I have wondered for a while if that's the plan with the scrum half. Mentioned it before on here. Go for most of the season using Addy, Purtell and/or Thomas, then come transfer deadline week, go round banging on doors of the good halfbacks who aren't making their Super League 17 most weeks (there's always a couple out there) and throw money at them for 3 months' work. Much like Wakefield did with most of their squad last year.

That worked for them. Although it's always a worry asking a halfback to gel with a team so quickly, and that you make the Middle 8s in the first place.

Quality scrum halfs who can change a squad aren't easy to come by! Bradford will still challenge next year I don't think Sheffield have improved at all! Fax maybe a little bit fev have gone backwards! you will still be up there! If I was lowes I'd got Gaskell/purtell and play behind your pack nice basic rugby! Someone mentioned our depth it isn't as bad you think w Weill line up McNally Kay Armstrong Tonga higson/pownall ridyard chase hock beswick emmit Patterson Hansen Barlow subs higham Hopkins Weston moi moi. Leaving us worthington foster higson/pownall spencer Acton breirley(injured) Dixon matuai pala still got one to come in being announced on Thursday I don't think we will be that bad!

There's also a risk nobody decent is available then or you end up in a bidding war with another club.

I think our base squad is fine - other than the half-back problem and dependent on not losing any more than we already have.

Most of the 'ins' have just replaced the 'outs' who never really featured much anyway, basically just changes in the periphery, though I would agree it certainly isn't the leaner, meaner squad we were led to believe was coming for next season. It does look like Purts is going in the halves and Welham at centre, which is definitely strong enough to finish in the top four, though may be found wanting in the eights - though, I suspect some money will be left for late recruitment as who knows just who may become available up during the season?

I looked back at the 17 that played at Leigh in that first match and we have lost the weaker players and recruited good replacements, but unfortunately we have lost one of our top players. Leigh have also got a better 17. We could do with several other teams being at a similar level as that would create a better league and push our players more. We need tough opposition..

Assuming you're keeping them all, I don't see how anyone questions Leigh's depth. Even in the halves, there's 3 top quality ones, and another who's elsewhere on loan (Reynolds) if it got desperate. The only question of depth will be if Leigh are getting rid of some of those players in order to make the salary cap space for the likes of Chase, Hansen, Paterson & Tonga. That will be confirmed one way or the other when squad numbers go out I suppose.

Beaumont has stated that squad is now complete with the last addition being announced tommorow! So I'd presume everyone is now staying

I'm being slightly pedantic but Leigh can't recall Reynolds now. Season long loans are just that - he's there for the whole season.

As our squad currently stands I would line us up like this

Clare/Campbell
Caro/Uaisele
Welham
Purtell
Williams
Gaskell
Addy/Thomas
Sidlow
AoB
Clough
Olbison
Ferguson
Pitts

Walker/Lauaki/Fleming
Clark/Crossley
Haggerty/Kavanagh/Blythe/Walshaw
Halafihi/Baile/Ryan/Lumb

I think Addy is now an out-and-out scrum half now, to be honest. He did a superb job there for us all season last season and in some games was the stand out performer; Leigh at home being one (despite his mistake!). We don't need the line running of Mullaney for the scrum half - we need a reasonable kicker, which Addy is, and a reasonable passer of the ball to direct us around, which Addy also is. Gaskell/Addy as our pivots will see us through all year, no dramas. Oscar can cover SH if needs be - but I don't know his style of play yet. Purts can cover Addy at SH too in the event of injury as he does a similar job to Addy, albeit with worse kicking.

I think there is too much negativity around the online communities at the moment. We are in a better position than last year. I think fullback should be our main priority, but then Thomas might play there!

My biggest concern is that if Gaskell gets injured, we no longer have that line running anywhere else on the park, so we would literally be relying upon the brute force of our ever expanding pack - that would be reminiscent of the "Big Four" days (well, a little).

+ Mellor/Mendeika/Nielsen.

Like Brad Dwyer at London last season?

I did a little side by side comparison between the 30 man squad from the start of last season to the 32 man squad of right now and the (IMO) closest in/out pairings look like this:
Mullaney / Clare
Siejka / ???
Davies / Crossley
Ulugia / Welham
Henry / Nielsen
Petersen / Clark
C Walker / Haggerty
Conroy / Lumb
Shaw / Mendeika
Tahraoui / Kavanagh
Brook / Thomas
Bates / J Walker
+ Campbell, Caro and E Ryan.

Probably doesn't mean much but it was a lunch time well spent!

Reynolds can be recalled as long as both clubs agree to terminate the loan agreement.

We fell for a similar deal about ripping up contracts last year with OBrien. Cost us promotion.

I personally don't care what other sides do! It is down to what our TEAM can achieve with the ability to focus on their game, with efforts based on the same objectives in every game!

Are leigh strenghtening better than us? haven't a clue all I know is they had a settled team of good quality players with some at SL level in Brierley and Beswick for example..both these players will be displaced by some of these Marque players no doubt, and with the discrepancy in salaries, because Chase is bound to be paid double of what the old regime will be earning, shall we see what happens: example AKA Salford and the Koucash way of team building.
So why worry, let's be ourselves and stick up for our side!

Derek and Paul knew what was needed after what went on last year. Derek is a fan with a business making a serious amount of profit which allows him to finance his passion by taking a relatively small percentage of it and putting it into the club, he is very cash rich.
We have trimmed the squad of the lads who would get little game time to bring in experienced pro's who have done it on the big stage, with the feedback from them being very positive about the culture they are within - believe it or not the players have great respect for Derek.
Another big name will be announced tomorrow but today our probable first choice 17 would be
=#BF0000McNally
=#BF0000Higson Kay
Tonga =#BF0000Worthington
Chase =#FF0000Ridyard
=#FF0000Hock Higham Weston
Maitua Hansen
Patterson

=#FF0000Moimoi Dixon Spencer Acton Brierley Beswick New Boy =#FF0000Armstrong Barlow Emmitt =#FF0000Foster Harper Pownall

The core of that squad have been here a few years =#FF0000red and are desperate for SL, they see the new boys as essential to get there - two players will leave that squad imo before the season starts

When you look at the squad laid out on paper like that, you can see where the big money has been spent. Starting pack and halves are strong, a few injuries to your backs and hookers and you could struggle though. But the same as anyone else in that respect I suppose.

I belieive Leigh bullied most of the teams in the championship which is why the won most of their games, however, they could not use the same tactics in the final 8's.
They have had to up the quality of their team this year so as not to have the same problem at the end of the season. We just need to concentrate on getting the best from on our own team which we did not last year and not worry about everyone elses team sheet. Just play the team on the pitch!!

I don't think we'll have too many problems through the regular season and will finish in the top 2 based on the squad as it stands. But we have space on the cap and quota for the right player

As I said elsewhere, I think the core of our team is fine, save for the halfback problem. I'm totally 'relaxed' about our prospects as things stand, allowing for an incoming half and no more sudden disappearances, of course.

That being said, it was mentioned on the Wakfield forum that we were sniffing around Craig Hall.
Now, given the Nielsen situation is a bit up in the air, I wouldn't discount that entirely.

Hall's capable of good attacking play - from time to time. His defence is pretty poor though. The fact that Wakefield don't want him speaks volumes. He's probably decent for championship rugby but isn't going to get us into the SL.

A bit harsh IMO. Sammut and Godinet were both released by Wakefield and most people on here are crying out for one of them to be signed

Yes, Hall is on his way.

IIRC Godinet turned down a new contract with wakefield rather than being released. Sammut was a player they never really wanted in the first place. They only signed him to damage our chances IMO.