Just seen that, I hadn’t realised it had been confirmed. It’s not the way I’d go and it means the centre spot will still be a real issue. Hopefully Hardaker will be out to prove a point at fullback and have a stormer. Personally I think his pace has gone to a degree that he’s just a solid option at fullback nowadays but maybe he’ll prove that nonsense.

Obviously we don't know the full in and outs of the decision, but i don't get Lam on this one. If Field is fit then having having him at FB & ZH at centre is infinitely better than ZH at FB and Isa at centre.

There's a good back line there, he's just overcomplicating it.

Field
Bibby
Bateman
Zak
Hanley
Hastings
Tommy

Hardakers pace has gone and is ineffective chiming in the line as a 3rd half back.

He should be a centre until his contract is up.

One other factor may be the fitness of Field or lack of it. If they haven’t been able to get a full pre season in to him it maybe that they think a game at full back is beyond him for now, with the amount of running you need to do in that position.

Let's add to your list, we could slot Clubb or Isa in at least they were wingers! When did Hanley become a winger, after the Salford friendly? We knew that Marshy would not be an option until midway through the season. We also knew that Budgie would not be retained. We knew that we had no wingers ready to step up from the U19's. I accept that French could play on the wing but he is the best full back we have got by a country mile, so why play him on the wing? Bibby and Hardaker are too slow. Many supporters have now come to the view that anyone can slot in on the wing and I do not understand why, good wingmen are a huge asset and matchwinners. So why is it short-term thinking? It is about thinking practically.

centres, Field might be better at FB than Bevan, hes got good hands and as quick

As I have said in my last post any of our players are wing options but that does not mean that they should be playing on the wing.

Regarding the salary cap, are you saying the reason for not signing a winger is that we had no cap space until George B left? What if we did, should we have signed a winger? Why would a new winger need Bibby to get injured? My view is that the Club should select players on merit. Are there any facts to your argument or is it all based on supposition?

It is obvious what I think they should have done. When did KR say that we had spent up?

What about halfbacks?

we have hastings, smith and Tommy, Field can play there also

I think when it comes to not signing squad players we’ll just have to take it on the chin. The club has clearly cut its cloth and if it was a choice between signing a third choice winger or bringing Bateman back, I think we’d all choose the same thing. We’ve been really unlucky in a time where we’ve let some squad options go in the outside back positions that we’ve then had a flurry of injuries/absences in those positions.

I’d love for us to be able to afford to bring in a wing/centre but I can’t sit here and complain that the club hasn’t done so in the current climate. I’m happy we’ve still got a club to watch come Friday.

Clubb was an England international centre, lets chuck him there for a game and see how he goes now.

There is no substitute for pace, I'm with you NSW.

Exactly. Or perhaps Lam should just draw names out of a hat.

It was talked about in the recruitment thread.

You still haven't said what the club should have done.

"Sign a winger"

Who? Where from? As 1st choice or only plays if we need him?

It's the definition of short term i.e there's a need now, but not long term.

Name me another side who's 4th choice wing option is as good as French & then argue that (outside an injury crisis) we aren't covered.

And one that's better than Bibby who's 3rd choice. He might not be everyone's cup of tea, but as a 3rd choice winger & squad player he's more than good enough.

And who fits under the cap.

It isn't 1992.

Could have, would have, should have. It is what it is, you never know, a star might emerge from this predicament. Either way can’t wait to see how it goes on Friday

More than happy to have Bobby on the wing or centre, he was signed to cover both.

Did Rads post it?

It's obvious that I am talking about a winger and I've stated previously who we should have signed.

Do you honestly think we have spent up to the cap?

What about answering the other questions I posed rather than being selective?

My view is that it is not about the short-term it's future planning. As things stand there are big question marks about Manfredi and Marshall, French will probably head home at the end of the season, or sooner if his mother takes a turn for the worse. I still go back to my original point, the Club knew that they would not have two recognised wingers available for the start of the season, and with Dom's track record it was pretty clear that we needed back up.

Yes, can't remember if it was Radlinski or Lam but one of them did an interview saying we had little/no cap space remaining. The only thing that changed after that point was George Burgess leaving, at which point they said they were potentially looking at bringing in a winger or a prop. In the make believe world where we don't have a salary cap and players aren't bothered about their chances of gametime then yes, I'd have signed another one. In fact I'd have swapped the whole team for the Australian national team, with the GB team as squad players.


Because we aren't going to convince a better winger than Bibby to come here on reserve winger wages knowing that it will be tough to get game time due to competition from Marshall, Manfredi and Bibby. Why do you think Joe Burgess and Tom Davies aren't here anymore? The best wingers go where they will be first choice every week and get paid a salary reflective of that.

Spot on.

Circumstances have conspired against us lately.

We probably do need to make a signing in the outside backs but it has to be the right type of signing not a knee jerk signing.

That is clearly the message that came across when the club (either IL or Rads) identified we need a Prop and outside back but the right player hasn’t become available.

I’d say the 2 players we need would be an experienced Prop and a project type outside back maybe from an unorthodox background such as Union for example.

Noticed there have been a number of AN Others representing SL clubs in the trial games.

What other questions? Clubb playing in the backs, is a million miles away from calling Hanley a winger.

The club did know we needed backup - that's what Bibby, Hanley and French are there for. You're talking about signing a back up to the backup.