We got one last year....


Half backs are few, quality half backs are even fewer.

Hull KR have done OK with halfbacks recently. Blake Green, Campese, Kelly. Maybe we should ask them if they can find us one?

I don't get the fuss over a new halfback. What's wrong with the ones we've got. Ellis & Wood haven't been given a chance by a lot of our fans.
We are sitting in 4th. We could be second come Friday.
As long as they play well and the rest of the team we will have a team that can win something. A new half back would give us an equal chance.

i think we are OK, when things are going OK

the problem , or the fear, that our fans have is that, when Brough isn't on form there is no one to step up and play that role, Ellis, Wood, Robinson, are good back ups, but they don't have the influence that Danny Brough has, but then again, which player in super league does?

when Brough plays well and the team plays well we don't really notice it, but then whats to say if we did bring another top quality half in that it would work?

i said to Daz, before, we don't know if Ellis, or Wood can step up in the absence of Brough because they've never had to

This.

Swopsies for Lunt?

Patrick the big softie at prop, no thanks. He's burned his bridges and wasnt sad to see him go in anycase, bet wigan wish they didnt bother!

i still think we wont see any more signings after Rapira and Hinchcliffe.

may be the odd change regarding taai and hughes with their situations but cant see any big moves now

the club doesnt like to make wholesale changes and those two signings wont have come cheap at all.

we are currently 4th which is brilliant... why the need for more signings. Hull kr for one prove that it doesnt work all the chopping and changing

Hughes to Warrington
Hansen to leave Salford
Chase to leave Salford
Paterson to Leigh
Taai to RU

We have needed a quality halfback for a decade, Brown was the last one to make any sort of fist of it and he played much of his time at centre, He is making a better job of it at Widnes, probably because he is the head honcho there.

I wouldn't say that a new halfback would win anything for us this season, I was thinking of the future( as with the other new signings )

The three Players you mention are all capable of a good game ( as Wood had on Sunday ) But we need another player who turns it on week in week out (Like Brough ) or as close as poss. Robbo is well past his best and was discounted as a halfback some time ago in favour of being Hooker. Hooker is taken care of for the near future.
Cas let Ellis go at a time when they were losing half their players, and he struggled to get a place in their side, so why would he be the man we need. Maybe he just didn't want to play for Cas any longer and wanted more game time, Well we all know what we think of players like that.
Wood we let go to Wakey as surplus to needs, or to make room for better, We then get him back a couple or years later, Why ? are we thinking Wakey have made him into a better player , or did we sign him as just back up .

Just about everything goes through Brough, and if he has a poor game we just don't score points, Ellis has the right Idea I can see the thinking behind him playing, but he just doesn't have the pace of the mark and the skill level for one of the main roles in the side.

I am not a stats person to be honest but a glance at the table shows that the reason we are 4th is the Defence is the best in the league, The attack on the other hand is distinctly mediocre and is almost totally reliant on Brough, Shut him down , or wind him up and we are already half beaten. We have no plan B.
That's why we need a halfback. We will get where we get this season, hopefully all the way, but we need to be a bit more forward looking.

I don't agree with this "no plan B" We certainly have had and we are currently well past plan B!!!!!
Bailey was signed as a ball playing LF to help with our attack - hes been injured so we changed tack and put a tackling LF in.
Grix was out for first part of season so we got Connor in at FB, fairly inexperienced player, Grix came back in and helped the attack. Grix out again and we get a rookie in who isn't expected to take the burden.
Ellis signed as half back to play alongside brough and to help with kicking - that didn't happen- woody had a great stint at 7, or was it robbo...
Started the season with Lunt at Hooker -handling hooker- he rocked the boat so we played woody, robbo as running hookers, then leeming comes in as a handling hooker again, ellis at hooker.......
taai at second row, prop and LF, ferres at LF, wardle at second row ................................. im really not sure where you get this idea we have no plan B!!!!!!!!!!!!




in fact looking at all those changes Im surprised we aren't in the bottom of the table

As it stands I think we are one of the lucky teams.

We have one quality half back. Something a lot of teams don't have.

I would say Catalan are the only team with two good half backs in Carney and Dureau. However they are both injury prone and very rarely play together.

Blair and Kelly can't be all that. Look where they are in the league.

As Jools said quality available half backs are few and far between these days.

And if we could sign one would they be prepared to play second fiddle to Broughy when it comes to set plays, kicking etc because I'll tell you now Broughy will not want the work load sharing. He thrives on it.

I would like to see Ellis given a good run at HB. I think he'll come good.

Would you swap Brough and say Ellis for any of the following partnerships...

Saints - Walsh & Burns
Leeds - Sutcliffe & McGuire
Wigan - Smith & Williams
Wire - O'Brien & Myler

I wouldn't and these are the big 4 that have dominated the game trophy wise over the past 20 years!

