Just to avoid confusion, what does an on its ar5e champ club with not enough cash to probably cover the next couple of months payroll, a good chance of admin if it can’t cover its liabilties supposed to do when a SL club comes offering a cash lifeline and the players want to go, supposed to do? Hold out for a deal that includes a clause “and they are guaranteed a starting shirt”

No, I'm just disappointed for those players who've left to join a SL club who might not actually get to play in SL. Especially Michella and Ryan - they both more than deserve the chance to show what they're capable of at a higher level

And if they are good enough they will get a chance. As much chance at HKR as anywhere else IMO

He wouldn't. Jordan Abdull would have likely had 6 with one of Brierley or Ellis having the 7 shirt.

In most cases for KR, the new signings are the later numbers. It's only where an existing member of the squad wouldn't really have suited the early numbers that new players have gone into them (SKD, Minikin, Abdull). They clearly don't mean much as Ellis and Brierley are 30 and 31 despite the fact they'll blatantly be higher up the pecking order than Joe.
I would imagine it's looking like a mistake joining them to Keyes now as they have 5 half backs in the squad and 3 of them are more experienced than him. Leaving Bradford am sure will feel the right thing to do, but it does look like he may still end up playing most of his rugby on DR or loan in 2020. At least until he shows he's a better option than those 3.

I’m sure if Kear has the budget and the need for another half back then he could be enquiring about loan availability.

Keyes is a better option than Brierley at least out of that lot and there’s an argument for him playing before Ellis too in my opinion. He’s got all the qualities to play SL if he can keep himself fit and gets a good pre-season behind him.

On the face of it the chance to move to the bright lights of SL probably looked like a good move for them all but realistically I would be surprised if any of them think that come the end of the season. Hull KR will be clear favourites for the drop in my opinion and have put together a team that is going to struggle to win games which makes it even less likely that those players will get given a chance. You can't blame them for wanting to move to a full time SL environment though I just think career wise it will be a bad move for them all in the longterm.

That's fair enough in many ways but they will be playing (when they get a chance) at a higher level and training with SL players, who, in general, are at a higher level than the Championship. We shouldn't discount the environment when considering the effect of their moves, even though, given KR's prospects, that environment is likely to be a somewhat gloomy one.

Keyes is more than good enough for lower end SL if he's given a fair run of games to establish himself. I'd gladly take him back at the Bulls though if it doesn't work out!

I'd take them all back in a heartbeat.

After the way they have been treated, I'm not sure they would want to come back.

Completely agree.

At least as loan players, they wouldn't have to worry about being paid or getting their pensions.

milnes came back, though

"Came back" isn't the same as "being bought and then sent on a season-long loan back". I don't imagine he had much say in it and would think that getting him back for a year was part of the deal thrown at HKR as well the pieces of silver, selling the heart of our team to pay off debts.

I would love to have them all back too. But I can't blame players for wanting to leave after the non-pension payments, rumors of not being paid every month, and general B6ll$h!ttery that I'm sure they were sold as much as us.

It is a massive shame they went as part of the attempt to save the club.
Players leave and are missed but we do have a good record of replacing them with new young lads and this will happen again.
Lets all hope the cycle of bringing them through and then losing them due to financial problems is now over and we can keep them. There will always be lads that want to move and in a way this is why we can tempt them here in the first place as they know they will be training at Tong with good coaches and will get a chance if they try hard. Inevitably some also see this as a chance to learn then move on as we do also have a very good record of finding good youngsters. Catch 22 I am afraid.

You do have to wonder if all the various "problems" we've suffered over recent years doesn't cause some youngsters, and maybe especially their parents, to think twice about the Bulls? Certainly the people who are the face of the club, JK and the people involved with the whole youth setup and training would instil confidence, but that constant vibe in the background...

What’s not to like when you’re a junior? The setup is good, central location, excellent facilities and an established pathway to a first team if you’re good enough....

Amended for accuracy

I thought the "a first team" bit allowed Bulls, Giants, Saints, HKR - whoever wanted our players really. I was going for subtle....

Saying that though, if one of the younger ones of the 5 - say Storton or Milnes had wanted to stay, I don't think a choice was offered by the sounds of things. If your club tell you (out of the blue) they've come to an arrangement with another club and your agent has started to negotiate your new contract I don't think Storton (for example) gets the chance to say - "actually I would prefer to stay, thanks. "

I think he will. His agent should be acting for his player so shouldn’t be negotiating a deal his player doesn’t want and as hard as it would be going forward, a player can’t be forced to sign a contract at a new club even if his club need to get rid

We are still in such a state of flux you could forgive any player for opting to go sign elsewhere. We have interim people in charge and no indication of the financial backing or funding model required to stop us going pop again. If you were an agent and we came knocking wouldn't you ask what's different this time?

The rfl were given our budgets and forecasts, no? So I would say that there probably is a model in place.
Or are you expecting it to be made public? Because that's obviously not going to happen.

We've always had quite a few of the 'top' rated juniors - too many to name in fact, and there's absolutely nothing to suggest they won't still get an excellent education in the game at the Bulls. The best juniors won't be short of alternatives though, in truth they, and their parents, are likely to be sifting through a bundle of offers from SL clubs and hopefully from us. Given our recent record of upheaval I'd think it would hardly be a shock if a few decide to go elsewhere.