Similar in frame to a certain young Reece Lyne when he first came to trinity. Hall seems to have it all and I agree he only seems to lack that bit of physicality/muscle that comes with age. Looking forward to see him develop and I agree that he deserves to start the season. When he’s coming up against big units week in week out it will test him but I’m sure he will do good. I’ve also been impressed by Minns too though, he’s got his head down and looked good in pre season.

Am in my 70s now, have seen the good the bad and the damn right ugly. Always hoping for the best and never shocked at the worst. We are all hardened to it. I feel starting a season without props is nuts. Lacquer it any way you want but you would expect to be easily steam rollered by some teams. If DF is injured, we are in the poop. Not seen Lino yet and against Fev we were really shocking. The six unvaccinated will mean capitulation of the French games due to Covid rules, particularly if all are overseas players which we don’t know of course. I am a 100% glass half full person but this time have a negative feeling and want desperately to be 100% wrong. The Whitbread signing just seems plain daft to me. There had to have been a young prop looking to come over and cut his teeth in Super League. Playing people out of position is a massive gamble and often unsuccessful. There’s a bit of boom and bust about Fev and exactly the opposite from us. Maybe we will look at things again mid season. Vasty, I would love this re- posted to show I am completely wrong later in the season and I know there will be plus points like Hall (Craig still looks good by the way!) someone said a good big un will always beat a good little un. Against FC will be a barometer as they have a few missing. First time I have felt like this sadly. Sorry!

Whilst I do believe we are 1 prop light I don't think we really need to panic quite like the above would suggest.

Battye/Arona/Tangianoa/Whitbread/Fafita are all experiened senior prop forwards. We then have Aydin and Adebiyi as back up, both who have a number of senior appearances under their belts. The prop market has been very lean this offseason. Even the traditionally bigger teams have had to go a little left field to recruit n that department and to what is no doubt an inflated market in regards salary.

Trinity are a money ball side. We don't have the cash slushing around to pay over the odds for players. If we are to push up the table we need to get players in who provide more value than their cap value not less so paying over the odds really isn't an option.

We clearly are not going into the season with no props. We have a set of capable props and some with promise. The issue is we only really have one stand out prop, the others are all fairly similar in style and stature. We may well be waiting for a mid season move rather than panic and bring in the wrong type of person and player.

I think we are OK going into the season with the Prop options we have. In an ideal world we add some size later in the season when players become available on loan etc.

So you think you know better than Willie Poching?

Interesting.

It's not about knowing more, it's about knowing less.
We can all wax lyrical about what we'd like but we don't know what restrictions Willie has in terms of available cash to spend, current wage bill or what us available.

Let's see how it goes against Hull. That's the starting point. I'm optimistic but realistic as well.

Well put.

We as fans see 80 minutes per week for two-thirds of the year, so we know the punch line but none of the build-up.

However, you don't need to know much to know that anyone who thinks Fifita is our only prop is talking nonsense, he's our best but all teams have a best.

Posters should listen to the WP's podcast, there is a very realistic man who nonetheless believes totally in his ability and that of his team. You can be realistic but this desire to be negative before a ball is kicked frankly makes me puke, especially the line 'and want desperately to be 100% wrong.' I don't believe that line, to be honest, I think they love it. Put simply I personally wear my heart on my sleeve and have no time for defeatism or self-pity, certainly not for something as relatively trivial as sport, I find it nauseating and an easy way out for those lacking conviction. I'm sure I'll be lambasted by some for saying that but hey.

Never mind nobody knows better than WP Vasty, you think nobody knows better than you and nobody has an opinion. I hope you do puke, it may clear some of the bile from your system.
Tanginoa, Whitbread and Arona are not props. End of. This is a forum where opinions are expressed, you need to get out more.

