Lilycrop is ex Bulls.

IMO Olbison lacks a bit of size and can get mullered when he takes the ball up. We need more go forward from out pack.

Pitts has a good workrate but for me lacks the size and aggression needed.

Championship rugby is very physical and we've seen our pack get bullied more and more this season. Leigh, Fev, London, Batley and Fax have all beaten us up front.

Major surgery is required. It's a shame we're losing Clough and Clark who are quality. We could do with a couple of players that "play on the edge of legality".

There might still be a few Barlows about...

You didn't say which side of the 'edge of legality', you meant.

Regarding the four London players reported to be coming to us. I assume some of them were there when Rohan was working there and saw something in them. I trust his judgement e.g. Chisholm and Moss but we need a couple of older established players to work with them on the pitch and some aggression up front.

Alex Foster is definitely not at London next season, don't know yet where he's going. I know he's spoke to the Bulls.

I think Lilycrop for all his aggression lacks size also. Rowe is as tough as they come and Hirst was actually in our academy too at one point when Geroge Flanagan was here.

One prop I would be interested in depending on his fitness would be Scott Anderson, experience of grand finals tough and uncompromising and seems to be on the outer at wakey

Was at a function on Friday and was told from someone within the game that we had signed Ben Evans for next year. Interesting that Warrington have anounced today that he will be leaving at the end of the year

Was also told Mitch Achurch has signed. Think Smith had him at Penrith

I've just told my daughter Jay Pitts could be leaving... Didn't go down to well. Doesn't want a season ticket for next year now!

Hirst is following Kear to Wakefield.

I'd take Ben Evans, cracking player. Or at least he was when he was here a few years ago.
I also said earlier that I wouldn't be surprised if we signed Achurch and Falloon from Leeds. They could probably both go well at this level but Achurch is supposedly on a huge salary at Leeds, hopefully we aren't paying over the odds for him.

I suggested Olbison move to prop because IMO he's the new Langley, offers little else but carrying the ball up.

It was bad enough thinking Falloon was on his way but Achurch as well? Hell no.

I can't tell if Achurch is just lazy and crap, or if he's doing it on purpose at Leeds because he's thrown the toys out of the pram over the way they treated him.
Remember when Leeds signed him? GH was really bigging him up. Not sure what's gone on there but it's not often GH gets it so wrong.



I can't agree. Olbison actually has genuine pace, and running out wide - where he's supposed to be - he can be a real threat. Go back and watch our middle 8s win over Salford last year to see what I mean. At prop he just loses all effectiveness.

I think Olbison has just stagnated in the last year or so, and probably isn't going to fulfil his early promise if he stays in the comfort zone with us.

Loathe as I would be to see another home grown talent move on, I do actually think a change of environment might do him the world of good.

Would be very happy with Ben Evans.

Achurch and Falloon I'm unsure on. Acurch would certainly give us some much needed size. But probably not the aggression or nastiness we're badly needing. Think he'll go well at this level though. Falloon would be a better signing than Howarth IMO but I hope he isn't put ahead of O'brien. Only saw highlights on Bulls TV but he looked to have a storming game against Whitehaven.

Agree with that.

The 'good player' must still be there though, inside. I thought the new coach arriving might have been enough of a 'change' but it seems not - so far at least. Change of club may well be what he needs - suspect I'd put Danny Addy in the same category too, neither have really built on the promise we saw in the last year of SL, I for one, thought they'd both be ripping up this division but, sad to say, for whatever reason, they just haven't.

Is that not a common theme of Bradford in recent years though? Player breaks through in academy, looks like he could be a future star, then ends up stagnating and moving on, only to reach that potential elsewhere?

I would say Whitehead, Bateman and T Burgess certainly fall into that category. Luke Gale maybe too (although didn't come through our academy). All started to look like their progression had totally stopped before going elsewhere and becoming stars. Donaldson not so much as I don't think he ever stopped developing, he was always quality for us.

I think if you bring promising youngsters into a side that’s flawed then you run the risk of stopping their development. They can get bad habits and never realise their potential. It’s happened a lot with us and I think that’s down to the fact that we’ve recruited very poorly for years in the key leadership positions. That’s mainly down to the head coach. Our best coach of recent years (Potter) arrested the slide and got us into the top 8 before points deduction got us. He made sure the side had a good spine so young players could come in under less pressure.

Look at how Addy’s development has gone since he got into the 1st team. For his entire 1st team career he’s been played out of position. Not good for his development or for the rest of the team.

here's a really novel idea - how about a player who can kick conversions?

How many games have we lost this season, despite scoring more tries than the opposition, simply because we can't convert the 4-pointers into 6's?!

It's something we can and must improve on that's for sure.

Three matches.

Enough to have seen us in the middle 8's then!

I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Bailey was recommended by uncle Tony!

Anyone know why Jonny Campbell isn't still with Keighley? He seemed to go well in first couple of games and then hasn't played since. He was at odsal on Sunday and not even watching Keighley

Looks pretty much nailed on that Pitts and Purtell are off to London

Doesn't seem like anyone wants to offer Olbison anything - the T&A suggests he might end up playing part-time at Batley with Diskin. That seems a helluva come down for someone who was in the same bracket as Whitehead and Donaldson not so long ago.

And suggestions that a number of other contracted players are free to leave 'if an opportunity presents itself'. Presumably that covers people like Mendeika, Campbell, Halafihi etc

A real 'clear out' (and much needed IMO)

Think Olbison has gone 'off the boil' a bit, both this year and last. I've no idea why but he seems to have hit a plateau after his period of being the 'next big thing'. Disappointing but it happens - a new club, new environment, different coaching may be all he needs since I'm sure the basic ability has to be still there. That maybe means that Batley, and Disko, wouldn't necessarily be his best option though.