I'm not saying there hasn't been attempts to change the game plan, whether we agree with them or not, Sometimes injuries make them unavoidable.

The point I was trying to make was, we have no plan B as a backup, or to compliment Brough.

I wouldn't swap Brough for any of them, I'm as big a fan as he has got. but as you say these 4 along with Bradford have dominated the Trophies in Super league, and Leeds ,Wigan, Saints along with Cas ,Catalan and HKR have all scored better than we have, so what are you saying, they have poor Halves, They must be doing something right. Warrington and Widnes have scored the same , so we are far from great in the points for column.

All I,m saying is year after year we sign big name forwards, there have been a long line of them. ( and yes we did try and sign Carney ) but by and large halves don't figure high on our wanted list.

End of the day It's all opinions but there are 2/3 players on your list that I would swap a few of ours for.

I'm talking about half back pairings though?

Our lack of points scored cannot be blamed on our halves.
What about our centres who don't pass to our wingers when they should?
What about our forwards who have dropped the ball over the line?
These are just examples. There are a million and one reasons as to why other teams have scored more.
I think to suggest our lack of points scored is down to not having a better partner for Brough is wrong.
It's down to how the whole team plays.

In 2013 we were the top points scorers with the best defence. Who did we have at 7?

As it stands now we have the 2nd best points difference in the league behind leeds. That's good enough for me.

Yes , and that's fair enough, both you and me can make the stats say what we want them too.

If you are happy with Robbo , Ellis or Wood as the way forward, you are happy. Myself I don't see them as the future. But it's each to their own, as it should be.

you would need big money to bring in a top half back to go with brough

but would it work... what a combo we had in brough and brown!!!! didnt pay off.

long term i think we should be giving jake connor a chance to partner brough. he has played in the role before and played well.

right now though we are on form so have to stick with ellis.

Ryan Hampshire at Wigan OOC and wants to leave. Would be immsuarably better than any other half we have to go with Brough.

Does not want to play second fiddle to Tompkins.

I would give ellis, patrick, robbo and wood to wigan to have him partnering brough.

Their salaries combined would allow us to go for another half back.

People who want "a top halfback" I ask you this

Name who you want, that's available to sign - go on

Wood is very good, attacks the line and links well but maybe lacks a good kicking game but is a good passer

Ellis has a decent kicking game and also attacks the line, bit more nuggety than Wood and adds a different dimention

Robbo - at the end of a very good career, tough as teak and still got an eye for the line, organises well to take that job of Brough

Would losing Brough effect us? Of course - he's the best halfback in the country, genuine international class

Can the cowboys be the same without Thurston or Storm without Cronk? A player like that isn't replaced in a hurry

I haven't seen reference to him wanting to leave Wigan but IIRC he is from Wakefield. Fits the Giants mould of being young and British. Stand off, quick. Haven't seen enough of him to say if he would complement Brough. But I would certainly want to know more if he was available.

Well we have done very well out of Wigan in the past, Why not as DG say have a go for Hampshire, Also there will be lots of players playing second grade in Os. Do we have a spotter of any Ilk over there.
All the players mentioned can do a job on their day with wood being the one to keep out of them for me. But being brutally honest, you tell me if wood is the man Why did we move him on to Wakey. and at Cas there was no Sam Tomkins keeping Ellis out of the side.
I grew up watching really classy halves, so I dare say I expect too much.

He is another victim of the Wigan production line , Too many quality players to keep.

I don't know if he is available, but I wouldn't be surprised with Tomkins returning.

Hampshire is from west yorkshire and rarely gets a run in his best position at Wigan is soon OOC and a lot of clubs are interested in his services if Wigan decide to move him on us included,think Anderson is more of a Sam Powell fan another who is being wasted out of position at Wigan.Rumours on the Warrington board that they have signed Hughes as we failed to agree terms would be a shame as i think he has made a big differance to our defence this year and seemed to be clicking in attack more in recent weeks

Maybe because Wood wasn't right for us at the time

Might as well ask why hull and wakey let Brough go

I'm sure there are some decent halfbacks playing lower grade in Aus but we have a few decent halfbacks already - why as a top 4 team do we want a player not good enough for Aussie first grade?

Name me a top halfback available anywhere we might sign?

I've seen my share of quality halves in my time too and Wood and Ellis are as useful as any subordinate halfback in the league

As far as I know every club who have let brough go has been because of off field problems, but there have been none at the Giants I don't think.

As far as second grade in Oz is concerned, you and me both know the game is at a far higher level over there, I might as well just say to you, why would we want to sign a second grade coach ( who paid his own fare ) and turned out to be arguably the best we have had.

Best we just agree to disagree on this, because we both obviously have our opinions, and I may just be expecting too much.

Just as a matter of interest who are the classy halfbacks you have watched in your time, It's interesting to get other peoples views on players you have Rated yourself.