I recall the squad was too big for the season just gone and as Vasty alludes too diluted with decent squad players but not every week players. There are no quick turnarounds from next year so the club can slim the squad down a bit and have the right players challenging to play as opposed to filling a shirt. Bowden Butler Tofua etc were brought in during the season after we had settled the squad. Lineham went on loan and is now back in the fold. All now with a fresh coach who listening to reports is like a breath of fresh air. He knows what he wants so let's see. I am really happy it's shaping up and if people can listen to the narrative properly we are looking for players to challenge the right positions and give the team more depth with the right player not because they have a shirt.

2 signings to replace the two pack stalwarts in Fifita and Arona will do for me. They were not bit part players and were quality props that have not yet been replaced.

Although plenty of time before start of season this unique intense pre season training that’s been mentioned could get missed ….

Can't Catalan just de- register Napa,along the lines that HKR did a few seasons back with the Aussie scrum half, whose name evades me. They took him off the playing register and so off cap but carried on paying him.

I think that was for the quota rather than the salary cap.

I would point out that despite what was perceived to be too large a squad we still struggled with injuries meaning players still had to play out of position. We plan to go with a smaller squad, I suppose we are gambling on limited injuries this season.
I hate to burst peoples bubble but the current squad both lacks numbers or quality and that is compared to the one that struggled last season. With this in mind why do we think two more signings will be enough.
Please don’t try to the usual tactic of trying to insult those who question the decisions taken by the club. I will let you explain why in such an important season we are gambling and yes the ground is developing but that does not add a point to the on field score.
The bottom line is we are weaker in a much stronger league so how is this going to work.

Truth is we probably can’t afford Napa at full price and will only take him subsidised.

He was a massive signing for Catalan and will be on a huge wedge I’d guess.

I suppose it depends what the situation is. If it’s one or two signings but the quality just isn’t currently there for anymore but we are holding funds back until the need arises or someone comes available that improves the squad then i’m comfortable with that. If it’s 1 or 2 signings and then thats the budget gone for the year then i’d be concerned for us over the course of the season. Only the paymasters know the answer to that. I expect the two incoming players will be quota players as there doesn’t appear to be much left available domestically.

Not sure but I think it was Michael Dobson and he had a bad injury at the time, could be wrong.

Yes I think you are right. But it has to be a deregister, which means he isn't getting paid. Can't see Napa agreeing to that.

On Napa. Good as he can be, I'm not sure he's the guy for us. We can't afford star players sitting on the side line. I'd rather have a player with less skill but more discipline and character.

Nappa not one for us in my opinion. Good pedigree when he puts his mind to it but he hasn’t put his mind to it in a long time in the NRL or SL.

His decline started around the time of his Mad Monday video which is a bit odd to say the least.

A fully firing Nappa would be an asset to any team probably in the World but that player has gone and he won’t come back at Trinity.

Don’t agree with the last bit. Trinity tends to be a club that resurrects careers more than most. If a player like Napa buys in then he will be a star, same applies to Prescott.

For us with Napa it’s purely money imo, the less we pay the less the risk.

Just to be clear I never said anyone was wrong, just posting what had come out of the Yorkshire Post.

Personally I agree with your statement, it isn't all about how many players you have in the squad but IMO we do need a couple of bodies through the door for depth.

Currently we have uncertainty on Croft, Windrow (could be wrong but sure someone mentioned him being OOC),Shaw and we know Davetanivalu and Evans have gone. At best case scenario on MA's latest comment our squad would be at 26 which is way below the average over recent years.

It isn`t about how many players you`ve got until you get inevitable injuries then all of a sudden it is about how many players you`ve got. It`s difficult to get a balance between quality and quantity, even more so when working on tight budgets but it can be done, we`ve managed it in the past.

He’s been on the slide for 4 years now, I’d maybe agree if he was a good to average player but he has been a top player and it looks like his desire has totally gone.

It may seem like a dream move for some in SL but the move to Catalans for him should have been a massive fall from Grace with nobody in the NRL wanting to touch him but rumours persist about his off field discipline and attitude.

I don’t see that decline changing were he to come to Wakefield.

Put it this way despite their lack of pedigree in comparison I’d personally much prefer Mago or Atoni over a player who has more ability than both but looks to have given up to a certain extent.

I feel the same.

I went to see Mal Meninga speak yesterday. He was brilliant as you'd expect.
When he was asked about picking a team for Australia and what he looks for, he said Character.
He went as far as to say he picked character over skill.

And that is why I wouldn't choose Napa.

Well that means you’d have never picked Hanley or Brough or any number of top players. To quote a well known coach , the sort of bloke you’d have in your team is not necessarily the sort of bloke you’d invite home for dinner’.

Life is nowhere near that simple, not even for you, far to cowboys and Indians.

Hanley has lots of character. I think you misunderstand the meaning of the word.
It isn't about being friendly and nice. It's about personal integrity. Resilience. Dedication to the cause.

And I'm quoting the current world cup winning coach and Hall of Fame player. I'm just passing on the wisdom. It's up to you if you want to take it.

I do get what you’re saying now or to a point but it’s fraught with difficulties imho.

Problem is neither you or I or Jonh know the full story or the real person. You can’t just bin a great player based on a flaccid few seasons. There may be many reasons and perhaps Mash has the key.

It’s a balance. I take it that you accept that if we got Napa who’s only 30 playing anything like then we’d have one of the best in SL?

So with that in mind what are we willing to risk to find out

From what I can see it’s not that much as it looks like we expect the French to bankroll his move to a good degree.

If we are getting Napa on say 60% of his current wage id risk it.

It also looks like Catalan want space for a mega signing rather than shifting Napa on due to poor form, he played a fair few games. Some not impressed but I thought he went ok when I saw him.

We just have to trust that due diligence has been done if we do sign him

Catalans have just signed Adam Keighran from the Sydney roosters, not a prolific name maybe they are just balancing the books by getting rid of Nappa.

Maybe a chicken and egg situation though, where the decision to get rid of Napa came 1st? He has been a major flop for Catalans, and I can't recall any positives from him during his televised appearances. At one point I thought Leeds would similarly ditch Tetevano but he seems to have straightened himself out a bit.

That's my opinion as well, from what I saw he never looked interested, so it's not difficult to see why Catalans wanted to move him on, this Keirghan looks like he's another victim of the abundance of Aussie players that can't get a game, they've signed him on a 12 month contract at whatever they've paid for him so if things don't turn out it's not that big a problem.

I've just been having a quick look at the super league stats for last year, to compare Napa with some of our own.

He did get suspended, but his number of games played are on a par with some of ours.

However, on players I looked at conceded less than Miller, Lino and Fifita.

Maybe he's not quite the penalty machine we all thought.

Would just like to see us get over the line now with some of these players we have been linked with.

Which signings, do you know something we don't?

It’s a goodpoint and really valid one

In the case of Australia though
They have the luxury of such a massive talent pool
They can afford that luxury

I’m not sure it applies to us in the same way

I can also think of a few players who come to us in a last chance saloon and completely turn there careers around

Sounds like his wage demands are not where we need to be though

I just feel a more easy going culture like we have could maybe revitalise his career

Might be his penalties are more obvious ones
High tackles
Swinging arms and not hand on the ball bad play the balls etc