As a club, this is a huge season for us and a lot depends on certain players fulfilling their potential IMO.

1: Ryan Hampshire, if he is to be the HB that he and his fans (myself included) claim him to be, he needs to prove it this season, end of and no excuses. Those who bang on about his ability need to be proved right or it's going to get embarrassing. Signs were not good on Boxing day, yes the whole team was poor but I saw no real attempt by Hampshire to take the game on, his performance was limp and it shouldn't have been in a game where he could have showcased his talents, the one who actually did what I expected Ryan to do was Josh Wood. He's not a right off yet, but for those deluded enough, yep deluded, to think he should replace Miller and especially Brough need to look again. No doubt the talent is there but no real signs as yet that he's anywhere near the old man.

2: Tom Johnstone, his problems are as much in the mind as the body. I've never had a sporting injury but I have suffered a serious illness and the fightback takes place in the head as much as the body. You have to work hard and be brave before you trust your body again. He's done it once let's hope he does it again. If he does we have one of the best wingers I've ever seen anywhere entering his prime.

3: David Fifita, the big Bopper is all people say he is, no doubt. However, there is also no doubt that Dave doesn't always have it right in his head, there is still an element of the class clown in Dave. I don't want that to go completely but at 30 its a good time to become more mature and focussed. If he does so and starts to truly lead he can in his own way be every bit as good as Andrew and now is the time.

4: Danny Brough, this is his last stanza and in his own words, he has unfinished business at Trinity. We need him to perform and to do so he needs to adapt himself better. Danny wants to be the centre of everything, this is fine at 25 where your deeds match your demands, that is no longer the case. Danny needs to pace himself and use his gifts sparingly, we don't need Danny to be magic 80 minutes a game, let the others take the strain, just be there when it matters.

There are others for whom its a big year but for these, it's not the end of the story nor in fairness are they quite as 'special' IMHO as the players mentioned above can be when on song. However there are others who's form would also make a huge difference - Walkers, Lyne, Tupou, Miller, Ashurst, Arona, Tanginoa and one of the Woods for starters but as its a team game then basically they all need to be the best versions of themselves that they can manage. If so and with a little chuffing luck then who knows.

Others, of course, may see it differently.

I agree with Hampshire, although to be fair to him, he's never really had the chance to prove it in the position he wants to be in, at half-back. Whether that's his best position is hard to know, as he hasn't played much there, but he has the chance to prove himself as an outstanding full back.

I didn't go to the Boxing Day game but I wouldn't read too much into any performances there. Blow off a few cobwebs, escape uninjured, help some new boys gel in. They are the games for players like Josh Wood to prove themselves, not Rocky.

I think you're wrong about Fifita. He will never be a player like Andrew. Just because they are identical twins does not mean they are of identical temperaments and steel, and David's character is what it is. I have identical twins and they are chalk and cheese in terms of personality and internal drive, and you wouldn't be able to instil in one what the other has. There is a reason why he was a fringe player at Cronulla whilst his brother was their outstanding player in their Grand Final win and regularly turning out for Tonga. Andrew has something more steely about him, and if David doesnt have as much, that's just how it is, but he had enough before his foot injury to be on the Man of Steel leader board.

Until his hand injury, Broughy was outstanding. We'll find out this year how much that had an effect, as he has presumably recovered from it.

I know what you mean about Johnstone. I can't wait to see him play again, but every time he strides out I'll be holding my breath. Let him have a quiet season, by his standards, and get through it unscathed. From following him on instagram, it looks like he has taken his rehab very seriously and professionally. What I don't know is whether once you have your ACL injured and repaired, it is then better and stronger, because it has been strengthened in the surgery, or whether it is always weaker because it has been damaged.

I didn't mean Dave would be exactly the same as Andrew, I meant in 'his own way' he could be, also bare in mind this is SL wherein all due respect the bar is set a little lower, shouldn't be but it is. With the latter in mind it's all there for Dave to grab.

Dave shouldn't be compared to Andrew imo.

Big Dave needs to compare to Watts, Thompson, Walmsley and now Burgess.
Before his injury he was dominating the league but he's been quickly forgotten by the rest after missing the end of the season. It's a chance for him to get that back.

Playing for Wakefield allows him to be a bit more creative and off the cuff than the others on the list and also be a leader, but only as a "follow me" leader. I would not make him team captain. That's a different skill altogether.

Why not?

There are obvious physical similarities, so theoretically they are capable of being a very similar type of player. I agree that in reality, they aren't the same person but that doesn't mean one can't learn from the other.

Don't think we need to get too bogged down in semantics here, all I'm saying is that potentially Dave could be as good as his brother, I don't think he will, its too late and he's too different in temperament but he can aspire, nowt wrong with that.

Did you want to say something

I'm waiting to see what the coaches learnt from last season

Have a team of cyborgs who don't get injured?

Nothing wrong with learning from anybody but it's not his target in my opinion.
Of course he can aim to be the best prop in the world but his first step is to be better than the props around him.

I do no think Hampshire has anything to prove, last season he was consistently excellent, he was our most creative player, durable and a brilliant finisher. He was our best half back and best player by a country mile.

Thank God it's a simple game .