Quote ="Manuel"Never mind nobody knows better than WP Vasty, you think nobody knows better than you and nobody has an opinion. I hope you do puke, it may clear some of the bile from your system. Tanginoa, Whitbread and Arona are not props. End of. This is a forum where opinions are expressed, you need to get out more.'" You're right and I've just expressed mine. Whitbread is a prop, he's played there all his career at prop, for some reason people have decided after one game to call him a LF. Still, as I say Coach knows best and you don't. I realize you're clearly living in a dream world but for your information, the following players are props or can play there with ease. Fifita Battye Whitbread - is a prop see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Whitbread Aydin is probably a scrum-half in your book Adebiyi SR/Prop Tanginoa SR/Prop Shaw That's 7 props, all at various stages in their career, about the same as most clubs.

Quote ="Manuel"Never mind nobody knows better than WP Vasty, you think nobody knows better than you and nobody has an opinion. I hope you do puke, it may clear some of the bile from your system. Tanginoa, Whitbread and Arona are not props. End of. This is a forum where opinions are expressed, you need to get out more.'" You're right and I've just expressed mine. Whitbread is a prop, he's played there all his career at prop, for some reason people have decided after one game to call him a LF. Still, as I say Coach knows best and you don't. I realize you're clearly living in a dream world but for your information, the following players are props or can play there with ease. Fifita Battye Whitbread - is a prop see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Whitbread Aydin is probably a scrum-half in your book Adebiyi SR/Prop Tanginoa SR/Prop Shaw That's 7 props, all at various stages in their career, about the same as most clubs.

Quote ="vastman"You're right and I've just expressed mine. Whitbread is a prop, he's played there all his career at prop, for some reason people have decided after one game to call him a LF. Still, as I say Coach knows best and you don't. I realize you're clearly living in a dream world but for your information, the following players are props or can play there with ease. Fifita Battye Whitbread - is a prop see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Whitbread Aydin is probably a scrum-half in your book Adebiyi SR/Prop Tanginoa SR/Prop Shaw That's 7 props, all at various stages in their career, about the same as most clubs.'" You forgot Eseh.

Quote ="vastman"You're right and I've just expressed mine. Whitbread is a prop, he's played there all his career at prop, for some reason people have decided after one game to call him a LF. Still, as I say Coach knows best and you don't. I realize you're clearly living in a dream world but for your information, the following players are props or can play there with ease. Fifita Battye Whitbread - is a prop see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Whitbread Aydin is probably a scrum-half in your book Adebiyi SR/Prop Tanginoa SR/Prop Shaw That's 7 props, all at various stages in their career, about the same as most clubs.'" You forgot Eseh.

I did, sorry

I accept some of those 8 lack experience but the potential is there in them all.

There’s definite potential for sure.

I do think that we have some reasonable/acceptable depth at prop. We do need some luck with injuries though I feel or we will be relying on some players with less experience but you can’t guage that.

Quote ="vastman"You're right and I've just expressed mine. Whitbread is a prop, he's played there all his career at prop, for some reason people have decided after one game to call him a LF. Still, as I say Coach knows best and you don't. I realize you're clearly living in a dream world but for your information, the following players are props or can play there with ease. Fifita Battye Whitbread - is a prop see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Whitbread Aydin is probably a scrum-half in your book Adebiyi SR/Prop Tanginoa SR/Prop Shaw That's 7 props, all at various stages in their career, about the same as most clubs.'" Just to clarify on the Whitbread debate: 30 NRL Apperances for Gold Coast, 1 game started at prop, 2 games from the bench at prop. 8 games started at loose, 19 off the bench to loose. 4 Games at Leigh - 2 games at Loose, 2 games at prop. So in his senior career, he`s played around 14% of his game time at prop. His junior rugby for Burleigh looks to be a mixture of second row/Loose/prop. So I don`t quite think its people just deciding he is a LF after one game.

