Ok, I’m going full on optimist now (and without any factual basis whatsoever) but I’m thinking Kelly Shelford style 13 but with a better nutritional intake

Are we??... Currie is a good player, I'll give you that. Holmes is potentially a good signing. Longstaff looks a promising player, though I wouldn't be rushing him, nor expecting the world from him just yet. Clark and Hughes are the type of uninspiring plodder that any consistently underachieving side should be looking to ship out.

So, overall, this lad looks like a (cheap) gamble worth taking, especially as we have a coach who seems to want to get away from the turgid fare we have been served up under Price.

Agreed.

If he wants an NRL contract after 2 years then he will have to be really good for us. You never know he may be great for us, get offers to go back but want to carry on with us anyway, especially if he believes he could be part of something special under Powell. Who knows? I see this statement from the player as a sign of a good attitude anyway.

So it's confirmed he's signed. Good luck to the lad, hope he does well for us...

..HOWEVER, Wire have just posted arguably the worst highlights reel that I have ever seen..



Obviously, not going to judge him on that, but feck me, whoever is in charge of our social media needs a word. He's literally just made the club a laughing stock posting that online!!

Not sure I get the hate-in over Magoulias. He’s a ‘Mamo of the forwards’… young, cheap and potentially will add a lot to the team. He’s everything that we don’t have on the right side, and the ball-playing and kicking game fits right in with what we’ve been crying out for now Powell is here. He’s also here to put himself in the NRL window, which as pointed out is better than a past-it her for a big payday.

If it doesn’t come off then no big loss, we have Longstaff and Hughes.

Easy Wire... Where's this 'hate in' that you have mentioned?

So presumably first choice back row will be Currie, Holmes & Magoulias. I thought, but could be wrong, that the first two both prefer to play left channel. Will be interesting to see which one plays on the right.

You're right, he may not be the brick house prop that we need and desperately want but it's an indication that Powell has seen what we all have and need to change the make up of our back row/13 and the way that we play.

Its a start

What a player Kelly shelford was! Such skill, soft hands, little chip over. I’d settle for a mark II.

Much rather that than give it the change of scenery experience life in UK etc then manoeuvre a return out of the blue. We sometimes get too caught up on how long they intend to stay,

Would you rather get a Trbojevic gagai Tao or papenhousen on a 1 year deal or a journeyman on a 2/3 year. NRL clubs are often looking to get players off their cap for a year to accommodate a new signing ala hiku.?

LOL. You must have missed Bullocks. I quite liked his chip, can you imagine Hughes doing that ...

RED ALERT…

Wire board in happy mode..

I've just seen his "highlights package"

[size=200COME BACK SITA[/size

Might as well've signed Miriam Margolyes

Jack Hughes best go put some pounds on and learn to play prop.
Currie and Holmes 2nd row and Magoulias at loose if we going to have a ball playing style that Powell wants.

.. Let's not judge too hastily. Have to say though, our social media team really need not have bothered with that effort they have posted.

Can only hope Daryl hasn't signed him to make defence busting runs...

Perhaps more Grant Millington than Kelly Shelford..
Millington was a similar age when he moved to Cas..
I reckon Millington didn't expect to be here as long as hi did..

Siri how do you go from “happy mode” to “ full on depression “ in 1 post?

People are saying that's a bad highlight reel.....how is that a bad highlight reel for guy who hasn't played a ton of first grade games. The reel shows him powering forward and working his backside off to go forward and make yards. Using his speed to score a try and showing he has a chip kick that has won games in vital moments.
That highlight reel is exactly what i want to see from a forward, pure hard work, effort and graft with skill thrown in. He'll make a great 13.
Jesus some people can't be happy unless nit picking. What did you expect to see, 90 metre runs from tackle breaks and 2 tries a game....get a grip.
I'm made up we've got him, looks like an aggressive forward with a lot of grunt and gives it his all.
Welcome to the Wire and i hope he tears it up to shut our moaning fans up.

He's hadn't played enough for it to be an incredible highlight reel. Let's hope he has a great highlight reel come the end of next season. That's what we need to judge him on, he looks decent enough and may well surprise us with how he fits in.

Tyrone Roberts had a highlights reel that made him look like Alfie langer.

Trouble was, when he arrived, he played like Tyrone from Corrie

Serious about rl have a post about social medias reaction to the highlight reel posted. As pointed out here it would have been better to leave it off really.

Personally I don't really care what he has done before, only what he does for us. So let's hope he's a good signing.

When did we last have a ball-playing 13? Westerman? I’m all for having someone with a bit of passing ability & able to keep the ball in play as oppose to just another prop grinding up the middle. I’d expect us to play a much more expensive style next year under Powell anyway.

Suppose it will free up Philbin to be an out & out prop rather than starting at loose forward and keeps Hughes available to cover a few positions. With preference I would have Currie, Holmes and Magoulias as a back row, we all know from Hughes you just get a workmanlike performance but not much going forward. Don’t think he’s particularly shown the presence of a captain this year for me either.

On Magnolias, he’s obviously very keen taking on the challenge and seems he has something to prove. He’s on the brink of being a regular at Cronulla, played roughly a dozen games this season. Although his ‘highlights’ aren’t much to go by, it might be he turns out to be an uncut gem and gives us something a little different going forward, a 13 with clever hands as oppose to another battering ram.

Don't get me wrong, I WANT him to be a massive success, but, if that's what we're going to get (his showreel), I'm not holding my breath., unless he's torn it up in the reserves, and our social media crew are playing a blinder, and lulling the rest of SL that we've bought another pup. In the last decade, we do have history in this area.

In which case, I'd rather we'd kept the overseas spot open, saved his contract money, and played someone from the youth. There's enough on here championing the youngsters. Give them a go.

The warrington guardian page I posted the link to earlier again suggested that we are expected to keep Jason Clark. I really don't see the point of having him and Hughes cap space tied up on the bench or even out of the 17 and neither of them can make a position at prop either.