The oddest thing with Ah Van is that if us fans can see he is hopeless, then what on earth are Widnes doing, offering him a contract?

The fact that he can still gain a new contract, most astoundingly, with a new team, shows that Super League is structured wrong, with too many teams, and too little talent to go around.

"Us fans" have been seeing Jon Clarke as hopeless for years, what on earth was Tony 'super coach' Smith doing picking him for GB?

To be fair, Ah Van makes Clarke look like Benny Elias.......

Seriously, Clarke is a different case, as some folk do actually see some positives in his contribution to the side. Yes, he has his faults, but it is possible to make a case for him (more so back when he was selected for GB)....This is something that Ah Van struggles to acheive. Even most Bradford fans I've spoke to, don't have much good to say about him.

Do Warrington fans have much good to say about Clarke?

Interestingly the common denominator for who liked both players was Cullen, maybe he knows more than us fans?

Any news on Clarke & his destination next year?

That Hickey for Wakefield, even I could do a better job!

I think Cullen liking both Ah Van and Clarke tells us all we need to know...

I'm not doubting that at some point in Ah Van's career, he could play a bit....After all he played in the NRL... and we all know that players from the NRL are amazing....... Bradford brought him over thinking that he was going to be a bit like the player they had seen in the past..... Unfortunately the Ah Van that came over appears to have no interest/desire to play SL rugby..... he plays like he has KY Jelly all over his hands and 50p's glued all over his boots.

It's the risk you take i suppose when you sign these NRL supermen.... sometimes you get a Pat Richards... sometimes you get a Pat Ah van.... I've no doubt that with the lack of Sl standard players has caused Mr Cullen and Mr Betts to take a punt on mr happy... hoping they can cajole him into a state of remedial happiness, bringing out that old Ah van... you never know... he may even make an effort for widnes next season..... i wouldn't bank on it though... My guess is he is just saving up some nice pennies before he heads back to new zealand to live the easy life... telling his friends stories of hilarity involving silly english people and odd shaped coins.

Ahhh, that old cliche that if you played NRL, you were quality.

I'll point you all (those of us of a certain vintage, anyway) to the Jackson brothers of the late 80's .... Peter was one, was the other one Mark?
Now, one of them scored the match winning try in the NRL GF, a few weeks before, and we signed the pair of them, after.
THEY #@%£ING STUNK. One of them couldn't even get a bench spot for the A-Team at the time, and, from memory, the other barely raised a few subs bench spots. Again, from memory, they couldn't even get above (a very raw) Basil Richards in the pecking order.
Truly a case in point, that all that glistens aint gold.

I've mentioned this before, clubs DON'T HAVE TO take up their overseas quotas, but they feel duty bound to, as they may upset their fans, by lacking ambition, and not taking up their quota. Maybe then, the game wont lose so many Under 19s etc, who get disillusioned, because they don't get first team opportunities, because there is some third rate Antipodean taking up a squad place.

Mason, then Ah Van.

McDermott only spared as he's English, unfortunately.

I think the Mason one is a bit harsh... he was on a hiding to nothing from day one.... he didn't actually play that badly..... he just didn't play for very long.......by all accounts he was made promises that weren't kept by Hull KR...... i thought he at least looked like he was trying.

Agree with you Lefty. In the main our selection of overseas players has been reasonably good but personally I'd rather us sign a quality British player rather than fill in the salary cap space with an import just because we have a quota space. There were some Aussies and Kiwis who came for a jolly though. As you say two of the Jackson five (absolute crap), Adam Doyle, Scott Wilson, David Kidwell, Craig Teitzel, Paul Younane, Pepe Marquet and to cap it all the laziest sod every to wear the P&B, Tony Tatupu.

I'd love it if Wire didn't fill the quota spot and had a bit of faith in the pups, with Anderson & King going and only Waterhouse coming in, one less foreign player gives an opportunity to someone.

fat feka and vinnie anderson have been poor at the city reds.Saying that so has Bailey for the city reds.

