Those calling for Thomas at 7, surely he's not the right kind of player that we're after?

If Gaskell goes down injured, I fully expect Thomas will be his replacement. But Gaskell and Thomas as a partnership just doesn't work for me. You're still lacking that organiser, you're still lacking your game management. Yes Thomas may take the line on a bit more, but we already have plenty of individuals, we don't have someone who knits those individuals into a team while out on the field.

Anyone got a time machine to go back 10 years and nab Paul Deacon?

Things are so desperate I'd pop back 5 and get Ben Jeffries!

Are we desperate enough to take Marc Herbert yet? That's the ultimate acid test.

Actually if we had a timemachine we'd be better off going back to the reign of Hood and letting him know how effed up we've will become if he doesn't sort it the eff out! Maybe shake him by his lapels until his jowls wobble off.

And not sign Harris....

*ducks for cover*

I liked Ben Harris. Good solid hard working centre, similar to Scott Naylor.

I assume you mean Ben. If any other Harris played for us, it must have been wiped from my memory by that hypnotist I hired to halt my depression.

Not sure of the ins and outs of the situation whether it was Tony Smith or Patten himself, but Brian Smith tried to get him on loan at Wakefield before the start of the season and was turned down.

He was marginally better than Nick Zisti

We've had this strange debate before. Some people remember Ben Harris very differently from others. To me he was solid and I'd never be as cruel as to liken him to Zisti. He didn't have much pace but was defensively sound.

I did say he was better!

He also played for Australia, which many regard as some sort of recommendation...

Thought he was superb myself, brilliant defender and whilst he was never a top sprinter he was no slouch either. He could both find a gap for himself and put his winger into one. He left us to go back to a regular slot in the NRL, which is, and was then, a better league than ours, so I wouldn't take too much notice of people who slate him too much.

I probably do him a dis-service, granted.

The view of him is probably masked as we started to hit our decline, but yes he was solid and reliable.

And he scored half his career tries for us!

I don't think he did, did he?
Don't think he even played SOO?

I don't think he played for Australia either

I still yearn for the re-signing of Richie Hawkyard myself.

What a talent he was.

Etu and Walker gone to Dewsbury on loan.

Hopefully that paves the way for us to announce our new star 7.

Who funnily enough, I believe is now at Keighley too. I would say behind Adam Brook in the pecking order, but I believe Richie is a fullback nowadays.

Well what an inspired signing Johnny Walker turned out to be

Neither. NSW Country Origin team once. That was after he'd been with us and gone back to Australia. I forget what happened but he only did a couple years more before he was out of the game. Top flight at any rate. Still only 32 now, he could still be playing somewhere if he didn't quit because of injury.

He moved into the second row for a while and then retired because of injury iirc.

nah , I got that bit wrong - I thought he'd played for Aus after he returned, but no.

He did play for the NSW Country side and everything else still applies, of course..

Making room on the cap for a return of Leon Pryce?

Didn't Ben Harris retire and train as a pilot? Retired due to injury

Hmm. Maybe we could get that Spitfire on loan, and have Harris zoom in from over the Coral Stand on 70 minutes and strafe the opposition. I've checked the Rules, and can't see anything against it

The recruitment is a joke. Dejavu from last year. Ferres signs player x. Coach Lowes decides whether he likes player x pretty early on (and when i say like I dont mean whether he's a good player or not) if coach Lowes likes player X then be is pretty much indespensible no matter how badly he performs (Lauaki, Blythe etc )if coach Lowes doesn't like player x, then player x either sits round twiddling his thumbs not getting an opportunity no matter how bad coach Lowes's favourites are performing, or gets sent out on loan (Tahraouri Petersen Walshaw Uaisele Ulugia, Brook ) Meanwhile we have a centre, second rower, FB half back partnership going on with coach Lowes intelligently pointing out we're too slow with the ball and not looking organised.