He played full back and wing.
What Fish is saying I think, is that he isn't proved as the half back he wants to be.

No mate he isn't any of those things I'm afraid.

I can only assume you're a wind-up merchant because much as I like Hampshire it's impossible for anyone with a serious interest in the game to make the statement you've just made. Worse still I don't think it helps the lad when people give him that kind of acclaim, it needs to be earned by deeds not just because you and a few others seem to idolise him.

Truth is his best position last year was actually on the wing where I thought he played extremely well and his finishing was superb.

At FB he was also pretty good, at HB he didn't do so well and if you were being honest you'd admit that. He was consistent in terms of effort, no argument. Best player? Certainly one of the better ones but by a country mile! That really does make you sound a bit ridiculous. Finally 'most creative", easily the weakest part of his game IMHO, seriously Belly when he sorts that part of his game then you will have an argument.

Exactly.

In a way, it's the fault of his support brigade rather than Ryan himself. They seem obsessed that he is an HB and as of yet IMHO he hasn't proved it at senior level. I wish he would as we'd have a superstar on our hands but just saying it doesn't make it so,

Also IMHO there is nothing wrong with him ending up on the wing or at FB, all positions are vital but there does seem to be a certain snobbery regarding the HB roll. Truth is loads of great players don't end up playing in the same positions as adults as the excelled in as kids, why should they? it's not re-ordained.

I'm all for giving Ryan as many chances as we can but it's up to him to take them and as yet the HB role has eluded him a bit. That said he hasn't proved to be terrible when given the chance I hasten to add, just hasn't exploded into the limelight as much as I'd hoped and thus I still prefer Miller and Brough for now. Also granted it was only a friendly.

Well I cant think of a better player last season, head and shoulders our best player.

I did, it's in the middle of your sermon

Like I did say, Hampshire was going along well at halfback before CC brought Brough to the club, apart from Fifita he was our best last season, and if he doesn't get selected in the halves, that's not his fault is it? He needs to be given a long run at 7, but that's up to the coach is it not......

We could finish anywhere from 3-12 IMO. Really tough to call as we and others have strengthened. There's lots of good teams and no easy games.
The bulk of the squad have shown what they're capable of in top 5 finishes and at the beginning of last season. So here's hoping

Tbh when you watch Andrew, he plays so similar to Dave it's hard not to, the way he goes to the line, then steps and runs across looking for that gap before trying to bust the line is uncanny even for twins, to also the way he how quick he gets up and plays the ball. Leaving the twins thing to one side, Dave plays in a fair bit less structured way than Andrew, who imo is much more of a traditional prop if you like. for example how many times have you seen Andrew making a bid for fame up the wing, or making a try for himself with a little kick through. As you rightly say, he's allowed to play his own game in SL under CC and maybe it's why he's succeeded here and less so in the NRL, where it's all about structure. I also thinks he's developed greatly in the time he's been with us, in a way he's been a late bloomer and thrived because he's got out of his brothers shadow. Personally along with Thompson and Watts he's the best prop in the league. As you also say hopefully he comes back hungry to get back to where he was pre injury last season, or dominate even more all season, if that's possible.

On Tom, as others have said I'll be looking away when he first stretches his legs, or goes for a flying finish. I've had the same injury as him many years ago and it's one thing to recover and go through all the hard yards in the gym and the mind, gradually learning to trust it more and more as you go through all the hours and days of pain. To have it happen to you again though is a massive test of your body and especially mind. As a player all he can do is stay positive, be around positive people and just get his head down and do what the trainers tell you, then it's all about trusting the knee again when you're on the field and that's the key, just as long as as his operation went well, as it appears to have and his ligaments have fully mended, it's all a bit of a head test. When it happened to me, for a month or so after I came back, if I felt any twinge anywhere, or had to get the foot down, it was there in the back of my mind, like a little voice. I found myself consciously not really going for it the way I knew I could, often looking for the pass rather than taking players on, but eventually after I got a number of games into me, it starts to slip out of your mind. I wouldn't be surprised if Tom's the same, it may take him a few games or even more to truly get confident again, but the main thing is he hopefully he does. Ateotd he's still so young and got such a long career ahead of him and from what we've seen of him so far in his career, he's shown mental toughness, so fingers crossed.

As for the team, we just need to keep most of our best players on the field, playing like we know they can and not get hit with loads of long term injuries again and i think everything else will look after itself & we'll do OK, top half of the table.

AS every year make or break season for the CLUB not to finish 12th.OH and the stadium

I would seriously be not playing any of our main players in anymore of the pointless trails - we can already not afford anymore injuries ,3 of top squad players already out with long term injuries before round 1

Jordan hopefully 6 weeks and George again I think maybe 8 weeks , you’ll always pick injuries unfortunately wether playing or training. A quick and full recovery to you Ben.

Is that 6 and 8 weeks from now, or 6 to 8 weeks into the season? Hope your lad is recovering well.

Hopefully with Jordan’s type of injury he can keep his fitness/stamina levels up so when he gets the all clear he will hit the ground running , should think a lot harder for George but I’m no expert on these matters

Had his op today so approximately 6 weeks from today if all goes well, didn’t need plating wether that makes it quicker I’m not sure.

Good to hear. Hope he recovers well.