than that its good business

Goudemand hasn't really played second row since 2019. He's mostly off the bench, but when he's started he's been Prop or Loose Forward. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't do similar for Leeds. I'd like another Prop too, but he is essentially our 5th prop forward (Hudson 6th) , so we aren't quite as thin there in terms of quantity as some think.

Dont mind this signing, or indeed, these kind of signings, young british player with excellent physical attributes for his position.

Fills the young prop with potential gap in the squad, which we were short of

Lets see how he gets on

Theres not enough quality there though if we're really serious. There needs to be a marked improvement from oledszki, Holroyd and Sangare.

I agree. I'm just fed up of people think Goudemand is a second row.

MG is 5’ 10” and 15st 6lbs, he’s not going to make a dent in most of the other forwards at the top clubs. If he’s the 5th Prop we’re going round in circles in lower mid table. We need a big hitter prop, someone who’s going to bend the line and whack in defence, not another “middle”.

You are right and so is Arthur

To give a bit of perspective, MG is the same height as Kylie Leuluai, but a stone and a half lighter.

And MG is not made out of concrete

Perhaps we should sign Ben Grimm?

Would you give up an quota spot we could use on a half or a centre to get one? English options in the NRL are Thompson ( a big risk injury wise and seemingly heading elsewhere), Sutton (by no means a big bopper) and Burgess who has occasionally flirted with the notion, but is probably more likely to head to Wire given the choice.

Ryan Sutton is 6’ 2” and 16st 7lbs. He’s not small.

Yep, but I imagine he's no heavier than Oledzki, Holroyd, Sangare and Lisone, so probably not the kind of line bending prop people hanker for. He'd also be a fair bit more expensive than any of the above. Not saying he's not a good player, and wouldn't make a difference, but if he were to come I doubt there would be a big rush on season tickets.

I believe that once you’re a certain size (or bigger) then the bending the line bit is more about what’s between your ears than anything else. 5’ 10” is tall enough and 16st 7lbs is heavy enough, if you run like you’re going to go through a brick wall.

Tend to agree it's as much to do with attitude once you above 16 stone. Moses Leota around that weight and hits the line like a rocket in attack and defence. Sangare is 18 stone plus but I know which one of the two I would rather tackle. In our competition Matty Lees is only around 16 stone but runs and tackles every pound of it.
The handful of 18 stone plus props in the world who can play big minutes with the same intensity in attack and defence command the highest salaries for a reason.

Take Muizz as an example, at 5,8 and all the will in the world, heart and desire would never make up for him not being able to get above 100k by the limits of his height, to get to the top of the game as its now played.

The priority for quota spots is undoubtedly a quality half, though any hopes I had are fading and Myler, Frawley, Miller or is looking increasingly possible. I think we need to be looking at paying a fee for one of the key positions we need in order to work around the spots we have available.

As has been said already, the approach looks like developing a team built on qualities that would seem in the main to achieve a top 6 spot more regularly but without the class to really compete right at the top.

Agreed on the prop front.

I might be reading too much into it, but I wonder if some of the signings are treading a fine line of not blocking top academy products from coming through. Frawley is a steady journeyman, who Sinfield or another top talent should surpass in the next couple of years. I think Miller is around 30, so again leaves space for Edgell or Lumb to come through in a couple of years.

Perhaps they are waiting for the right kind of signing at 7 to develop that next batch, rather than take a spot in the long term.

I could see the sense in that, particularly with spine positions. If you look at both ours and Saints period of dominance, one of the common denominators was the fact that we had home grown players in those spine positions, it would generally mean costs on those expensive positions are less and quota spaces can be used on more ‘luxuries’ if you will.

It would be a big risk to take though.

It would be a huge risk not just in terms of whether the Academy kids make it, but as it would also consign us to not challenging while we wait and see. Frawley to help see Sinfield through I can understand, but the other half must be someone who makes a difference. Frawley's not quick at all, if we're to have a hope we need some speed there.