Chev Walker
Ben Jeffries
=#0000FFOliver Elima
=#0000FFBryn Hargreaves
=#80FF00Manase Manuokafoa
Ian Sibbit
=#80FF00Shaun Ainscough
=#80FF00James Donaldson
=#0000FFThomas Burgess
=#80FF00Jarrod Sammut
=#0000FFDanny Addy
Jason Crookes
=#0000FFKyle Briggs
=#40FF00Karl Pryce

That's 14 first teamers who'll be on the market come November. The ones I've marked in blue are the players I think the club should be looking at getting offers to asap. The ones in green are the ones I think are dependant on a good year. The ones without a colour are the ones we should look to let go.

I'm a little bit blah about Bryn.

I'd agree with pretty much everything you've mentioned above. It's make or break for a couple of our younger players (Crookes & Donaldson). Their situation reminds me a bit of when Matt Cook was here. Great young talented player but never really excelled when given the game time. Donaldson has struggled to maintain his status in the squad after the injury against Warrington. Hopefully this can be his year.

In my opinion the biggest priority is Tom Burgess. If he wants to stay then hopefully we can work something out that is good for both the player and the club. I know he's mentioned publically that he wants to establish himself in Super League before he tries his hand at the NRL. Ideally, I'd love to have him signed up and build a front row around Burgess, Koppy and Whitehead.

I know what you mean, but as our overseas quota is pretty full, there's very few available options at prop to replace him.

I can't quite make my mind up about Donno, when he's played he's showed glimpses of what he's capable of, but, when he makes a mistake he then tends to over compensate.
I'd really like to see him given regular game time this season before deciding to keep him or letting him go

I'd like to hold onto Sibbit. He was very solid and the other 2nd rowers in our squad are still quite young.

Agree, maybe Walker too, depending on how he goes this season.

Interesting list. Tom Burgess and Ollie Elima are absolute priorities. Out of the rest it's up to them to earn a new deal. Right now I wouldn't offer a new deal to Sibbit, Hargreaves or Crookes. Walker, Pryce and Briggs and Ainscough all need an inury free run to find some form and confidence but wouldn't be prepared to give them longer than a year to find it. I'd be inclined to stick with Donno and Addy at this point purely on the basis that they're our own lads and we've discovered time after time that the type of players available to sign to replace them are invariably poorer. It's between Manase and Sammut for the overseas spot so only one can stay.

I've been thinking about the high number of players who always seem to be OOC for us, and as we dont seem to give deals for longer than 3 years, and potter himself sign most on 1 or 2 year deals its easy to see whay we end up with approx 50% of squad in last year of contract.

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I don't regard Briggs as a priority re-signing at this moment in time. He still has it all to prove that he is a SL level half IMO. For the team, I hope he proves he is worth a new deal with his performances in 2012.

Out of the list, Burgess has got to be at the very top. He will be our most marketable player.

I'd say that Burgess and Elima on the list that are such a priority that he needs to be signed up ASAP - and we don't even know whether he wants to stick around anyway

All of the rest have to show that they are worth keeping IMO

I don't have a problem with them having one year deals. If they prove that they really want to do the business for us then they can be signed up later in the season on further deals.

The alternative scenario is that we end up with people like Platt and Sykes who are on long term deals and we can't get rid of them even if we want to

we seem to have 50% of players OOC last couple of years but I'd suggest having approx a third OOC each year isnt that unusual given typical deal length is 3 yrs. If typical squad size is approx 30ish then 10 OOC each year is about right. We're running a bit above that but not ridculously so. Think only giving max 3 year deals is a side symptom of franchise system. Only the teams that are absolutely guaranteed to get a new franchise (Leeds,wire,wigan and sts) seem to be commonly giving out deals longer than 3 yrs.

pretty much agree with that. burgess and elima top of list and I'd probably add addy to that given his homegrown status. Would like to think that briggs and ainscough could add themselves to list in short order through performance on pitch. Certainly be interesting if manase and sammut are both successes on pitch given we can only retain one. Think Donno.Crookes,Pryce and Hargreaves all need big years to get new deals. Sibbit and Walker whilst still decent players would hopefully get displaced by some of younger players coming through.

But the thing about contracts under the franchise system is that if the club loses their franchise those contracts become void.

Hargreaves looks fitter than he has done for a while. - NEEDS A GOOD SOLID SEASON.

Ainscough - I don't care who you are this guy has pace, can tackle, safe under the high ball, makes metres for fun, chases down well. Proven try-scorer. All he needs is injury free but even if he's a backup winger get him re-signed.

Crookes - I'd keep him, home grown and the only home grown back other than Sykes/Pryce.

Donaldson - was tearing teams apart pre-warrington injury. Give him time to overcome the psychological effects of the injury and he will be class once more, his only problem is how long until Langers hangs his boots up/moves on and how quickly will Bateman/Addy establish themselves at loose?

Elima - sign him up till he's 50.

Burgess - sign him up till he's 90.

Sammut/Manuokafoa/Pryce/Sibbit/Briggs need to prove themselves this year although I would give Briggs another year.

Jeffries and Walker can do one

true. still think having around 10 players off contract each year is fairly typical though.

I know the same gets said every season but if Chev Walker and Karl Pryce can stay fit and find any sort of previous form, then our backline could be lethal. This has got to be Walker's season or it will be goodbye.