If you look at the 7 players that have left since the end of the 2018 season and then look at the 6 replacements signed so far, then we are already far stronger than we were.

Hard to criticise M Brown & Pomeroy ,both were only here as stopgaps & both dogged by injury ,but neither did anything wrong when they played.

I don't think he will displace any of our current back 5 will he? So he will be like M Brown?

Would you have thought T King would displace Atkins at start of last season? From the little I have seen of him he performs at a higher level than M Brown (and at least I was aware of Mamo before he signed for us, unlike Mitch Brown).

Livett could replace Hughes too if he plays to his potential.

Everyone in our team is good enough....there was only one real weaknesses last season.....and he's gone.
He flew out on the Monday following our defeat to Wigan(that just about says it all).
....Austin will address that difference.....it's our year.

If you're referring to Roberts he was out best half over the course of last season! We haven't gained a kicking game from anywhere so I think we will still struggle to control games. I think we will be better but I still think the probkem exists in the halves. Throw Drinkwater in and I would be very, very happy, I do think someone would have to leave for that though.

Ducky I am astounded at the turnaround in your view of Roberts. Didn't you suggest a few weeks ago he would be the Harry Sunderland winner?

Back on thread, we need a half with a kicking game or it will be a repeat of 2018 - close but no cigar.

Of course I did....because I was sure he was holding something back....not everything back.

So are we actually going to get a new half back for Christmas? Or is Price settling on Brown and Patton to partner Austin?

Don’t want to put a dampener on next season already, but we need something steady with a consistently good passing and kicking game. For all the disappointment of Roberts in the Marquee sense, he DID provide more than Brown or Patton IMO.

Maybe I’m jumping the gun and there’s a plan in place.

Need a 7 whos going to march us round and has a good kicking game. Matty Smith would of been a great option to partner Austin in my view, not his biggest fan myself but he certainly has a kicking game, and can get you the win in tight games (whicjh we were on the wrong end of a few times last year).

I hope we get Drinkwater, however, the more time ticks on its becoming more un-likey, and it worries me a lot for next year....

Im shocked at how suddenly Brown has become the world's worst rugby player on here.


Heavens sake he was the England hb last season. In comparison to fbook, I thought posters on here had more measured opinions.

Good point "Rubber".
When he played for England he was impressive and Wayne Bennett was obviously impressed. We also ought to remember that Patton played for England knights.
If you saw the kicking of the England half backs in the last Test i.e. Myler & Williams ... you might conclude that with Patton & Brown we have as good as what England Rugby League can produce.

I've got no problems with Brown at all. I do however feel he isn't the foil required next to Austin (who himself is a younger Brown with better feet). Like Longbarn Wire said it's all about a good organising half with a good kicking game... Roberts was exactly that even if he was a disappointment on that salary... There aren't many around but I do feel we need to find one.

The other problem with Brown (not his fault) is his age and potential head injury issues. Another knock to the head and he may easily have to retire mid-season. We don't have much cover.

It's this 'Austin' is a 6 so we need a 7!' Millarky....

RL has moved on since then.

It's about left channel and right channel.
So both halfs are a 7/6 and the support from a backrower/loose like Currie or Livett down the left and a fullback Ratchford running the right are the modern standoffs, and Clark up the middle.

I don't disagree RD, But you still need somebody to have an effective kicking game or you can't effectively manage the game and cause problems for the opposition. Brown isn't the worst half ever, he just isn't the answer either. I'd rather patton be starting at 7 next year than brown because I have absolutely no faith in browns last tackle plays.

Therein lies the problem.
The NRL style defence that between top defence teams like Warrington and Wigan have....it's almost like tic tac toe.
Once you find yourself 10/15 out on the 5th....there's almost nothing can be done, as all the kick moves are anticipated and sniffed out.
We cannot hold Brown (for example) responsible for having to put in a forced kick and hoping for the defence to come up with an error.
It's not Brown's wholesale fault we have got into that situation.

I've said it before...likening Brown with a 5th tackle complete to kick is like blaming a goal keeper for not saving a penalty.
It's a responsibility he takes but it's odds against that we'd score or retain possession.
I'd like to see a stat that tell how many last tackle kick we scored trys off vs loss of possession, and a stat of last tackle try count compared to 1-4th in the set.

I'm still of the view that a team benefits from 2 halves that complement each other rather than mirror each other, (unless they are both adept in all skills).

I agree really but you aren't going to convince me that brown is a good enough half to control where the game is played on the pitch or come up with last play options. He's a good player, he just isn't what we need to take the next step, let's face it we didn't sign him because we identified him as the right player for us, we signed him because sandow left us desperate and he was the best available.

This is what I'm saying... I know we play left and right channels, all teams halves do. What I was alluding to is the fact that Brown doesn't have a decent positional kicking game and Patton doesn't effectively organise the attack.

I haven't seen much of Austin apart from his footwork so I guess we'll have to see if he as a great all-round game. I'm not just being a moaner by the way, I think it's a genuine concern.

OK...
It might be easier for you to convince me why our left side channel was largely more dominant and effective than our right and how Brown wasn't a contributing factor?

There will be opportunities for most of the squad at one point or another during a season, and it should depend on performance as to whether a shirt is kept or not. That goes for our starting 17 too.

I've never been a fan of KB, which I'm sure you'll have twigged by now. A panic buy due to Sandow doing one, never the right fit and now way too slow.

New Zealand in the last test didn't split their halves. They followed each other around and caused total havoc. Their kicking game wasn't too shabby either.

Sorry....who did you say won the series?