If you quote the full sentence I said its between him and Halley to get a game on Sunday. I thought we might have seen him by now that is all.

I hope he proves me wrong

I don't want to state the obvious, but who goes depends on who becomes available.

I would definitely keep Royston and Ainscough. Also happy to see Ah Van, L'Estrange and Kearney stick around - but not if Vatuvai, Ennis and Duggan, for example, express a sudden desire to move to West Yorkshire.

Similarly, Herbert obviously hasn't set the world alive. He was obviously (and rightly) preferred to the option of no half back. I would continue to prefer him to that option next year.

Not fussed about Walker and Raynor - think we have stronger in the squad.

Most comments here are about the Backline - seems strange when we have the worst forward pack in the comp with the worst defensive record. I think the halves and the rest of the backline would love to play behind a dominant pack that goes forward and repels the attacking team rather than drop most of the ball and make the halves play off the back foot. Last game the forwards had a go and the result was the backs looked much better. Bet Herbert and Kearney would like to see that sort of effort rather than the rubbish forwards they have played behind all year. Don't think we have seen a game this year where the forwards were dominant. In the state of Origin Queensland bashed New South Wales in the first 20mins and Thuston, Smith and Lockyer toyed with them.

I would like to see hard working forwards brought in Plus a couple of centres that know how to defend.

to have at least two out of Scruton Langley and Elima injured at the same has meant reliance upon youth, whose stats are nowhere near as good, and not what Potter said he wanted to do at the start of the season. The Wigan game showed what having just one of those three unavailable, and Langley closer to full match fitness means. So to me any judgement about the forwards need to wait until theres been a few weeks of the first choices playing together. As with the backs, we need a few more weeks of a settled half back partnership and more first choices back to see how they all go. certainly in teh second half of the season all the one yearers should be putting everything in to it whether they want to stay or go, so we may see different opinions to those expressed so far on a good thread. The most interesting return from injury is going to be Herbert, and what his best position is seen to be.

Just my OPINION but id keep Walker, i just think he has been unfortunate with injuries this season - i dont think he is over the hill just yet and has plenty of potential IF he can stay fit once back from injury, possibly playing in at second row - the final part of the season will be vital for him !!

Raynor - Still has the pace and strength to be a quality winger, still one of the best IMO, just lack of the ball in first half of season to do ought

Ainscough is a keeper, young lad with a bucket full of passion, great potential - just again unfortuante to get injured - but dont thin he has been given a full chance yet.

Ah van should be tried at Stand off, if ainy and raynor fit on the wings, and jeffries at 7 - Briggs is ok but i think could be utilised better as a loose forward.

Herbert - not too sure, with the results and the way the team has been playing not really given space.

Kearney - definately a keeper, back in at full back, missed his creativness through injury



Royston been a good stand in at FB for kearney but could always be pushed to centres.

L'Estrange - again no brainer for me - defo a keeper



Halley/Finnegan - need to be given a chance now with injuries to prove their worth

..............................................................................

As someone did mention forwards:-

Lynch - although i like the guy and has been a good player for us maybe the time has come to move on ???

Donaldson - not been given a fair crack this season IMO good young talent, who showed lots of improvement before getting injured last season

Koppy/Whitehead - Play hot and cold i feel but defo worth keeping for years to come as we need to keep the english youngsters, to save quotas.

Langley - although spends a lot of time on the sides when he is available he plays with the pride and passion we need in the squad !!!

Some difficult decisions to make as I've no idea who the club is capable of signing, however I do think we need an injection at halfback, in the threequarter line and in the pack. Of those up for new deals I'd do the following:

Halley - May be cheap but not really good enough. Let him go and clear the way for others to come through.

Walker - Unfortunate with injury which never allowed him to get back to form. No longer quick or agile enough for centre. Let him go.

Ah Van - A tough one. If he was off quota I'd definitely keep him. As it stands it depends if we need a quota spot for an injection of quality elsewhere. If not I'd keep him.

Kearney - Probably still keep him even though he's a fullback and not a stand off. When he played there last year we saw a glimpse of the best of him, since then he's been out of position so I'd keep.

Herbert - Come up with some handy assists but he's not a playmaker and we need one. Let him go.

L'Strange - Definitely keep.

Ainscough - Has some defensive issues but still has a lot of potential we haven't seen due to him not getting quality ball. Definitely keep.

Raynor - Getting on, still quite quick but we could use Finegan on that wing and he's got more potential. Let him go.

Royston - Definitely keep. Seems quite versatile and has made the jump up in quality no problem.

Finegan - Still years off his peak and maybe not quite ready but has potential and would probably return to haunt us if we let him go. Keep for another year or 2.

McAvoy - Not seen much of him but highly rated, keep.

point of thread was discussing the players who are off contract this year. none of forwards you've mentioned are off contract this year, so we cant simply 'let them go' without having to pay off remainder of their contracts or find someone to buy them.

Yes i know this - but someone mentioned no forwards getting mentioned so thought i would regardless of contract

but the reason the forwards werent getting mentioned was precisely because they arent out of contract

I know - but you never know a club might come in for them ie. Lynch ??

