Reading Simon Moran's comments in the Guardian that Simms and Clark are the main signings for next season I can't help but think we're not going to be strong enough to recapture the dominance of recent years (in general form and ability even without a SL title).

Ignoring Roy, Simms is a replacement for what we lost in Morley / Carvell, very big shoes to fill.
Clark is like for like for Monaghan (in terms of quality if not style).

I haven't seen enough from our young guns yet to suggest they can fill the ability gap left by the likes of Briers, Hodgson, and even King, nor the now less effective Westwood and Waterhouse.

Perhaps with the general decline in SL quality following the NRL exodus this will be enough?? At least we're bringing people in rather than losing them to NRL as our rivals seem to be doing.

Joint 2nd in the table with 2 games to go. We have just reached the semi and are looking good at the business end of the season. Think we have enough in the tank especially with the latest additions!

Not a bad position I know but I'd rather be first in the table with the Challenge cup in the trophy room.

The play offs will be a good test of our quality; the semi suggested we were not quite up there with the strongest teams.

We still have a halfback coming in apparently.

Sims and Hill will be great together. The young/new forwards are coming on well (B Evans, Laithwaite, England, Currie) and Clark will replace Monas and we still have Higham and Dwyer. The new HB will hopefully be a leader, with GOB or another playing off him. This is the last piece of the puzzle.

We won't be far off next season considering how dysfunctional our team has been this year and we're still joint 2nd. I dont know of any other team in the league that has made similiar quality acquisitions that we have either.

IF.......remember if, we get a decent halfback, like dureau I think that's the missing piece of the puzzle for this team and you'd like to think we'd be serious favorites next year, compare to other teams.


As frustrating as this year has been, just a bit of tinkering would see.a.massive difference.

This

Simms and Clark are good additions.. A quality half back to boss the game will see us in contention for trophies.

And I may be a bit greedy here but another prop would be nice you can never have enough IMO ..

Course we will. We'll have Bridgey at HB for a full season.....we will be unbeatable!

The new HB will be the missing piece (as I said), as long as he's established and halfway decent.

Getting a world-class halfback is almost impossible unless you produce one yourself and no ones willing to. We just need one that can lead and kick so GOB or Ratch can develop alongside him.

A new prop would be very advantageous but Harrison is going well and is at his best when playing there.

We'll be fine next season.

I'd be happy moving Ben to prop full time now, I think he's ready for the responsibility of being an actual front row starter, England as discussed elsewhere is a project that's moving along nicely,(personally I think he's better as a starter than off the bench, that may have been reflected in his performance on Thursday), bevans has been a bloody lovely surprise this year. He's come from nowhere to consistently perform beyond his years.

Woody hasn't been great since coming back, but for the people who say he's been past it nor ages, you're forgetting his form last year was keeping Morley and carvell on the bench, I don't think he'S done just yet.


That said...if there was a reasonable quality prop available, i wouldn't be adverse to letting him go a year early.

I said on another thread that if we can bring a wily half-back in, the amount of space and time our prospective starting pack and subs will create next year should make us very forbidable.

The addition of Luke Walsh, on the back of a very agressive and dominant forward pack has turned Saints from also-rans into LLS winners in twelve months. I beleive a half-back with similar attributes would have an even greater impact on us.

As for another prop, perhaps the incumbent is already at the club in the youth ranks preparing a Evans-esque rise to prominence.

As a slight aside, Matty Russells last two performances have been top-drawer. Good pre-season, some work on his timing and allayed to that wrecking ball pack, he could have a huge 2015.

Not quite top drawer, good going forward, but again on Thursday some kicks he wasn't communicating with gene over

To be honest we could easily finish in 6th then it wouldn't look so rosy, and to be honest - as others have said - we've been pretty disfunctional for quite a lot of this season.

I really doubt we'll do that much in the play offs - we may win a game or possibly two but can't see us being really good enough to get to the final (let alone bring home silverware).

