Regards Cust, how many NRL clubs put a first option clause in a players contract when they come over here?

Manly see something in him and I think he will get better and better for us as his time here progresses.

100% he's got stuff to work on. I like your point a few posts back saying that his defensive lapses stretch back to game one of this season. He/we have been done a few times with his sliding defence and it needs to improve.

Like you said tho, we mostly be happy with how he's gone. He's had some big plays - rnd1 kick to Field and his performance, including his try, in the SF Vs Saints. I do think Tommy starts (if fit) and that's right for the side this season. Cust will bring a whole lot of energy and options from the bench tho.

In fairness that pass to Marshy for his last try was sublime. Happy with him and in particular his attitude to the cause but definitely things to tighten up on. I think people need to remember that it's his first full season at half and he's grown throughout so far. He isn't, and shouldn't be regarded as, the senior half. There's only a year between him and Harry Smith and Harry is the more experienced of the two in terms of game time. Tommy is our senior half. Simple as that.

The MOS odds were ridiculous.

Great point and a smart move by Manly, especially when you consider DCE is 33. I wouldn't be surprised if they speak to Cust at end of 2024, with an eye to him replacing DCE.

Firstly Nicky is spot on about Custs defence. Gets bumped off fair too easy.

Fairly happy with him on the ball and think he’ll improve next year. Seems to have a brilliant attitude.

He leaves a lot of the kicking and play making to Smith though.

Tommy straight back in for me with Cust on the bench.

On the game it didn’t really change my mind on where both sides are at.

Simm, Bennison and Davies won’t all be lining up at old Trafford. Them early set devastating Makinson carries were sorely missed. As was Hopoate linking play.

Don’t think the final score was a fair reflection either.

Think Saints would be a 4 point favourite if we played in the final but we still have a good chance.


I’d rather have lost last night and not lost Faz to injury. I’d be amazed if it isn’t season over for him.

Smithies is the form 13 in SL, not really notice Knowles tbh (maybe carrying a knock?).

The extra attention we’ve gave Welsby has been coming for months now. Proper grub* and had a nightmare evening and we let him know it.

*disclaimer - great great player and I’d love him if he played for us.

Rest up now and get ready for tough semi final.

Wouldn’t shock to if the final wasn’t Saints Wigan.

Smithies surely has to be the dream team 13 this season. I’m still going Knowles ahead of him for England (and obvious Radley) because I’m not somebody who buys in to picking solely on form at international level but there’s no doubt in my mind that Smithies has had the better season.

Think you spot on there. 1-17 I still think they are better than us, but with the injuries we both have (yes saints fans, we have them too) our squad depth is better than theirs.

I'd love to see a game against them where we have the same ball/field position as they do though because I don't think they could handle us.

I noticed last night that we made more yards per set than usual against them. Kicks were coming from the 40 rather than the 25 and we weren't as up against it as normal. Still plenty to do there, but it helps us defensively if we can tip the territory somehow.

I actually thought Cust was better last night compared to the last few weeks. Made a few big tackles, I.e one on Lomax just before Hurrell’s disallowed try and a shot on welsby which led to him knocking on right on our line. The stats say he only missed 2 last night and made 32.

They had spells in that second half where they tried to pin us in our twenty and we’d kick on the last from there. I’d love to see us just pump it upfield on the 3rd or 4th tackle and let the back three chase it. Their whole line flies up and gives you next to no chance of making decent ground by running it in but they leave so much space in behind. It isn’t every set they do it but when they do, I’d be using our pace every time and let their big guys have to turn and run back 50+ metres, rather than Welsby, Bennison or whoever catching it on half way with space in front of them.

I think the "better 1-17" argument is well over played. We compete in a sport where the first choice 1-17 is rarely...if ever...on the field at the same time and definitely never come the business end of the season. It rather like saying "if we had Wally Lewis in his pomp playing for us we'd easily be the best". Guess what? That's never going to happen either!



If Saints are less able to cope with injuries than us (I think they had 1 more than us last night) then that's on them. Spend less on the 1-17 and concentrate on a more rounded squad. That's the choice you make and live and die by. If it works for them like in the last couple of years, then fine, but they shouldn't be crying about it if and when it doesn't. You can't have it all ways.

Hull FC fan in peace. Just want to say how much I’ve enjoyed watching you guys this season. Love the intensity you play with and what a superb job Peets and Briers have done.
I tipped you back in February to win the final this year and looking good to do that.
Lastly, what a humble guy Matty Peets comes across as too. He’s been a breath of fresh air this season and really admire how he goes about his business quietly with no fuss. Deserves Coach of the year.
Best of luck in the play offs and hope to see you lifting the trophy on September 24th.

