Cross is better than what we have but we do have to be careful that we don't run out of 2026 cap space if we keep signing stop gaps

I know Salford will insist they don’t want to lose anyone but surely from their point of view they’ve got decent back options and if they lost Cross it wouldn’t be as bad for them losing someone like Sneyd? Especially if there’s a small transfer fee. Cross wouldn’t get into their 17 as a centre and off the top of my head they have Ryan who could replace Cross on the wing.

We could do with centre options and supposedly have some cap space so could be a goer but like always with Lancashire based players depends on who else is interested and if he’ll want to relocate.

Salford would still have a backline of Ryan, Marsters, Lafai, MacDonald with Hankinson as back up. Leaves them light but they might not have much option.

Cross would be a good pick up for us, but it sounds like he's a long way off signing

Yeah, the article says he’s a ‘target’ but let’s face it who hasn’t been a target for us since April? He fits the bill with his age and being a non quota centre but you’d expect for any move for a contracted player would require a lot of willing on their part, Lancashire players are not always so keen.

Not 100% sure on Cross, but adds competition to a weak position.

Two things I do like is
We are actively trying to recruit and the right positions and we are willing to pay fees for players.

Yeah im not fully sold on Cross, think he's better on the wing than at centre. However its another player who won't demand a huge amount and doesn't take up a quota.

12 tries in SL for Cross last season...3 more than our top try scorer (Martin with 9)

in a much better side.

Only issue for me is we'd probably have to offer him a decent wedge and likely a 3 year deal to get him to move over

how many against us?

[quote="Steve0":1rw1ksuh]Cross would be a good signing, centre is our weakest position currently and Cross would be a welcome addition. I imagine Salford won't command much of a transfer fee for players given that they have to cut costs by 40% as part of them being in special measures[/quote:1rw1ksuh] sorry Steve i think its a poor signing if we are looking at a new centre and we should be then save the money and find what we really need for 2016 This is just a slight upgrade on Chamberlain and he is pants

[quote="RockNRolla":3h6zd2f3]Be a very good signing if we can get him over the line.[/quote:3h6zd2f3] need to be aiming a lot higher than Cross as a centre if we are to climb the ladder in 2026

[quote="Chris71":90ag4c3u]Agree, given the current state of the non quota player pool Cross would be an excellent acquisition and even more with our need to add some quality in the centres.[/quote:90ag4c3u] But he is not quality Chris

[quote="bonaire":1kmhkbzh]But he is not quality Chris[/quote:1kmhkbzh] He is given what's available, he's been playing well regularly in a team that plays very good rugby and has finished above us consistently over the last few years so he's good enough for me.

[quote="Yippee try yay":3aif0zhu][quote="bonaire":3aif0zhu]But he is not quality Chris[/quote:3aif0zhu] He is given what's available, he's been playing well regularly in a team that plays very good rugby and has finished above us consistently over the last few years so he's good enough for me.[/quote:3aif0zhu] That’s my point, whilst Cross isn’t world class quality he is a decent centre and would more than improve us in an area we are lacking. Without any quota spots and a pretty abysmal pool of players that were available by the time we started shopping then I’d be disappointed more if we didn’t make a play to sign Cross. Think under Cartwright every player has an opportunity to improve and also gives Cartwright & Myler chance to fully evaluate where we are come the mid point of the season. The noises coming from the club to me indicate that things can & will be changed should players of quality become available. We still have to be realistic as to where we were and where we are currently, hopefully with the improvements at the club we’ll see an decent up turn in games which will help in terms of the next recruitment cycle.

[quote="bonaire":26sy0qtj]need to be aiming a lot higher than Cross as a centre if we are to climb the ladder in 2026[/quote:26sy0qtj] Any realistic names to suggest or is this just another moan?

[quote="number 6":153ji6ni]how many against us? [/quote:153ji6ni] Just the two against us last season...only one in the 58-4 demolition

[quote="Steve0":1oh2i7j7]Just the two against us last season...only one in the 58-4 demolition[/quote:1oh2i7j7] pfft....not good enough then

[quote="Chris71":13l1bjh8]That’s my point, whilst Cross isn’t world class quality he is a decent centre and would more than improve us in an area we are lacking. Without any quota spots and a pretty abysmal pool of players that were available by the time we started shopping then I’d be disappointed more if we didn’t make a play to sign Cross. Think under Cartwright every player has an opportunity to improve and also gives Cartwright & Myler chance to fully evaluate where we are come the mid point of the season. The noises coming from the club to me indicate that things can & will be changed should players of quality become available. We still have to be realistic as to where we were and where we are currently, hopefully with the improvements at the club we’ll see an decent up turn in games which will help in terms of the next recruitment cycle.[/quote:13l1bjh8] But adding another average Joe if he is coming on say a 2year deal doesnt help at all in the next recruitment cycle.We are now overloaded with additions on 2/3 year contracts and several of those would have to be offloaded end of 2025 season if we are to add some necessary real quality and pace especially at centre,and add some depth in second row and front row Just dont see the logic or strategy because unless we offload or pay off players then we are left with virtually the same squad we have in 2025 playing in 2026 If the club has money to spend then save it and find one or two top quality players who can provide some excitement on the field get fans interested again and start pushing into the top four

I know it never paints the full picture on things like defence and positioning etc but if you look at his recent YouTube highlights he actually seems far from the solid player (guilty myself on another thread) most have had him down as. He’s mostly played wing last season but he looks like he’s a really good runner out of backfield making breaks and has a lot of pace. Would 100% add needed strike and pace to our backline. He played in the centres a couple of seasons ago at SL if you go through the highlight vids, and assuming he can still make a fist of defending in that position he’d be a cracking signing. So much so I’m now convinced the likes of Leigh or Saints would highjack any deal if he was available.

