What you don't know about is the relationship between his Dad and Cullen.

RLFans made up fact of the day.

No it's not. He is correct. I know Joe and Shaun (his Dad) Mellor personally and Shaun did work in coaching the Warrington Service Area. I know this because my brother played in the same team as Joe through the years and Scholarship Scheme and was once coached by Shaun.

Don't let actual facts get in the way of somebody having a dig mate

ok lol

I thought I'd just say

Which of the following player transfers do you feel we've badly missed out on. Which of the following do you feel we should have tied up on [imulti-year deals[/i, i.e. which of the following players would you feel we should have signed as part of our [imedium to long term[/i strategy.

List is ripped from the VT, so apologies for any errors, or inclusions of loan/returning players.

Bradford:
L'estrange & Hall (Manly), Kearney (Cronulla);

Cas:
Snitch (Wakefield), Jackson (Huddersfield);

Harlequins:
Ellis (Barrow), Esders (Hull KR), Wilkes (Wakefield), James (Bradford);

Hudds:
Fal'ologo (Unattached), Gilmour (St Helens), Drew (Wakefield), Brown, Hodgson (Pro Contract), D. Sculthorpe, Grix (Wakefield);

Hull FC:
Fitzgibbon (Sydney), Long (St Helens), O'Mealey (Sydney), Turner (Salford);

Hull KR:
Cook (Bradford), Hodgson (Hull FC), Ratu (Leeds);

Leeds:
Eastwood (NZ), Delaney (Gold Coast), Amor (Whitehaven), Coady (Doncaster), Pitts (Wakefield);

Salford:
Smith (St Helens Loan), Gibson (Leeds);

Saints:
Soliola (Sydney), Moore (Huddersfield), Fozzard (Hull KR);

Wakefield:
Millard (Canterbury), Newton, Morrison & Jeffries (Bradford); Tronc(NQC), Korkidas (Huddersfield loan);

Warrington:
Myler (Salford), Solomona (Bradford), Atkins (Wakefield);

Tronc.

Myler even at the expense of the career of Joe Melling? (because that's what it would amount to)

Joe Mellor you mean? Can't really comment on him to be honest, never seen him play. But at the minute i would imagine Myler is a much better player and at a similar age, Myler will be a very good super league player and a wire will torment wigan for years to come, although Tomkins will still win!

Would have taken any of these....

Hull FC:
O'Meley (Sydney), Turner (Salford)

Leeds:
Amor (Whitehaven)

Wakefield:
Tronc(NQC)

Of all of those I would say only Soliola would be classed as one we have missed out on (if Carmont goes).

He could have replaced Carmont who can probably only do one year (Thornley may not be ready for regular 1st team that soon) and played alongside Gleeson with Thornley making the step up when Gleeson leaves/retires.

However if Goulding or Pryce make the necessary step up then that plugs the gap. Equally Maguire could have someone in mind to bring in this season or next to replace Carmont (depending on when he leaves) and this would also plug the gap. So depending on what happens over the next few months we may not have suffered from "missing out" on him.

IMO the rest are either old and past their best

or would stifle the progress of up and coming young players in their positions

Or in some cases both of the above apply

TBH i dont see no 'world class' signings there, possibly take any of the props because we are crying out for one, but any of them would be a rushed signing and i would rather us wait till the right persons available before signing a 30+ year old Fozzard or an Injury hit O'Meley.

We've already made the best signing of the year snapping Tomkins up for at least 5 years.

Im more happy with what we've got and if injurys occur then players like Davies, AInscough, Tuson, Farrell, Vievers, Mellor will get their chance. I think we will go really really well next year

No. I don't see anyone either. I really don't think much is up with our squad except the lack of a tactical kicking game in the halves. Experience hasn't helped us but we are getting there on that front.

BTW on that list - Moore isn't a St Helens signing, he has always been their player and played against us at the JJB for them, aged 16 way back in August 2004. He's just spent the last two years out on season long loans.

Yes I meant Mellor, damn trying to drink and type at the same time. Shaun Wane speaks consistently very very highly of him, and from what I understand he's either younger or the same age than Myler.

At the end of the day we can't sign everybody, and sometimes you have to make a choice. I wonder if Warrington would have made the same choice if they'd had been in the same position Academy/Reserve wise?

Don't get me wrong I think Myler is a good player and will do well for Warrington, but if Mellor has the potential to be as good as he's being described I think it would have been the wrong thing for us to do.

Yeah apologies, like i said i ripped the list from the VT so there maybe more errors like that.

And i'm totally with you I don't see anybody on there that I think is world class, maybe 1 or 2 that may have helped in the short term, but nobody that crys out 'damn we should have signed him, he would have been great for us for years'

At the minute though it's not really a choice between Mellor and Myler, Myler is good enough for Super league now and at the same age as Mellor.

But like i was saying, Myler has been signed for a 200k or whatever it was fee, and will be on a good wage. Would that be the right thing for us if we had a lad in the reserves we felt could step upto the mark soon. If we'd signed Myler, then none of our current reserves/academy half backs would be getting a look in for the next few years seeing as we already have Sam and Tommy.

I'm just trying to play devil's advocate mate.

Somebody may know in more detail than myself but I believe Myler to be 19 and Mellor to be 17, so there's a couple of years between them.

I just think it's an interesting debate that's all.

