To fill our one overseas spot I think we should look for a prop rather than a back at this time. I know that Dylan Napper is out of contract and James at Canberra is on loan to the Bulldogs. They would both be ideal candidates but I think the former will probably be picked up by another NRL club and the latter will go back to Canberra.
The major problems are that many have endured serious injuries due to the nature of the game in Australia and they are not used to playing long minutes.

100 percent agree with the sentiment both about using a spot for a prop and the issues in being able to find one that can get a uk work visa.

Pretty sure that JM and MC said that improvers and junior club players are no longer eligible for a visa, so at our budget we are really looking at older, injured or unwanted senior players

Yes let's go sighn the biggest injured over weight gimp we can find and introduce him to SL.

Would not be the first time we have done it lol

Not sure about the obsession with a prop or at least not an NRJ one.

I think the emergence of Aydin has relieved the pressure. It also looks to me that Green can still play just not for CC so a one year deal may be on the cards.

Battye and Fifita both looking good.

However that’s not really my point. I’m beginning to think that the positions in the pack are now merging with the exception of hooker. The only thing that makes Dave a prop in the true sense is the number on his back and his size. If you really look how they actually play now you’re as likely to see Dave running out wide as say Pitts, ditto you’ll see Crowther run the ball in from first receiver. To be the rolls are no longer as defined as they used to be.

I think we now need to refine our search from a Prop to a forward of size who can bust a tackle and that’s a much bigger pond.

I know some won’t agree but for me the game has changed rapidly in recent years and I think the day of the universal forward may have arrived.

Not saying I like it but it’s what I see.

I think replacing Westerman is far more vital than an out and out prop.

I agree to a certain extent.
There are definite shared skills but not universally across the pack.
But the skills still need to be there.

So for me as an example, you can play Westerman at 13 and he can also play 8. But if you play him at 8 his job slightly changes and you need a different style at 13 to compensate.
Defense for a 13 is same as a prop now but attack we play a ball handler.
If you play Crowther I think you'd want one of the props to be a slightly different style etc.
13 used to be the cover tackler but that role is now with the halfbacks.

Equally Tanginoa can play Prop and SR but I wouldn't do that with Fifita.
Angles of running and defensive style are very different.

So I agree getting players who can play multiple roles is a good plan, but sometimes you just have a specialist too.
But, if you get the universal forward, you need to explain it to the fans who consttly criticise the 'playing out of position'. That gives me a headache sometimes.

I see Hull KR have signed a prop from London, I think thats the third prop snapped up from the lower divisions for superleague.

Good to see that there is still a path for players to come through from the leagues below.

I wonder if we were in for any of them? We were told by the club that there are no props available but it reality seems otherwise. Perhaps there are no props available within our budget would be more accurate?

It's a long and hilly path that Greg Richards has chosen. Long time since his Saints days.
Give Aydin and possibly even Eseh a start rather than wasting money on no more than a squad filler. Maybe Rovers don't have any young props coming through?

Mr Carter did say, that Props from lower divisions were been offered big bucks by clubs to signed,and it is a gamble that teams at the top of the salery cap can take .Wakefield have got to get every signing right .and admitted they had got some wrong

Talking about props. Eseh will be 18 by start of next year and will have a full time season under his belt and a full time pre -season. The lad seems to have the size and the energy about him. I can see him playing a handful of games or more off the bench next season. With the lack of options for props I’d be more than happy for us to blow a good amount on one single good prop signing from the NRL and invest a lot of energy in pre season into the likes of Eseh and Aydin to get them to make the step up.

Fifita
Battye
Arona
Aydin
Eseh

Are our current signed on options. Tanginoa needs to be at left SR next season which is as clear as day (only used in absolute emergency). We clearly need one big mean prop. I’d honestly rather have one very good prop than 2 average ones. It’s got to be in our budget though.

We do have a rather large difference on players leaving and coming.

I reckon the rejuvenated Chris Green may well get another 12 month contract.

I think this is only because you have to tell those you are not offering contracts to earlier so they have chance to negotiate.
Outs are always announced well before the ins, even if they've actually signed.

I'd give him one. He's a big unit and shown some grunt recently.

The problem is the third group those are in negotiations but have yet to sign. I would have thought that with only one week of the season left we would know which players are not being retained.

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We do.
The players that are not being offered a contract have already been told.
Those we have offered but are allowed to talk to other clubs already know but may choose to accept. We would have given them a time limit so we can look elsewhere.

Do we who are the ones we have not retained.

I doubt he knows the names, he’s explaining the process.

I wouldn’t. Don’t want players who only put the effort in because their contract is running down, and then go back to being anonymous.

Starting the post with “we do” somewhat indicated that we the supporters already knew who these players were that are not being retained don’t you think. I was merely enquiring because I thought it had already been released.

But we want the rest of the team who only put the effort in because Chester has gone?

Of the few signing we have made so far Gaskell is a strange one for me ,who is he replacing or covering for ,fullback ,half back or loose ,we have Miller ,Lino ,Rocky and max at present so is he our new ball playing loose or are the fore mentioned names going to change before next season .He was obviously Chester’s recruit ,and where does Willy or the next coach see Gaskell fitting in as he’s certainly isn’t a tackling machine like Crowther from what I’ve seen of him at Hudds, so I think we would suffer defensively if put at loose over Crowther although has a good pair of hands , I just don’t know who is going to step aside to accommodate him, or is he a super sub .Be interesting to see it unfold in the coming months .

You would assume that WP would have had some input into the Gaskell signing and the logic behind it.

Personally I wouldn't.

He's been average at best in the two years he's been with us.

A few recent decent games doesn't make up for it in my eyes.

We've done that in the past, and got burnt.

I'm not singling him out either, as we have had a few in the camp, I could say this about, including the player mentioned in the OP.

It wasn't that long ago, most on here wanted him gone. If he does want to go, let him go.

Strange how people see things differently.

To me he makes total sense and pretty much for the reasons you outline.

His versatility is priceless which is vital if you look at the injury horror show of the previous three seasons.

However what I think many are overlooking is that he’s a quality player, a potential match winner. Jowitt is not a match winner and it’s been a long time since Hampshire was. Miller is steady and I’ll reserve judgement on Lino for now.

Kear always said you can’t have enough pivot players and I have always believed that. For a team like us to win the tight games we need players like Gaskell imho and if he stays fit he’s a fine player.

Had a lot of injuries.

You’re not wrong but there are few alternatives out there so for me a one year deal is not a risk. Unless something better comes along I’d keep him.