Houghton might do, Shaul doesn't have the skill set to be a top FB.

I agree. Can't remember the last good game Houghton had. People will talk about his tackling etc. but the reason he makes so many is because teams run at him. He doesn't dominate tackles, so he is easy to get a quick play the ball against. His distribution is pretty poor, decision making worse, and looks grumpy all the time. Hardly an inspiring captain

Shaul can go for me. Doesn't have the link up play to be a top full back. Ends up running around like a headless chicken half the time.

He's safe enough under a high ball, and is a half decent support player on a good day but thats about it.

Evalds is OOC this year. I'd be making a play for him.

Houghton gets a 1 year deal unless someone better is on the market.

He has stopped doing those runs and he often set up trys close to the line with a good pass, that seems to have gone. He will be along with Shaul a high earner, I'm not saying we get of either yet, but it shouldn't be a given they get a deal like it would have been with Radford.

Certainly shouldn't be captain, but not sure which should be.

Its a chance for them all now to take a good hard look at themselves both individually and as a team, they all have a fresh start and need to take and use the opportunity.

Any that do not then they can not expect to be offered new deals and rightly so.

One of radders faults when he took over was trying to copy the Wigan method , looking at it now . Having a team full of mainly local lads with a few good overseas chucked in . That was what he and Pearson mentioned at the time how to take the club forward . It’s fine if the local lads are good enough but ours aren’t .

Personally I would try and prise McNamara away from Catalans...

how long has Darrel power got to go on his contract at cas?

A couple of seasons ago Evalds was way behind shaul in class imo . Now i would swap them both in a blink of an eye . Evalds game has come on leaps and bounds under Watson were shauls has stalled .

Fitzgibbon in a ideal world. Can’t see him leaving the Roosters though. He’s not far off a head coaches job in the NRL

This ain't gonna happen

Promoted Assistant
NRL Assistant
Promoted Assistant
NRL Assistant
Promoted Assistant

Continue to recruit assistants, continue to flatter to deceive?

What like McGuire, Robinson and Holbrook?

How many clubs in SL can appoint experienced NRL coaches, this also doesn't always work, look at Tim Sheens for example.

Really key for the future of our club we appoint the right man.

Just posing the question Dave, calm down.

I wasn't looking exclusively at NRL assistants, but our consistency in appointing assistants either internally or from the NRL, and our underachievement as a club for most of the past two decades. The ones you've listen happen to be the successful ones, there are many others that weren't so successful.

There are plenty of head coaches a little closer to home that we could look to, it doesn't have to be someone from the NRL. There's a big leap from the responsibilities of an assistant and those of a head coach, and appointing someone with experience of those responsibilities might be a sensible move during what is an unstable period for the club.

I'm perfectly calm thanks, not sure what makes you think I wasn't, just pointing out a different side to the argument.

JK got us to a Cup Final and won it and was then got rid of by Kath, rumours being because of sandwich gate.

To be fair Peter Sharp got us to our only GF appearance and was then shafted figuratively speaking by Kath along with the Cooke affair so he quit. Had he been left to do his job without having one hand tied behind his back I reckon he'd have moulded us into a decent team and would have got the best out of the players he had.

Peter Gentle was unfortunate in that he didnt know enough about the players in SL and AP at the time was still pretty green. AP had McRae who pretty much abused his position and gave poor advice to both AP and Gentle which ultimately came at the cost of Gentles job.

Now AP is much more knowledgeable with his own trusted contacts both her and in the southern hemisphere I think he would appoint the right candidate from Aus, NZ or the UK.

Fair points, we just never seem to get it quite right do we.

This appointment is so important. On paper at least, this squad is more than capable of challenging for trophies, I'd hate for us to look back at this period in a few seasons and lament it as another opportunity lost.

Exactly the appointment has to be right. Everything else is in place for success with the playing squad, facilities, fan base and most importantly an owner that will support the coach and provide what they need.

First of all i think as an outsider looking in you have to give Pearson a lot of credit for giving Radford many many chances to turn it around at Hull. I think his legacy is intact, maybe even furthered when you look back in time and he has 2 challenge cups on his cv. A club legend, a fan and an obviously dedicated man. Just didn't work out.

I could really see Hull going for Watson. Salford are on the way out and he has proved he can make a Rolls Royce out of pig iron. You have a lot of good players under performing there and he could be the catalyst to get them firing.

I really wanted Demetriou at Wigan but he is primed for a top NRL job. His record in the reserve sides he has coached is unbelievable but i think clubs over here have sat on their hands too long with him and the ship has sailed.

I would hope that Andy Last decides to move on at some point. Been a fine servant but to put it in context Connor Wynne and Jack Brown were four years old when Last joined the coaching team at Hull.

I quite agree he has to go also.

Good Post. The reality is that SL just doesn't attract world class head coaches these days. Someone in the Watson bracket is our most likely option IMO. For a cultural change I think we need someone with a bit more distance and gravitas. Radford's strength was partly his close affinity and informality with the core of the squad, but perhaps this was overplayed. Someone in the Wane mould might be what we go for to shake things up.

Given that Evalds from Salford should be a priority for next season then going for Watson could be a good move

Sky Sports putting out the names of

Trent Barrett
Ian Watson
Craig Fitzgibbon
Danny Ward

with a wildcard of
Wayne Bennett

RFL have basically ruled Wane out of the running