One thing an older player gives you, is experience, but for me, personally, it's a blend of youth and experience.

Taking the Ashurst example, he's had a good season, and by far his best since 2018, you can understand, from a fans perspective there, doubts about the length of the extended deal.

Gale is a bit of a risk, and has missed a lot of games in the past 3 seasons, due to injury, and his discipline hasn't bee the best this year either. He may be a good organiser, which we need, but if his last 3 seasons are anything to go by, he could ve doing a fair bit of organising from the stands.

Would we get value for money?

If we were to bring him in, I certainly wouldn't be gambling on a long term deal.

Cogger and Norman are also names that are being brandished about too.

One thing you have to ask, is signings are going to be tight for next year, but it's only a few weeks ago, we were hoping to bring in AF, how would we have paid for him?

I honestly can’t see Gale on anything but a one year deal with perhaps a one year option.

I have heard Gale is keen on a coaching role so this may come into play. Looking at our coaching roster there are no HBs so in that regard he’d be very useful.

Now I’ve no idea about the last bit or even if he is on our radar. But sometimes older players bring in more than just their game face.

British HBs are an endangered speccies, be nice if we could use someone like Gale to bring one through, or is that wishful thinking

Relying on his wish to play with Dave being stronger than the money side of things?

Greetings old boy.

You're absolutely right, signing any player is a lottery regardless of history / age, granted some may carry slightly more risk than others purely based on there current fitness but that's just obvious, the biggest factor really is not always the Injuries themselves but how a player responds. The biggest example for me is Watkins, after a couple of big Injuries he looked shot, done, a shadow of his former self. I remember Salford fans bagging the signing on the basis he was a crook and for me he has been one of the best centres in the league this year, I learnt my lesson with that one and there are examples of that all throughout the game, if we're honest it's completely down to luck and circumstances surrounding recovery.

For all the kick back from fans, I wouldn't be against the signing of Gale, sure I'd prefer to unearth another promising aussie half but I just have a feeling a Gale at the club is going to be exactly what we need for next year.

I’m hoping a younger half back option/‘gem’ is unearthed else where with the World Cup imminent…….

I'd be happier in a one year deal. Maybe the longer term plan is to either look for someone off the radar in the WC, or to pick up a player mid season, which we have sometimes successfully dome so.