[url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/09/09/11/RUGBYL_Wakefield.htmlJeffries confirmed[/url

He'll not be missed.

Slightly worrying when you look at the fact we've 6, possibly 7, players leaving (Morrison, Jeffires & Newton to Wakey, Cook to HKR, Solomona to Wire, James to Quins. Tad's future is up in the air) and we've only, so far, announced 2 players coming in (Hall & Le'Strange).

I'd hope that the loss of 3 2nd rowers means that Whitehead, Olbison and Donaldson (assuming he gets a new contract, insanity that he's not already) will get more game time. But we do seem a little light in the same problem areas ie half back and centre

Donaldson has another year to go and Whitehead's just re-signed IIRC.

A backrow from Menzies, Hall, Langley, Worrincy, Whitehead, Olbison and Donaldson looks ok to me but I would like to see us sign a big monster impact forward of some description. Somebody along the lines of Puletua would be great.

I expect that we'll be seeing announcements about Kearney and possibly Walker soon. They should strengthen the backs provided Kearney is fit and Walker's heart's in it. Let's face it the backs are our main area of weakness. Walker can play centre AFAIK but I expect that we'll see more of Crookes next year too.

I think Deacon, Sykes and Kearney will share the halfback positions. I'd like more cover but their you go.

Of course if Kearney and Walker don't come we'll struggle.

updated with Langleys surgery lay off

Updated with Burgess departure

2010 squad list coming soon - once Grand final is done!

It'll fit on the back of a postage stamp at this rate!

..Interesting 'on the BACK of a postage stamp' In that case lets hope the new signings are tasty and finger licking good

Of course Mr hood could blow their cover and put them on the FRONT!!

We've signed the queen?!?!?!

Yep SL royalty ..hopefully THAT good

Although it has been a 'queer' sort of season for us....

How many times, we don't want Fielden back!!!

updated with Tadulala's confirmed exit,

The squad does look a bit threadbare at the minute, but I hope that plenty of the youngsters get used next year rather than getting middle of the road nobody's to boost numbers and not quality

Well, we were told at the forum that the reason we had to sign various journeymen was because when Macca took over we had seemingly lost much of the academy and had few imminent prospects. The journeymen were required to plug the gap till the academy was providing first team players again, but at much higher cost (and hence, by implication, the limitations on signing marquee players).

So the big question, taking that at face value, is how far off are we with the feed from the academy?

well lets face it, Whitehead, Donaldson and Crookes didn't look out of place in there appearances, so why not have them in the 17 regularly?

We have done it before, and reaped the rewards when Pryce, Fielden, Peacock et al matured together, we just need the bottle to do that again.

I've never agreed with that it's bunkum players like Alex Szostak, Dave Clayton, Joe Walsh, Neil Cherryholme were good enough to be given that chance. The problem is that unless your one of the chosen ones who make the first team squad you'll never make the first team.
IMO I'd say at least another 12 to 18 months before we see any one else break through.

Does anybody close to the club know -if its true- where we will play Kearney?



I really hope we don't shift Halley.

updated with Kearney signing, and Platt rumoured departure

every report is saying standoff so daves safe

So atm, we look like this :


Halley
Sheriffe
Sykes
Nero
?
Kearney
Deacon
Lynch
Godwin
Scruton
Hall
Menzies
Langley

Kopzcak
Crossley
L'Estrange
Worrincy
Whitehead
Donaldson
Crookes
Hyde
Platt
Tate


Not going to cut it.

We need 3 or 4 signings still.
Olbison

Have any of those since joined other SL clubs?

Walsh has had a handful of games. It still seems like the only player to go straight from our academy to first team success elsewhere is Ryan Atkins. Mark Flanagan languished in Wigan's reserves for another couple of seasons before breaking through.

You can draw one of two conclusions. Either the players failed to make it because the club failed to give them the right coaching and experience at the right time...

...or the club got it right, and the players weren't going to make it anyway

Indeed. It's utter p!sh.

Nail head.

Or you can draw the opposite conclusion: you make your choice. I genuinely don't know. You could put someone like Jamie Peacock up against that - someone who seemed to be at the back of the queue for training & opportunity at that age who came through anyway, and with a vengeance - but perhaps he's just an exceptional individual (we know that anyway).

My uninformed opinion is that if a player is going to make it, he will. If he's put off by this sort of setback, it probably shows that he didn't have the character. But that is only an uninformed opinion, and I'm not going to pretend it's holy writ.

updated with Donaldsons Extension