maybe plan is to use haggerty at loose forward then gradually bring bentley into the role?.

Looks like Ross has a new favourite word in exodus. He's certainly using it at every opportunity. Ateotd we were always going to have a big turnover of players this year due to stupidly large squad and 2 yr deals given out last year. Only a handful of those going that we would have probably liked to keep. Suspect due to issue with HMRC and winding up petition, we're in special measures, so unable to announce any new signings until after hearing 5th September. So a couple more weeks of only outgoing news.

Dovetail, he loves that one.

Foster at 13 for me should we sign him. Big strong runner and defender.

London fans seem to think Foster is going to Widnes.
A shame Ioane is staying at London because he looked good today, runs very hard.
And who on here wasn't impressed with Macani? Scored a very special try today. Hopefully roger is right and he's already a done deal.

Macani, Caro, Clare and Ryan battling it out for the wing spots is fine for next year. His try today and 3 last week all showed tremendous speed. Rohan seems to be going for a very quick and skillful backline with Moss and Welham in there too.

Very happy with how things look to be shaping up if all the rumours are true.

Anyone heard anything more on the Achurch rumour? He looked good again today. The guy is massive and pretty mobile too. He took his try very well. He'd add some much needed size to our pack.

Macani is an out and out finisher. Great speed and footwork.

But his defence and ability under the high ball need a lot of work.

We're certainly upgrading in recruiting Dalton Grant.... In my opinion

Well I think at the time bulking up was a long term strategy use by all the SL Clubs for Senior and Junior players, in Johns case he was probably glad he had the bulk after seeing how he was targeted by the Aussie Schoolboys(What a misnomer they were all built like brick outhouses) while on tour in 2012 over there, but that could also account for his neck twitch, which can happen when using and I am assuming this was steroidal bulking products!

Know what you mean about the vultures comment but certainly wouldn't say no to mark Mexico and Gary lo

Just reading and thinking about the exodus, from the MPG last year, which presumably was our strongest team at that point, only 2 from the 17 will still be at the club, namely AOB and Sidlow!!!! Of the ones leaving my main regrets would be Mullaney, Gaskell 2015 vintage and Clough with lesser regrets around Pitts and Olbison.

Don't think you can call it vultures when the players have been told to find another club, different from a certain SL team not far from where I live and a Welsh prop forward, that was a vulture approach

Macani, Magrin and Foster all confirmed on 2 year deals.

[urlhttp://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/news/post/bulls-sign-london-trio[/url

Ross seems to think Foster has been signed as a first choice centre for next season. I'll admit to not knowing too much about him but I thought he was more of a second rower or loose?

You certainly are. On one hand Bradford fans must just be happy they still have a club but on the other hand the signings they are making leave them further away from SL than they have ever been.

I'll take still having a club...

Don't be so sure, Rohan Smith is giving the impression that he can make silk purses from sows ears, whereas Jimmy seemed to be able to do it in reverse,

Providing Marc Green can sort his finances out and get a decent replacement for Ferris, things should start to look better for the Club!

Don't think we can be much further away than we are now, you have to get into SL before making SL signings

I'll think we'll be fine Greg. A full pre-season for our spine to gel who IMO will probably be one of the best next year.

Back line is fine.

Badly needs some forwards but i trust Rohan to sort this unlike the comedy double act of Lowes and Ferres.

Foster i like at centre. Biggest attribute is his defence.

Macani. Think he'll be decent attack and poor defence. Don't think he's better than Ryan or Clare.

Margrin looks a big lad. Needs some grunt up front so hopefully he'll be first of a few in that position.

Yep

Although it also looks like we're finally starting to cut our cloth accordingly....

...

It's Rohan's statement on Bulls site that says Foster is being looked at as a centre, that's where Ross has got it from. Not just idle speculation.

In all seriousness, the 2015 and 2016 squads were too big and ultimately unbalanced and its looking like were way too expensive (certainly for what they achieved at this level).

Going forwards we need a smaller squad that we can afford, but one that offers the most efficient bang for buck. For a smaller squad to work it needs a quality spine with either SL experience or potential (Chisholm, Pryce, Moss, AoB, Sidlow, Welham, Haggerty etc) then the rest of the squad needs to be good quality championship players (with champ level costs) but who have potential to raise their game to SL level (Foster is a good example for next year as Clark was for this), and then an increasing number of academy products year on year to complete the squad. Rohan appears to be thinking on similar lines, and I'm confident enough in his ability to mould a competitive squad for 2017, and one which is hopefully more affordable for the medium term.

If the academy continues to impress, that's where our edge will hopefully come from over some of our rivals for a SL spot, providing potential SL quality, home grown players with a hunger and desire to play for the shirt at a price we can afford - that's the future, that's why its so important Green sorts out the finances, to keep the academy going strong as I believe building on the academy and their on-going integration into the first team alongside a quality established spine is the only way we'll get ourselves back into SL.

I'm quietly confident about the way the 2017 squad is shaping up so far, and I'll assess the squad once we have all the signings in, to look at the whole.

Well I'm pleased with those acquisitions. True, we're a bit light in the forwards, but I would hope that'll be rectified in the coming months.

But personally, I think the main thing we need next season is the right attitude. We came down into this league thinking it'd be a walk in the park and despite a season of that being shown as not the case many players have gone into this season with the same attitude and that has cost us. The attitude shown Sunday against Oldham was hopefully the corner turning the team needed to take

Wasn't having a go, I'd just never even considered he'd be signed as a centre let alone be given the 3 or 4 shirt.

Our backline looks pretty much sorted now, give or take. We do seem very light in the forwards though, which is another reason why I thought Foster would be seen as more of a back rower than a centre.
Hopefully we can get Ben Evans or Joe Philbin, or both!

How are we doing for non-fed quota spots? I can only think of Moss and Chisholm?

Derrell Olpherts from Newcastle Thunder is a name that I've heard mentioned as a possible signing for 2017. Rough diamond type of signing but he's strong as an ox and has pace to burn.

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Not sure why anyone feels Rohan has already decided to give him [or anyone else the no. 3 or 4 shirt. The mail from the club says just that he [i:3fx6h0yrprobably[/i to new signings at this point.

Really hope not, struggled to get games wherever he has been so had to go back to Shaw Cross where I assume you are involved. Personally think its too much of a project signing if true and one which wont get us back to where we ultimately want to be

In Smith's latest Interview he said he has two Ausies in his sights. What we need now are two Ausie forwards who are as good a signings and make the impact Chisholm and Moss have made. There will be lots of eager lads down there under the radar and hopefully Smith knows a couple. Can't see any more backs being signed soon so it must be forwards next.

Me too, but I know exactly how dis-heartening it is to drop out of SL and expect to return pretty quickly and then for it not to happen. It must be worse for you Bulls fans after the success you had.