Or even our number 7 ?

Although we are not happy with our halves last season it is difficult not to underestimate the effect of forwards.
Best packs IMO were Cas and Hull. Cas were superb all the league season with Gale having a terrific season. Come the GF and the Cas pack were trampled underfoot. And what happened to Gale? Just not seen.
Our first job should be to sort out the forwards personnel, then the tactics of the pack. Get them both right and we will be going in the right direction.
If the forwards dominate games then we could go with halves of our choosing. If they start losing the forward battle then we'll have trouble no matter who wears the 6 & 7 shirts.
Another prop is required and I'm hoping we sign a quality front rower from the World Cup.

Toovey has been on my wish list as assistant attacking coach for a while.
He'd sort out the halves and backs, no messing. How he'd go about Sorting the attacking play of our forwards would be worth watching!
We want a better style of attack, Toovey would provide it big time!

It has to be a priority. If we can get the go forward right, then I think we can get by with Escare at fullback and Sam Tomkins in the halves. They both can kick out of hand better then Leuluai and Tommy can get back in at hooker.

If rumours are true that Nuuausala has gone and I'm sure Tierney and Navarette will go, then we have some room for at least one prop surely. The squad is too heavy with hooking options and I wouldn't be against shedding one of those if it meant we could get two quality props in (or a prop and a halfback but the halfback option seems to have pretty much been ruled out by the club).

Would be perfect. Would be a perfect fit.

Gadwin Springer apparently signing for Trinity. Can't judge our recruitment yet but as it stands he is a player I'd love to have seen in our squad.

No chance of an assistant with more clout than Waney, Waney rules the roost, no challengers allowed, only friends and Waneys yes men..

Doesn't really looked to have kicked on to me, even in an environment at Cas where everyone seems to improve drastically.

Much rather we went for Bousquet if we're going for Frenchies.

I agree but how good is Wakey's recruiting the last couple of years? I reckon Horo will be a cracking signing for them.

Was thinking more of a squad project player instead of Hamlin.

Brough was a suggestion I'm afraid. Top goal kicker and long range kicker. Would be perfect til Sharrocks is ready.

When FPN goes, I'd be looking to sign David Fifita ( I know he's signed a deal 5 months ago but what do contracts mean these days)

Fifitas agent has just put a highlights video on YouTube check it out, a true wrecking ball!

In

Brough
Fifita
Hamlin

Out

Leaulai coaching
FPN
Breatherton
Shelford
Tierney
Naverrette

1.) Tomkins
2.) Davies
3.) Gelling
4.) Gildart
5.) Burgess
6.) Williams
7.) Brough
8.) Flower
9.) Powell
10.) Fifita
11.) Bateman
12.) Farrell
13.) O'Loughlin

14.) Tautai
15.) Clubb
16.) Mcilorum
17.) Sutton

Escare
Isa
Hamlin
Marshall
Manfredi
Sharrocks
Ganson
Forsyth
Wells
Field
Gregson
Joel Tomkins
And the new academy lads

Good deep squad with lots of competition for places, metre eating wrecking ball prop, goal kicking issue sorted, long kicking game issue sorted (taking the pressure of Williams allowing him to play freely).

Would be contending for all honours.

For me the logical step would be to put Sam back into the halves at 6 moving GW to 7 and keeping Escare FB - similar to Darren Lockyer’s move from FB to HB. Therefore TL ought to be looking at retirement or a move to hooker. Let’s be honest he offered us nothing last season and we sorely missed Matty Smith.

David Fifita I absolutely agree is a signing we should be looking at. Alongside Hamlin/Flower/Clubb and FPN we’d have a bloody good prop set up with competition for places also.

I completely disagree about Smith. He gave us nothing at all for the vast majority of games. He's slow, poor passing accuracy, poor kicking game and is defensively weak. TL is a far better player and even those who don't like him can't argue that at least TL can tackle!

TL can tackle.

That’s about it though. His kicking game was awful and the link up with GW was non existent. Though I can partially agree with what you said about Smith, his organisation and link up play with GW was far far better than TL’s and it has shown with how GW has played this season. Far too many times we’ve seen TL throw a bad pass to GW who’s left with no other option than to do his now trademark and predictable dummy and jink before being tackled.

Sam is a much better half back partner to GW than TL.

Agree with this. I honestly can't think of a worse 7 than Tommy in SL. He's truly terrible, and yes Smith is a way better 7 as he's more successful at the attributes of a 7, but as we know there's far more 7s out there than Smith and Tommy.

Tomkins to 7 with Escare coming in at 1 is worth a try, dropping Tommy has to be priority number 1.

I'm also concerned with how we 'wait' on young players coming through, when in reality they might never be good enough, now it's Shorrocks etc.

We need to deal with the here and now.

Smith and Leuluai have been as bad as each other these past two years for me. Matty Smith made far more errors in 2016 then Tommy did last year but he probably came up with a few more moments of note, simply due to his drop goals and the very odd decent kicking display. Tommy was just none existent last year. Not too many errors but it was just a nothing season in the main. No appetite to take on the line, not many assists, hardly any try's, a poor kicking game and even his defence didn't really get going like we know it can (in a hurtful sense) until later in the season. I think the jaw injuries knocked his confidence and meant he played within himself. I also think he'd got used to be second fiddle at NZ Warriors behind Johnson and playing very safety first but that's not the Leuluai we know and he's not very good at it.

Ideal world, we sign a new scrum half but that looks off the table so the next best bet is Escare at fullback with Tomkins and Williams in the halves and Leuluai getting minutes at hooker. I was very impressed with Escare's kicking out of hand last season and him and Tomkins taking that on will be a real improvement on this season. They could do with a prop or two to get us on the front foot though.

Hock released by Leigh. Wants to finish his career in SL.

The writing is on the wall. Surely Wane wouldn't be so stupid... would he? He has all the aggression that Wane wants. I can just see this happening to spell Lockers. Please no

Though that myself when I just read it. I very much doubt people above Wane would give the go ahead anyway.

Hock will forever go down as a wasted talent but what a player. I can't think of many I've enjoyed watching more.

If he committed to preseason, got himself fully fit and was happy to sign a pay as you play contract on the right money, then at prop then its a no-brainer for one-year! gives us some aggression going forward.

I think we ought to learn recent lessons on players coming back - don’t

Agreed, but actual quality like Hock does not come available often and as I said, pending him committing to getting fit he would actually be a great addition to the pack. However, I have a sneaky suspicion, Wire will take him

He had quite a few injuries this past two seasons.
Widnes or Salford may offer him a pay as you play deal perhaps.

I would think twice about signing him even if he was in his form before his ban. He left a massive sour taste.
He's nowhere near as good now so shouldn't even be considered.

FPN has I believe returned home to get married and wont be coming back.
His partner apparently hated Wigan and couldn't wait to get back to Aus.
I don't think that the rest of the squad will be particularly unhappy that he wont be returning.
Not sure why club hasn't announced this and can only think that he has time left on his contract therefore, until all the legalities are resolved they will not give any statements on this.

Whilst it would seem the most logical to put Escare at FB, Tomkins at HB and Leuleuai at HK (or keep MM/SP there and Leueuai goes into coaching) I do worry about Tomkins' ability to put in the defensive work of a 7. He's extremely lightweight which is fine in a way at FB but I think he'll be bulldozed in the middle.