+1, Yed

We've proved in the past, that, if you put SOME faith in youth, it will pay dividends
Sculthorpe (mega tranfer fee)
Harris (again, mega tranfer fee)
Penny (10 years+ service)
Wainwright (approx 10 years service)
Hilton (many years service, apart from the odd "niggling injury"

)
Roper (a few good years, before blowing his career through lack of application)
coming all the way through to today's current crop, Harrison, Cooper etc

We don't HAVE to have imports

So many in-accuracies it is difficult to know where to start, although before starting I should clarify that they were with out doubt two of the worse import signings made by any club at any time:

Their names were Mark and Steve Jackson (I wished we had signed Kangaroo Peter Jackson).

Mark was the player who was apparently "on the brink of a call-up for the Kangaroo" at prop whilst at the time Steve had not played any games for Canberra.

Three years later Steve came off the bench, as one of his 16 bench appearances for Canberra, to score the grand final try.

After his spell with us I don't think Mark ever played first grade again in Australia.

Steve moved to Wests in 1990 and hit some form that saw him represent Queensland 9 times before retiring due to a back injury.

What the Jackson brothers show that if you don't do your homework properly and subsequently recruit via video clips then you are asking for trouble. Do it right and you will sign quality players because despite your pittiful attempt at justifying otherwise the average NRL player is some distance ahead of the average Super League player.

As for holding back all these un-discovered Sam Tomkins then if that is what you believe then you are truly seriously deluded (which strangely would suggest its linked to having York away in 1979 as your first ever Wire match).

No need for loads of imports. Wigan seem to do very well without having loads of imports in their team

You at it again? Hiding away for weeks on end without a post, and then putting your hand up, shouting "Miss, Miss....somebody on here's got there facts wrong on a season 20 odd years ago". No wonder people shake their heads about your posts.

The facts remain...the Jacksons were TOILET. They couldn't get past Basil Richards in our team selections. You don't have to have to have imports.

Oh and by the way, Mr Pedant. Where have I posted on here that my first game was York away in 1979?
IT WASN'T. It was York at home!!!!!!!
Mr Pedant gets it wrong. Oh the irony.

Just out of interest. Why would YOU want to remember what MY first Wire game was. Have you got too much time on your hands? Do you keep a notepad with what certain posters have said, only to bring up their points 6 months later. Or are you still convinced that I am Cullen's Pants etc.....again WRONG.

BTW, Sainsbury's are selling lives...why don't you get one?

definitely Ah Van for me - he missed an almost 'sitter' in Perpignan,doing a 'Don Fox' to deny the Bulls the victory - what a waste of time he's been IMO

apparently Royston has signed for Pia in the LER - apologies if this is old news,only just found out.....

Oh dear; touched a nerve somehwere did I?

tee hee

No....you've just proved to everyone what you are!

I was just putting forward what my thoughts are regarding import quotas (and filling them), and 2 appalling players who were given contracts with our club.

See you again in 4 weeks time, when someone else posts a slight inaccuracy

You'll win nothing with kids... where have I heard that before?

Its always good populism to slag off imports, especially if an import is not very good, it always gets other fans nodding in agreement because deep down a lot of us are a bit zenophobic really. It's like we always enjoy a Daily Mail story about an immigrant family claiming £30000 benefits especially if its on a page opposite some stories of injured British soldiers who are being fobbed off by the MoD.

Paul Youane is right a lot of it is based on this false logic that there are a load of undiscovered super young British players who aren't getting their chance because of the imports. There are a lot of crap young British players who play in Super League. How come they are getting their chances ahead of the quality ones. And also with the loan system a lot of young players at the top clubs get circulated around to smaller clubs and get first team opportunities. True talent at the end of the day will shine. When people make excuses for young players like 'he could have been a great player but the coach ruined his confidence by picking him too early/not picking him early enough', he obviously wasn't good enough else he would have made it in the end.

I think Widnes are just collecting these : news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 764043.stm Just Herbert & Simpson to go and they have the full set.

I think Widnes are just collecting these : news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 764043.stm Just Herbert & Simpson to go and they have the full set.