Quote ="vastman"You're right and I've just expressed mine. Whitbread is a prop, he's played there all his career at prop, for some reason people have decided after one game to call him a LF. Still, as I say Coach knows best and you don't. I realize you're clearly living in a dream world but for your information, the following players are props or can play there with ease. Fifita Battye Whitbread - is a prop see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_Whitbread Aydin is probably a scrum-half in your book Adebiyi SR/Prop Tanginoa SR/Prop Shaw That's 7 props, all at various stages in their career, about the same as most clubs.'" Just to clarify on the Whitbread debate: 30 NRL Apperances for Gold Coast, 1 game started at prop, 2 games from the bench at prop. 8 games started at loose, 19 off the bench to loose. 4 Games at Leigh - 2 games at Loose, 2 games at prop. So in his senior career, he`s played around 14% of his game time at prop. His junior rugby for Burleigh looks to be a mixture of second row/Loose/prop. So I don`t quite think its people just deciding he is a LF after one game.

Whitbread is a "middle". I don't like the term but it is certainly a position we are stuck with for the foreseeable.

With ball handling 13s seeming to be very few and far between the 13 and Prop role in most cases has become interchangeable, and more often than not they do the same job.

A middle tends to be a little more mobile and agile than the traditional view of a bigger prop.

I think we have an imbalance in the prop rotation where we have possibly 6/7 middles and only one out and out Prop in Fafita.

Wigan last year were in a similar position with basically a prop rotation of middles and their lack of ability to get meters ended up with them being the lowest try scorers in the division, along with some very negative tactics from the coach at the time. The priority was for them to recruit 2 traditional Props and they had to search hard to find them from less obvious routes.

Covid and the arrival of a new franchise in the NRL for 2023 means the talent available from the NRL is going to be reduced even further which is why it is refreshing for us to be investing in youth and developing players not just looking at short term fixes.

I agree the middles have become interchangeable but if you look at our middles the 2 that stand out in terms of linking our attack, a decent pair of hands at the line and some good footwork at the line are Whitebread and Arona and I don`t think it`s any coincidence that they have both played a lot of rugby at 13 both here and the NRL. To be honest, I think Crowthers game has come on a lot passing near the line and linking in, not quite there yet but he`s vastly improved to what he was.

TBF I'm going on Wiki alone so if you say so, what I do know is he's seen as a prop at Wakey and that is the stat that matters. Whether he moves to LF at some point in the future who knows. What I don't get is why he isn't a prop according to a certain poster when he clearly is a more than capable prop, why that's so hard to accept I don't know. He's got the size which is often the case as a player gets older.

We will see, let's count up at the end of the season.

John as got it spot on jai is not a prop nor is he a loose he is a middle and weather we like or not its more or less the same role.jay pitts when coaching the academy calls it middle cos thats where my lad plays most of his rugby.

One of the players who seems to have had a strong pre season in terms of his performances is Brad Walker who has previously said in the media he sees himself as a loose forward.

Once Lino is fit to play at 7 it would be good to see Walker move from 7 to have a run of a few SL games at loose forward.

He’s got some size at 6ft 1 tall and 16 stones as well as a good pair of hands and strong kicking game…. This would also enable Whitbread to focus on the prop position…

We will find out who goes were 1 week on Sunday .Can not wait

I know best and I can tell you Fafita is Infor a rough season with our midget pack. I think we will beat Hull but without fafita we will be dominated no too ways about it.
Hall looks a cracking signing.

Wise words from a poster who has got it more consistently wrong than all the rest of the posters on here combined.

I’ll put that one on file under G for garbage. Midget pack, change the record.

Great insight.
You make it sound like we have the Under 12's (no offence to them btw) in the 1st team....

Spot on

he's always right, He should be a twin really, he's too many brains for one.

Who's this Fafita lad? Is he any good?

Tom is certainly happy with Poching so far... https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/there-wa ... ged-48562/

Tom is certainly happy with Poching so far... https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/there-wa ... ged-48562/

Never heard of him....
Probably not........