Forgotten, would prefer him off the bench though.

I have been thinking about Currie at 13. I don’t know enough about the technicalities to have an informed opinion (but that has never stopped me) but it struck me that he should be able to play a similar role to Sculthorpe (P!). Is there any technical reason why he can’t?

I’m pretty sure he played there regularly at academy level? I think Walter Wizard would have more info about that. I think he’s a lot more creative than we’ve seen under Price. Even Sculthorpe would have looked like a simple, strong-running second row under Price.

Lock - now there's a term I've not seen for a while!

I agree that Currie at 13 could work well (although as Captain says - Im no expert on the attributes for a good 13).
I like ball playing creative 13's rather than props playing at 13.
Sculthorpe and Tewera Nikau spring to mind.
Philbin is not and will never be a 13. By contrast Ben Harrison was decent because he could play a bit rather than just 'take it up' as a prop.

So from my earlier 'I havent a clue who will be in the team' post Im now clear on 1 to 9.
2nd prop and the rest of the pack and subs are less clear.
I think Philbs will take 10 and probably Currie, Holmes and Hughes the rest of the pack.
The bench will partly depend on the opposition, but generally I expect Walker to be there with Clark, Bullock, Magoulis and Mulhern if everyone is fit. (Yes I know, 5 but I cant make my mind up).

Injuries will take their toll.
If a back is injured I can see Thewlis and Minikin being 1st port of call, with Wrench under consideration.
In the halves, then Ratch would step up, Dean in reserve.
If a forward is injured then one of the 5 above plus Davis (tough call on him missing the 17), Wrench, Lonstaff and Butler.

That covers it.

With the type of play I think Powell will promote, I hope it will mitigate our lack of depth in the prop department.

This is what I’m hoping for, too.

Of course, I’d love a Hill standard player to complement Cooper, but maybe that’s not as critical if we aren’t a Price type team.

Magoulias confirmed to miss the first 4-5 rounds so i'm expecting to see hughes at 13 from the start.

I thought that I read somewhere that Hughes was touch and go as to whether he'd make the first couple of rounds due to a hand injury / surgery?

Hi EW; it is funny you should ask this question as I was talking about BC with Rich Marshall on Wednesday and he was saying about when BC was coming through the Under 20s he played him at loose forward and stand off as he had fantastic hands and his ability meant he could cover virtually any position.

I would say that second row is his best position now though!!!

1. Ratchford
2. Ashton
3. Mata’utia
4. King
5. Charnley
6. Widdop
7. Williams
8. Cooper
9. Clark
10.bullock
11.Currie
12.Hughes
13.holmes
14.Philbin
15. Mulhern
16. Magoulis
17.Walker


Thewlis n longstaff should get ample game time and there will we will have competition for places too from others

Is Bullock injured or recovering from an op?

I see no J.Clark there, but with Magoulis out I can definately see him being in the 17.

Why Holmes at 13? I suppose if he played in his usual position it would mean a move for Currie and potentially Hughes.

I was going with the idea of all fully fit strongest 17.

Holmes at 13 would be similar to Harrison (minus size) ay 13 could be used to run the ball in buy also has the hands and brains to have moves and plays set around him. He hits gaps well so can see opportunities. It keeps Currie at second row with Hughes. I know that he has his knockers myself included but workrate and reliability are also needed in the team and he has that sprinkle a bit of Powelldust on and who knows

. I like longstaff and thewlis plus Dean and wrench but don't see the rush to get them in the team just because they are young and have been a shining light in what's been a dull few seasons. How will they compare with the "experianced" pros under a new regime if Powell can get our team playing and motivated will they stand out as much ? I think thewlis n longstaff would still be able to play and not see a drop in performance.

Magoulis, he has to earn his place in the team, not an experianced NRL player not really a big money signing a speculative on that could pay off, he could be starting loose with Holmes on the bench...

I was underwhelmed initially at the signings matautia and Harrison were 2 ones I was ok with, however IF Powell has the effect of improving players and getting the best out of the TEAM available then it is not as bad as I thought. An awful lot of the hope is based on the Powell effect, building a team, and improving key individuals then we could well be surprised, bullock Harrison are interesting pair Harrison has looked better than championship when I've seen him and is a very good speculative signing, I think that next season is when we will start to see the best of him now tho. How bullock turns out will be key I think if Powell can get him playing to his size and ability he will become our starting forward it's all .IFS and buts until the season starts and we see the 1st team selection.

Yes, I can see your logic there Dezzie.

We do seem to have decent players quite far down the playing roster which is good to see.
Lets hope Coops manages to stay injury free. The fact we could have Philbin, Bullock or Mulhern starting shows we've no 'Hill' type figure. I'm still disappointed we couldn't reach agreement to keep him.

Looking forward to the 1st match now, and not before time! Im usually chomping at the bit in early Jan, but last year just seemed to 'limp by'.
Things needed to be freshened up in the coaching department.
Still find it strange how sport appears to be different to most other professions where typically continuity is seen as a positive.

Quack Quack.

Spotted the injured players in the gym this morning going about their rehab. I see Toby King is part of the injured group now anyone know what the issue is

Toby King is out for a month at least. A leg injury I believe. I’d swap him for George King in a heartbeat.

I think George King has insufficient pace to play centre.

I don't like the idea of Holmes at 13 at all, with him and Matau'tia on the right together we suddenly have an aggressive attacking right side with i'm excited for.
Starting props for me udeally would be Cooper and Mulhern, with Philbin and Bullock off the bench, and Hopefully Rob Butler has gotten back in to shape and can find his pre-warrington form.
I think we'll see more of Ellis Robson aswell, i know he has his doubters but he hits hard in attack and defense and is aggressive. He's good cover for 2nd row and loose, having Longstaff, wrench etc fighting for a spot can only be a great thing for the whole team.
People can't relax and have to be on form as Powell actually drops underperforming players unlike Price.
And Powell has a proven track record to take players up a gear so i'm buzzing for this season, not been this hyped for a season in years and years

Not sure how you can leave the captain out of the first 13 picks.
I’m very aware that Hughes wasn’t up to his 2019 form, but he had been hampered by injury.
However it looks like he is missing another pre season.
In hindsight we have now, I would add another captain or vice captain in his absence.

Exactly. The fact that it's even a discussion point speaks volumes for Hughes' performance. Imagine having the same discussion of "will they make the team" about Mike Gregory, Lee Briers, Adrian Morley, Chris Hill.

This coming year should see a very different style of play and it could well suit some players at the expense of others. I am happy to see everyone in the squad start off with a clean slate, what happened last year is history and I would hope the new coach gives everyone a fair crack of the whip before consigning them to the Reserves. I still have concerns about the loss of Hilly but on the plus side we seem to have more competition for places this year than last. Plus the small group of Academy lads that have come through adds quite a bit more depth to the squad than we have had for quite a while.

Toby King gone for a scan now apparantley.

100%
We’ve also got more backrowers that can cover centre than there are calories in Gemma Collins breakfast!
But we still need a prop.

Had to look up who Gemma Collins was.....

In one of the dictionaries that she wrote?