And if they've contacted the player before his employer they are breaking RFL rules. I'm sure those nice people over the common wouldn't do that.

As a guess from when we signed him & not really knowing he'd take over at halfback, his value to the club will be more and the offer this time around I imagine will be better. But it sounds as though it's not what he or his agent thinks he's worth.

As others have said he's a bit unlucky that he's come at a time that we've got a few good players on our books that have had recent extensions. ATEOTD we just don't know what amount would keep him here, it may be that if we had some spare money that the Club may think he's asking too much or conversely another £10 grand or so they'd be prepared to pay if we had it.
We could go round in circles on this one.

I wonder if/when he tests the market and maybe doesn't get a better all around offer, what happens? He excepts ours and we move on to next year?

I rate Hampshire but there are also a few other good halves looking for clubs. One being Drinkwater and if I had the choice in my opinion Drinkwater would be a better fit into our team. Only my opinion of course.

It's quite an interesting situation with rocky and i feel he is starting to come across a bit of a mercenary

I can't help but feel him dragging this out will not endear him to the fans or the players either

I appreciate he's wants paying what he wants paying but it seems to me the answer is simple. As yet he has proved only that he is worth a shot as our starting SH and nothing else

If he believed in him self so much, sign the contract
BUT for a year and put prove you are worth what you think you are worth

As things stand at the minute he's looked good in a handful of matches and 'could' do a good job for us at SH next season
The rest of what we know about him is that he's being an ok utility player at Leigh / Wigan

quota full.

This is my opinion also
Drinkwater is exactly what we need but unless some one comes of quota I can't see it

Rumours are drinkwater is going to leeds
Leeds have already signed lolohea

Could myler be on his way out at leeds? The fans not happy with him

I think we benefit massively from the pace Hampshire and Miller have at half. It just puts that extra doubt in defence which opens up opportunities. I haven't seem much of Drinkwater but he has never struck me as a speedster.

I think it's generally accepted on here we need some one to run the plays and to bring a strong kicking game

Both those two factors are more important than speed to this team (IMO)
We have class stand off with pace to burn in Jacob miller already

Indeed but I think Hampshire has those two traits but with the benefit of having pace in his locker. Could Drinkwater have scored the try Hampshire did last Friday (granted he may have nailed the 4 conversions that were missed but Hampshire has been good with the boot before then)?

Better still we have pace right across the backline that a smart H/B could really get moving.

Truth is we could do with both Drinkwater and Hampshire but I can't see that being on.

Last year we ended up in roughly the same position as this year with the slowest HB in SL history so I'm not convinced on that argument to be honest.

If I had to guess I think he'll sign on for next year, hard to imagine there is another SL club that can offer him a starting spot at halfback next year and I imagine he and his agent knows that. I hope they are just holding out for Trinity's best offer which you can't really blame them for.

I think most people would be happy with Rocky as starting 7 next year and I hope the offer we have made reflects that. Factoring in that he is not at his peak (yet) and there is room for improvement and also that as a club we don't pay the full cap.

Agree on the first point, pace isn't the be all end all when you've got our backline but the other point, that's the issue isn't it. We're going to need 2 halfbacks, a leader and a backup. Gonna be hard to do imo.

I assume that where 'soft' lad Reynolds comes in.

He may be one that comes in but we'll have lost Rocky and Finn from this year so I'd presume we'd need another as cover like Reynolds was meant to be. Unless we chance it and play Wood there if anything happens. risky though.

No I meant Reynolds is the cover for Miller and xxxxxx whoever xxxxxx is.

Basically Reynolds is a free agent with very little market value I would think and may take a very low cost one year deal to rebuild his career. If we got Hampshire for 30k allegedly then Reynolds who is imho an inferior player has very little bargaining power.

I would imagine similar money t0 what Baldwinson was on assuming he isn't coming back.

True, but we are looking at trying to take that next step and if we had the organiser with a kicking game plus pace, well that could be the difference between changing that narrow loss into a win.

Get ya.



TBh forgot we had Baldwinson. Shows how versatile Arona is, the bloke can cover anywhere in the pack, may struggle with hooker but wouldn't put it past him though.

Does anybody really think we are going to go higher than we are with miller and rocky in our halfs? come on peeps we have overachieved massively the last 2 years

If that's a genuine question then yes I think we will.
For me if you continually over achieve, you are just achieving.

For once I agree with you. Over achieving is just a nonsense phrase used by certain posters who don’t have the guts to back there team.

It’s like saying 110% effort it’s not possible! You can’t over achieve you just achieve to your potential.

I’m getting pig sick of posters like Bod or whatever he’s called making out that we are a team of bargain bucket misfits who are somehow batting away with it.

We are a quality team full of quality players nearly all of whom would easily find a place in another SL team. In Johnstone, BJB, Fifita, Topou and young Batch we have players who even top clubs would pay money to sign.

That’s not good luck or punching above your weight that’s great team building, good coaching and an eye for talent.

If you can’t see that then why bother watching the team? We have not been this competitive since the 60’s - if you’re not enjoying your RL at the moment then nows the time to pack it in and and just watch the NRL in your Aussie bolt hole.

We have a team that is on the brink of real success and with another year together and maybe one or two shrewd signings then 2019 could and I say could be a very big year indeed with the obvious proviso that sport can be very fickle.

Both right – ‘over achieving’ is just exceeding an individual’s subjective expectations. Guilty of using that expression myself We have a cracking team who could be on the verge of something great, I do feel we cannot just go again with the same next year though – you have to invest to stand still in professional sport and our leaders will know this. Many ways to invest – new contracts to boost top performers is one of them, bringing in outside talent another. We've been pretty brutal in culling the squad players to up the quality last two summers and I expect more of the same this year.

Anyone who is not enjoying being a Trin supporter right now must have something wrong with them. Decided to cut back on my social media readings due to tsunami of idiots on the RL pages but just a snapshot from our own supporters output this season – Chester Out after every defeat, Tom Johnstone should be dropped/sold – he can’t defend and has lost pace/can’t go round defenders anymore, Pauli Pauli is a disgrace as an athlete and should be sent home etc etc etc

I honestly think Hampshire is the way forward I watch him as a bloke who's never played the game, but my untrained eye sees a young kid who has improved in every Trinity game he's played since coming into the first team. There aren't many you can say that about.

Spot on. He was running the game against Catalans first half and showed how far he's come along. Some much potential there.

Can I just put this into the mix, the club usually saves one or two signings until the season tickets are put on sale. I know nothing

but it's got me wondering.