I’m assuming you haven’t watched it back? You’ll likely feel a bit silly about this post once you have. Was a bad tackle and Simm was legit rattled and showed the effects for the rest of the match, barely being able to move his arm. There is a ban incoming for Cust. Not sure if it’ll be the whole season, but 3 games wouldn’t surprise me.

Oh I agree absolutely and am not defending their injury issues, but we can't pretend them missing the players they were missing didn't help us. The difference is, as I said, we have a better all round squad and that's thanks to guys like Isa and Shorrocks that get bagged every week but can fill in a few positions and not let us down.

Well it would surprise me as it was a good tackle.

Haven't seen the incident back you refer to, but Simm at the end is shaking hands with his left hand and keeping his right pretty tight to his body so definitely something there.

Me being biased of course,I cannot agree with the 1-17 Saints players are better,they are not !!
would you change-French,Field,Marshall,Smith,Byrne,Faz,Bateman,Cust,Tommy,Havard,Singo,KPP,O,Neil,Smithies etc I wouldnt, only area I think maybe centres.
Roby is now fading,Welsby is not the second coming,Morgan (who) Knowles is not the greatest player ever,Makinson got burned by Marshall as did Percival when it mattered,
LMS old and slow likes to shout a lot,Walmsley slower than a dump truck,Lomax not as good as Smith or Cust.

There you go a honest appraisal from a non biased Wiganer .

Lots of attention and praise on our backs (and rightly so) we are a very exciting team to watch but really impressed with Mike Cooper.

I know some people didn’t think we needed to bring in another prop hopefully they can now see the difference that he is making.

The Saints pack, whilst ageing is still a good one and I thought they struggled to handle him, he’s a bit of a machine and compliments what we have.

Looking like a pretty shrewd signing for us.

He’s going to be so important in the big games. It’s his footwork that’s the big difference and he is constantly getting forward because of it. Havard is much the same and he’ll be important as well. Looking at last night and the minutes the props played, I would say Ellis or Mago will be vulnerable when Havard is available. I always thought Singleton would retain a starting shirt and I still do.

Love Cooper. He is an immense signing. Daryl Powell is an absolute idiot letting him go and getting players like Dudson in to replace him. I still want another prop though, and i still want that prop to be Royce Hunt.

It comes back to the "combined team" argument which, if I'm honest, I'm not a fan of. It's a non starter of an argument for me as, in a salary capped sport, no team could afford all the best players so it doesn't really matter if player A is better than player B. All that matters is that the squad you assemble has the best balance.

On this front, I think we comfortably have the best as was demonstrated last night when both teams had similar numbers of injuries. It doesn't matter if Percival, Makinson or Hopoate would make them better. They've all spent large amounts of time out so you can't guarantee them being there. I've no doubt Hardaker, Havard and Tommy would similarly improve us but they're not there either so it's irrelevant.

So in answer to your post no, I currently wouldn't swap any of ours for any of theirs because we're currently the better team and that, in the real world, is all you can ask for. Anything else is just a Sunday afternoon discussion over a pint

Yep, suddenly Ellis looking at risk of losing his place. Overall I think he’s done ok this year but compared to Cooper & Havard he seems a way off.

Can only be healthy to have that kind of competition amongst the props and it’s becoming a real problem for our rivals.

I think he has to start - difficult to decide who he should start with. I think you always need someone on the field who you can trust to make some metres - Singleton and Byrne are durable but maybe easier to dominate than the other four.

You can't have 6 props in the 17 so one has to miss out. Patrick Mago is the interesting one - Peet clearly doesn't trust his defensive stamina against St Helens - he played around 15 minutes last night. I think on balance you have to say he should be in the 17 as he provides that X factor that others don't have.

It would (regretfully) be Liam Byrne to miss out for me.

Not sure how you can say that, Simm was pretty clearly lifted over the horizontal and drove down into the ground. I don’t think it was on purpose or anything like, was just clumsy. People accusing Simm of milking that is shocking though

Not enough pace or craft for me, but I am happy to be proved wrong.

But it wasn't over the horizontal was it? That's the point. It was a perfectly legal. Shall we start handing out bans because somebody makes a strong challenge now?

You are struggling to make a point because there isn't one to make. Wigan won, Saints lost, not because of the ref, not because Saints must play their strongst 17 every week and not because of bad tackling. They were beaten by the better team and by a team that is going to be miles better in a couple of years.