Agreed.

How about for next season we bring in a 6 and a 7 from Oz with Cooke playing 13? My team next year:
1. Briscoe
2. Sing
3. R Horne
4. yeaman
5. Raynor
6. Creative Oz stand-off
7. Creative Oz scrum half
8. Dowes
9. Motu
10. Carvell
11. radders
12. tickle
13. Cooke

14. King?
15. hutch
16. manu
17. Godwin

now that team would win SL!

Works for me, could we afford two though and it would also depend on the five foreigners rule.

With Swain salary, Domic salary, mcmenemy salary and making these 2 the only recruits seems to balance books for me. Use G Horne, matty dale etc more, and washy would be back up too with Wheeldon too. Not to mention if Whiting stays or goes but there is another potential saving to go towards a half back.

i got shot down in flames for suggesting moving Horne to centre.

Don`t know why. He played a lot of the 2001 season in the centres.

I have heard worst ideas.

Nice.

Depending on who they are i have to agree!

Horne at centre will enable him to play his own game, dont know about Cooke but i think this time next year Washbrook will be in for a shout in a regular starting team.

I agree about needing 2 half backs but we need 2 top class half backs and i dont think we could afford both imo

Domic, Swain, McMenemy at least leaving plus we have money spare this year, so it's very possible

Dont forget new (upgraded) contracts to Yeaman, Raynor and Briscoe etc

You also have to consider the new overseas player limit of 5 non GB eligable players per club for next season (if introduced).

Sing, Manu, Tony & Maiava only leaves one slot (for Matt Orford?).

Moving Horne to the centres seems to be the favoured option of most fans I speak to. I have to agree. Washbrook could fill the stand off position with Cooke reverting to loose forward. With or without King we have a good pack. Wheeldon improves game after game. Manu, Tickle and Godwin were inspired signings and Maiava might not be quite the turkey some thought he would be!

I'd also be holding on to all the British talent we have as some clubs will be scrambling around for players to replace outgoing foreigners.

We also always seem to do quite well out of the relegated clubs, should Huddersfield go down and they look in deep trouble IMO.

I would try and sign Wild, who can play centre or backrow.

Also I would imagine that Sharp will try and sign Skandilas (Spelling) if the quota rule doesnt change as we where close to signing him for this season.

Thats a good point, if the new rule comes in then many clubs will be in a more difficult position than us.

I don't understand how you can defend Horney to the max and then post this mate.

IMO what we are missing more is a kicking game. When our forwards lose we just crumble like a biscuit and have no kicking game to potentially turn around that momentum or give us a sniff of field position.

I don't know if Deacon would be the long term answer but he has a kicking game I'd love at Hull.

Horne is never a centre,never has been,he needs to be in the middle of the park where he can run at the forwards,I see all the nutters are out again,we have won the challenge cup and been grand finalists in the last two years,HOW!!!!!,soon as we start winning again,this thread will be in the bin with the rest of the posted on here.

IMO we dont need '2Aussie half backs'. Its the current roles that isnt for Horne not the position.

1 class Number 7, Horne at 6 and Cooke at 13 will do for me.

I think you have stated the obvious there. But that probelm doesn't just occur at Hull does it? If a team is on the back foot and have no momentum then I think most half backs struggle for a kicking game. Where was Sean Long's kicking game when we played saints? I'll tell you, he didn't have one because his forwards were getting bossed, the same applies to all. Deacon as been very lucky during his career to play behind a massive pack who the majority of the time have come out on top.

Have you actually read anything I've been posting about Horne?


The kicking game is one of the issues, and an important one. I don't happen to think you can carry a player for their kicking game alone nowadays, and I don't feel Deacon brings much else to the table.


He is not the long term answer. At all. I'd love to see a quality kicking game at Hull, but not at the expense of everything else. What I'd like to see is us signing a top-notch halfback to take us forward. That rules Deacon out IMO.

Feel free to differ.

I quite agree. Deacon for Horne would strengthen one area whilst weakening others. A backward step, IMO.

I do think we need a half back bringing in for next season, but I'd like to see a top quality one. No point replacing one average halfback with another.

Backwards step indeed, all we would have would be a kicking game

Thanks for a good thread everyone, CONCLUSION : WE DON'T NEED a new half back at the expense of anyone in the squad this year - let's now see how we do - Until then - lets park the half back and Horne debate.

Great Thread Neighbour