This is our worst team for the last 4-5 years (but still better than most of those pre Smith) and I think it says more about the quality of teams in SL that we're still up there than anything else.

Next year's potentially looking good, but looking at the numbers we've got I'm not sure how we end up with Bridge/Ratch/GOB/Myler fighting for a maximum of 1 halfback and 1 centre spot if we get another half.

I'm also not too clear about what business the other clubs have done.

I don't think you'll see any major changes to playing squads this close season certainly not amongst the current top 6.

Wigan have already said they will pretty much go with what they have plus Tautai and Saints overhaul of the squad took place last year. Leeds may do, as they start to prepare for life after Peacock/Sinfield/McGuire etc. but I can't see anything other than one or two.

You'll probably find more activity down the other end of the table, as Salford, Hull & Wakefield try to make ground.

I suspect the big clubs time, emphasis and focus is now going on youth development and rightly so. Some may say we've bucked that trend with our signings but I sincerely hope the arrival of Sims (for example) is to [icomplement[/i rather than [ioust[/i the likes of Ben Evans & England.

I think this season's out come could still be within the team's own hands. We have plenty of attacking fire power ,the problem is giving so much possession away to opponents the like of which ,from now to Old Trafford, will exploit ruthlessly any short comings in our attack let alone defence. To progress beyond the first round the coaches need to earn their corn & turn the Wire from flamboyant entertainers into a winning team.

Further rumours that Moi Moi is headed our way as Asotasi's replacement. He's linked with a few teams though so..

I just wish they'll be some honesty from our club over big Roy.

We know he had the ability. I don't want to call him sugar or read others calling him sugar and he wont want to hear it either. Some official line must come out.

Ideally I'd like to see a new HB. A fully fit Scott Dureau would be ideal. I'd also like a proper loose forward as I don't believe we have one. Might get mullered for this but I'd like to see Joe Westerman work with Tony Smith.

The most obvious thing we require is a half back who can actually lead a team - What is a scary thought is that next year we won't have Michael Monaghan on the pitch any more... Without him, we are a shambles.

Sims and Clark are good additions to the squad, but, at the moment, we should be going all out to recruit a top half back - It sounds drastic, but I'd sacrifice any 3 of O'Brien, Myler, Ratchford or Bridge to make way for a top class organiser, of which none of our present half backs are.

It seems that this season Tony Smith has attempted to get by on having a rotation system involving 4 average half backs. Its got us (sort of) through a league season, but come the play-offs we will be exposed against the more organised and classier sides like Leeds or Wigan - What we need is to have is at least 1 top drawer half back... Personally, I'd be looking for buyers for O'Brien and Myler, and keep Ratchford and Bridge as versatile utility backs - If rumours of Cooper Cronk are to be believed then he would fit the bill perfectly.... You could easily build the rest of next season's squad around someone like a Cronk and be a very decent side, but around our present half backs and I'm afraid we won't be much different from this year.

Monas is certainly enjoying an indian summer - it's not that long ago people, admittedly myself included, were righting him off as a spent force, whose body was shot. What's interesting is that during his injury absence, we obviously missed him but continued to get the job done. Perhaps there is an element that when is there players subconsciously drop a level and wait for him to do the business.

Nonetheless, we'll undoubtedly miss him. A class player undoubtedly, but more than that a hooker brings something different to out play. Next year our three no.9's will all be built from the same mould - fast direct running through the middle on the back of a fast PTB.

As for Cronk, if there is any truth in it (which I doubt) then the minimum requirement would be a GF win. No excuses.

People's comments re signing a half back suggest that Moran is missleading us when he says that Clark and Simms are the only two big signings.

or b) the half back we're signing is not going to be "big" on which basis you would question why we'd bother

Maybe he is not as well connected as some of those 'in the know' on here

I think we are due one more signing. Perhaps it's someone who is not on anyone's Radar............

I will be absolutely amazed if we don't sign a halfback.

Amazed.