Is Liam Hood signed for next season yet?

Not yet, but he wasn't on the list of 9 being released

Spot on. We have players I have no doubts about in Super League (Jowitt, Pratt, Hall, Johnstone, Trueman, Uele, Atoni, Doyle, Rodwell, McMeeken, Vagana, Storton, Rourke), players I'm not sure about at top level (yet) but want to see kill it (Lino, Walmsley, O Russell, Smith, Niketemo, Bain, Booth) and solid players who are there to help us make that transition (Hood, Pitts, Kay, Croft, Cozza, Griffin). And I see Matty Russell as probably in the last group, but there's a possibility he could shock us, too.

A Hull KR fan keeps coming on the FC forum saying that Matty Ashurst and Iain Thornley are signing for Hull. Does anyone here have any insider knowledge that can hopefully disprove that?

Sounds like they've got you rattled! No insider knowledge as such but plenty of talk about them both going to Oldham.

Played 13 times for Scotland

Tier 1 internationally

Why would someone born in Scotland want to play for England?

Was told this morning that Mills and Powell had identified a couple of Championship players who they feel could make the step up to SL and that talks had been held. Don't know which players or clubs are involved

Same reasons Tom Johnstone wants to play for England over Germany: to test yourself at the highest level, go head to head with the likes of Brian To'o in a series, more exposure, bigger crowds, raise your personal price tag, represent the country you've lived most of your life in, play in a World Cup final. All the reasons lads born in Tonga and Samoa often represent Australia. Same reason George Fairbairn played for England.

Only hitch is that some of the Wigan lads wouldn't be able to understand his thick Ayrshire tones

That was doing the rounds a month or two ago. They had been identified earlier in the season.

Be interesting to see if any come to fruition.

Ashall-Bott springs to mind as he ran rings around us at their place but one position we are NOT struggling to cover is full-back so I think we can rule him out

I seem to remember this rumour first surfaced after we played a team at home. There was a big forward who caused a few problems taking ball to line an passing. May have been Sammy kibula but not sure.

Personally think the best forward in the Champ outside our club is Titus Gwaze. He really kicked on after he left a few years ago, and was Sheffield’s best player until he got his jaw smashed. He might just be the ex-player we’re rumoured to be bringing back.

Ashall-Bott’s quality but we don’t need him and he loves it in Toulouse.

I thought Brad Walker was outstanding in Barrow's first visit to BV this season when his kicking game caused us no end of problems but he was less effective last week, but he fits the bill as a former player ??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7XgTj5hiN8 That's all Folks ...... Well for now at least

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7XgTj5hiN8 That's all Folks ...... Well for now at least

Think there will be very little movement from us in the transfer market .Get the impression we are going all out for a grade A ground for next season so we can have a free hit at S L ,and start our top 8 push the season after

Not a grade A ground. A grade A club.

That seems your opinion but I’m sure the club will be aiming to slip in playoffs next season and not just limp around 9-12th like you seem to suggest. We have 2 England internationals joining, a youth rep player highly rated from Aus, a second row who’s played a lot for second placed team in league and a few other potentially good signings. This added into 1 year of systems and improvements now in place for which will be reviewed and improved upon internally I suspect. With the conditioning and fitness team we have and the chefs looking after nutrition I’m looking forward to seeing some players in the shape of their lives coming start of next season.

Just to say that next year is year 2 and we aren’t going in with a brand new team. The nucleus is in place.

I don’t think it’s a choice of the ground or finishing position. Both don’t go hand in hand or directly influence the other.

Let’s not get carried away but I think we can afford more optimism now. A lot of pessimism has stuck to fans like glue over recent years but I’m sure we can be allowed some positivity for next season to finish above 9th at least.

The one year deal is probably more of a reflection of where he was at when we signed him which was not having made his SL debut and out with a long term injury, even then the club have put an extension in.

Let’s not get too hung up on incoming players and who they can potentially replace , we need all bases covered if we are to have a successful 1st season back in the big time ,and injuries don’t scupper those plans ,by which I mean finishing 7/8th .Then probably another 6/7 players will be leaving us after our first stint to be replaced by better quality and a concerted push for the playoff begins in years 2/3 and by year 4 pressing for regular finishes in the top 4 pressing for silverware at every opportunity. Seems complete madness to even contemplate but that is how Ellis sees things panning out ,time will tell if it comes to fruition

Is that what Ellis said though? I’m almost certain more than once they’ve said they’re aiming to slip into the playoffs as their target next season and not target 6/7th place finish?

Australian media are reporting that Seth Niketemo has a clause in his contract which states he is free to return to the NRL if he receives an offer at the end of any of the next free seasons. Not that surprising really, so if he is any good we may have to make the most of having him for just a short while

I may have misheard Trojan , but I’m pretty sure it was like I’ve just said , but either way he ain’t messing about and long gone are the days where we were preparing for a relegation battle almost immediately after our first few games . 1 year to cement our place , 2nd the likes of hood n crew are replaced by better quality , then the March to the top gathers pace