[quote="bonaire":y396pena]But adding another average Joe if he is coming on say a 2year deal doesnt help at all in the next recruitment cycle.We are now overloaded with additions on 2/3 year contracts and several of those would have to be offloaded end of 2025 season if we are to add some necessary real quality and pace especially at centre,and add some depth in second row and front row Just dont see the logic or strategy because unless we offload or pay off players then we are left with virtually the same squad we have in 2025 playing in 2026 If the club has money to spend then save it and find one or two top quality players who can provide some excitement on the field get fans interested again and start pushing into the top four[/quote:y396pena] Another moan, if only you went to the fans forum to mention your concerns.

[quote="bonaire":21gm7b2n] if we are to add some necessary real quality and pace especially at centre [/quote:21gm7b2n] I’d agree that signings like Briscoe, Hardaker, Holmes and Chamberlain are somewhat stop gaps but if a Cross deal did happen he’s in his prime years, got plenty of pace, a good injury record and is a proven top 6 SL player with a decent try scoring record. In an ideal world I’d have hoped we could have brought in someone like a Lafai in his 20s, but players of that quality and age only ever come over now with some kind of baggage or issues, it would always be a risk. Super duper Rovers (who can do no wrong) have done well with the likes of Evalds and Burgess proven SL quality who wouldn’t have ever been classed as superstars, I’d also include Gildart in that too as he never got a look in really at NRL level. A hypothetical scenario but if Cross did happen but there’s no reason we couldn’t have a backline of Moy, Martin, Cross, Rapana, Barron for 26. A lot of pace there.

[quote="DSJ1983":iucp63k5]I know it never paints the full picture on things like defence and positioning etc but if you look at his recent YouTube highlights he actually seems far from the solid player (guilty myself on another thread) most have had him down as. He’s mostly played wing last season but he looks like he’s a really good runner out of backfield making breaks and has a lot of pace. Would 100% add needed strike and pace to our backline. He played in the centres a couple of seasons ago at SL if you go through the highlight vids, and assuming he can still make a fist of defending in that position he’d be a cracking signing. So much so I’m now convinced the likes of Leigh or Saints would highjack any deal if he was available.[/quote:iucp63k5] Always sceptical of highlight reels after seeing Pele, Okunbor and Bieneks, but looking at Cross' from 2024, he does have good footwork and is a good finisher

[quote="bonaire":ljvexguw]But adding another average Joe if he is coming on say a 2year deal doesnt help at all in the next recruitment cycle.We are now overloaded with additions on 2/3 year contracts and several of those would have to be offloaded end of 2025 season if we are to add some necessary real quality and pace especially at centre,and add some depth in second row and front row Just dont see the logic or strategy because unless we offload or pay off players then we are left with virtually the same squad we have in 2025 playing in 2026 [quote:ljvexguw]If the club has money to spend then save it and find one or two top quality players who can provide some excitement on the field get fans interested again and start pushing into the top four[/quote:ljvexguw][/quote:ljvexguw] Whilst I get where you are coming from with Cross, I do think you are being a little blind to our current situation. If we remain a bottom-four side, then our chances of acquiring 'top quality players' becomes doubly difficult, as we found with Lachlan Lam. The chances are anyone of decent standard will most likely have a more tempting offer put to them from someone else. Our only recourse in that scenario is to put more money on the table to sway a deal our way, but in its self can cause problems further down the line. We need to push ourselves further up the ladder, to at least mid-table respectability, in order to make ourselves a more enticing prospect for high quality players to want to come here to then help push us onto top four challenges. Due to the fact that we have contrived to dig ourselves into an almighty pit over a number of years, we are not going to able to get where we all want to be in one single leap, it's not going to happen that way I'm afraid. If we are to be challengers once more, then it will almost certainly have to be done in stages, from bottom-four to mid-four to challengers and (hopefully) winners. And we will have to shop accordingly in order to reach our initial, albeit modest, goals first, of at least looking like a club with intentions to succeed once more. I don't think Cross is a perfect signing, if it comes to pass, but he would improve a weakness in the current squad to a degree and in turn hopefully help push us in the right direction. The key question for me with Cross would be length of contract. Two years maximum would be best, but if he holds out for a three year deal then Myler/Cartwright have to weigh up their options, would that hamper future recruitment to an unacceptable degree? These are the type of decisions Myler and Cartwright have to get right if we are to be successful once more. Because of the last five years, we really are a long way back from where we would all like to be. This is going to take some time to fix the mess we have got into. Making some signings that on the surface appear to be underwhelming is a situation we are probably going to have to accept for at least a further year. We need to make ourselves an attractive proposition to potential quality targets in order to achieve our longer term goals. It's not ideal, but it is the harsh reality of where we are right now and there is no getting away from the fact that it is a long road ahead of us and we have to plan accordingly. I'm sure every single black & white would love to be watching a top-two side by 2026 but it is extremely unlikely to happen in that short space of time. I'm afraid that's just the way it is right now, but we live in hope, we always do!!

my only real issue with cross is that it will likely be a 2 or 3 year deal meaning we have him, hardaker and chamberlain here at least for 25 & 26, possibly 27 for 2 of them when none are really at the level of player we would ideally like. Centre is a key attacking position and along with 2nd row, one of our weaker areas which limits potential to improve there for another 3 or 4 years

For me the weaker positions are Chamberlains and Briscoes. Briscoe will hopefully (cos he's finished) be understudy to Martin so if we get Cross he would be first choice ahead of Chamberlain so in improvement imo