Any signings that we'd make would have to be in the context of our current playing squad and their contracts, coupled with ambitions going forwards.

I just don't feel that with Sam, Tommy, Riddell and Micky Mac on the first team contracts that there is room for a big money half back unless we felt that Joe Mellor etc were not likely to make it.

I'd try and squeeze Thurston in though

(though to be fair it doesn't seem to be doing the cowboys much good spending such a huge amount of their cap on 1 player)

O'Meley i think is a gamble both injury and form wise - though i honestly hope he works out for FC.

Tronc yes i think he's a good player, but he's not by any means world class, and i'd rather see what the cap money and player availability for 2011 can turn up in the prop department. Likewise i hope he does go well, and think he will at Wakey - I just don't feel with where we currently are that he would have been worth us signing on a multi year deal.

Turner, i class in the same as Myler although obviously he's a lot lot cheaper. I just don't see how he would have fitted into Sam Tommy Riddell and Micky Mac without hampering opportunities for the reserves.

It's the same story across the team I feel at the moment, I can't see an obvious recruitment spot that wouldn't potentially harm opportunities for some of the young lads who have just won the reserve grand final so convincingly. With the salary cap rules (particularly around contract termination) nothing can be changed fast playing staff wise, and it's become more of a game of chess - which I feel Leeds have been excellent at over recent years. The system rewards those who can leave enough of a gap to recruit key players and develop others- but I guess that's exactly what it's meant to do, the trick is to leave these gaps but still have enough of the pieces in place to win silverware - again Leeds have been excellent at this, Saints I feel [islightly[/i less so.

Fullback - we've got Phelps (who i think will improve again next season) and cover with Richards and Roberts, with the potential to introduce Josh gradually. I'd love a Billy Slater or a Jarryd Hayne - but that's not going to happen unless the Australians start picking overseas players for Origin and Test matches and the salary cap changes to allow some dispensation for marquee players like in Aus.

Wing - we're already introducing Shaun, have Pat, and rightly or wrongly (but sod all that can be changed for next season) have Amos on a long deal.

Centre - potentially something going here with George's age (though i'd hope to see him for 1 more season), but for me personally it would be only for a Gidley or Lyon sort of player. And as for Greg Inglis, who wouldn't want him, but it's the same story with the likes of Slater and Hayne - damned Aussies being smart about how to keep their superstars out of super league! (forgetting they actually still earn more money than they could over here anyway

) Beyond that i'd hope for something to come out of one of Pryce, Goulding, and Thornley, though i do suspect it's more likely to be Thornley than the other two.

Half Backs - with Sam now firmly established, and Tommy on his current contract, the only space i see here is for the gradual introduction of a young lad, and for me it may as well be Joe as he's already on the books and seems a good prospect (and has also worked well with Sam before). Yeah yeah same story with a Thurston, as with an Inglis. And hey the Eels got to a grand final with a part time Landscape Gardner at half back

so maybe there's hope for Tommy after all

(just kidding i like tommy)

Props - A real area where most feel we are weak on, but with the contracts that Feka and Stuart are on (which expire at the end of next season) and a real feeling that we can get more out of them with the right coaching, i'm happy to pass up on a player like Tronc (who although he's a big unit with a big engine, he's not particularly mobile or aggresive according to a lot of the fans at the Cowboys - of course they're sad to see him go, he's been a good player for them) as I just don't feel he's what we're missing. I'd rather see what's available at then end of next season with the potentially large amount of money we might have available on the cap.

Second Row - May have been an area for short term recruitment, but i think i'm happy enough to see how Joel, Harrison, Mossop and Bailey go next season (I appreciate Bails is not everybodies cup of tea, but if we're offering him a contract in the sort of money that's good for the club, he's a great guy to have around and help develop the younger lads). I really hope we can give Lee some more game time next season, and i'd like to see Liam Farrell start to be introduced slowly to. Again I don't see how a signing here wouldn't get in the way, unless that had been in place of Bails (who i'd be very suprised was being offered the sort of money he was on before).

Loose Forward - Sean just seems to keep getting better and better season on season for me, and whilst I'm a big fan of Joe Westerman, would anybody swap Sean at the moment? to me he's the cornerstone of the team.

Hooker - maybe odd to leave this one till last, but that's because it's probably the one spot that leaves me keep scratching my head. Am I happy with Mark Riddells overall performances? No, but only because I feel he's capable of more and should deliver more for a player of his experience and earnings (he's also not been total crap either). Do I think Micky Mac is the long term answer? I don't know, he's a great young lad to watch with a lot of enthusiasm and a big hitter defensively, I just sometimes wonder about his ability to get a quick ball out or to organise the forwards (but again he's young maybe it will come). Is Tommy a 9? some seem to think so, but even if he is, Riddell and M Mac are on contracts and we can't make a fast change here either. God how i'd love a player like Cam Smith.

Sorry for the long winded rant, it's quite beer fuelled and maybe a load of old cobblers.

Hopefully over the course of the pre-season and next season, Maguire and Wane will be putting the pieces together for the future - they're far more qualified than the likes of me to work it out.

Well if that was beer-fuelled, it was pretty coherent and well thought-out.

I agree, cracking post. Has anybody seen much of Kearney who's signed for Bradford? I hear he's been injured for most of last year - but remember seeing him on Setanta a couple of years back and being pretty impressed. Very much in the Slater/Brett Hodgson mould from what i remember.