I think we need to start tweaking the squad rather than making whole sale changes again. We need to start building for the title in 2-3 years time. I think the squad should look something like this next year

1. Kearney
2. Ah van
3. Platt
4. Top Centre (£££)
5. Raynor
6. Briggs
7. Jefferies
8. Top Prop (£££)
9. L'estrange
10. Lynch
11. Elima
12. Whitehead
13. Langley

14. Diskin
15. Hargreaves
16. Scruton
17. Donaldson

I would get rid of;
Halley
Herbert
Walker

Use thier 3 wages to sign a top centre, and use the remaining cap to buy a mean prop with a bit of biff.

Don't forget we have Lynch, Scrutes, Koppy, Hargreaves, Tom Burgess and maybe Steve Crossley are all props and afaik all signed for next year. I wouldn't argue about a class centre coming in but I'm not sure a prop would be top of our current needs.

Releasing Halley would do wonders for his carrer. he would inevitably sign for wakefield, score tries for fun and then get a huge contract at Warrington.

Bulliac

Koppy's not good enough. Despire improving he's just not good enough. Would he get i any other top 8 side? We have no prop witha bit of biff to rough teams up. This was highlighted in the Leeds game when Mcshane (who is about 5ft nothing) bullied us, only Elima stood up. Burgess is young and we need to bring him in gradually, Crossley i'm undecided.

koppy been better than hargeaves this year to be fair. plus counts as homegrown. think crossley is OOC this year?

koppy has improved again this year and has been better than both lynch and hargreaves. Re the players ooc i would say:

Kearney- Depends on £££. Most talented player, but needs to play at fb where Royston has been good. Id look to keep him but not for mega money

Royston- Keep. Has been v good and wont command too much cap space

Halley- Have to see how he recovers from a bad injury. Probably let go

Ah Van- Not a huge earner and versatile plus kick so is a keeper for me

Walker- I would keep if he is cheap as he will be better than other options coming in at a similar salary level and is in a position where we dont have too many kids coming through

Herbert- Would let go unless he improves from here. A quota half back needs to add quality and he seems steady to me

Finnegan- Keep and lets see how he turns out.

Heath- Keep without a doubt.

Ive heard Matty Blythe of Wire is joining Widnes, and if so the bulls should be pushing to speak to him.

Craig has had a good year for me, a good year and a half in fact and is one of our most improved players, even if he never pulls on a GB shirt he's worth a spot on our roster for my money.

I agree about Tom Burgess, he's what, 18? and playing what is probably the most physical position in the game and should brought on at his own pace and, as yet, is obviously far from the finished article. Agree about Crossley too, but assuming he starts to dominate the under twenties a bit more(or goes out on a dual contract), he will need to be given his chance at first team level.

I'm not suggesting a 'fiery' prop wouldn't be nice, just saying, that as we're not short of props capable of doing a decent job, I wouldn't expect it to be a priority.

Fiery second row that can break the line and provide some impact of the bench then?

Id keep...

Royston - Been brilliant so far, versatile and wont be on mega bucks.
Ah Van - Getting better every week, great goal kicker, just needs to be outside a quality centre.
L'Estrange - Definatly, get him signed up on a 4 year contract, Captain material.
Ainscough - Unlucky with his injury, but was very good before that, give him another year.
Finigan - I'd like to see him his chance in the first team, he scored 4 tries in 5 games in a difficult season last year, hopefully his loan will spur him on.

Kearney - Although Kearney is a very very good player and probably our best attacking weapon, i'd be quite happy to let him go only if we sign Leon Pryce to play stand off, and we could use his quota spot to sign a quality centre. I'd be quite happy to keep Royston at fullback. If we could'nt sign a proven centre then 100% id keep Kearney.

Release....

Herbert, Raynor, Walker, and Halley

Depends on your position as regards the younger players coming through. For me, the forwards, assuming they play to their potential, which fair enough hasn't always been the case, simply isn't the priority and I would be happier to see the younger players given a chance first. We've lost a few (not just forwards) over the past couple of years or so which might not have happened if we could have given them more opportunities to make their mark in the first team, and we have a few potentially good forwards, including back rowers, starting to get games. Purely my opinion, and obviously things don't always come to fruition, but the future is looking good in the pack if and when some of the 'kids' become regular first teamers.

To be honest it comes down to where the priorities lie and obviously who is OOC at the end of the year and if it were my decision I'd be thinking along the lines of a 'fiery' centre rather than looking at the forwards.

i agree with bulliac here. the investment needs to be in the areas where we dont have good and cheap kids coming through, which is the backline. i would go all out for a strike centre and keep a big chunk of cap space for it.

Am I reading the U20's v Salford team correctly, did Halley play at stand off? (In that context Franks "understanding" about Herbert at LF isnt so off the planet after all.) anybody see if this is right, and how he went? Addy does look as if he is back on song and challenging to be in the 1st squad, good for him and the squad.

Someone mentioned about Halley earlier so yes it would seem to be correct.

Good news about Addy, straight swap for Donaldson on Saturday.

found the posts thanks jockabull, looks promising for another half back and home grown too. and quinds defence is worse than ours has been so if I was Potter I would really go for a lot of points, and Addy would be the player to have in the team even if on the bench

Yes he did play stand off. He played Ok and seemed quite nippy. He's obviously not going to be fully up to the mark yet but he seemed to be confident on his feet, which is pretty important after such an injury. You're right about Addy he was excellent.