Seen as the vast majority of our recruitment has been done, I thought it maybe worth having a look at it in a positional sense, attaching each player to one posistion to see how the squad depth is shaping up. Obviously a lot can play more than one spot but have had to select one to balance the look out.

FULL BACK
Shaun Briscoe
Danny Craven
Jack Owens

WING
Paddy Flynn
Patrick Ah Van

CENTRE
Chris Dean
Willie Isa

STAND OFF
Anthony Watts
Tom Gilmour

SCRUM HALF
Rhys Hanbury
LLoyd White

HOOKER
Jon Clarke
Scott Moore
Thomas Coyle

PROP
Ben Cross
Ben Davies
Steve Pickersgill
Ben Kavangh
Anthony Mullally

SECOND ROW
Hep Cahill
Frank Winterstein
Dave Allen
Macgraff Leuluai

LOOSE FORWARD
Simon Finnigan
Kurt Haggerty

All of the second rowers and loose forwards may aswell be lumped together as back rowers because they've all interchanged between the two form what I have seen.

A prop, centre and wing and were probably done. Adding in the younger ones to bulk the squad out (Brown, Mullally, Gore) to the thirty mark and we look okay.

I don't mean this in a wind up way and although it sounds like a troll i'm being 100% genuine, with that team you are getting battered week in week out, sorry.

Ah yes knew had missed one, Mullally added as will likely be fighting for a first team spot.



You think? It's stronger than this years Wakefield, Crusaders and Quins at least for starters. With a few more to be added. 13 players all signed from within SL and playing regularly week in week out (Davies on loan at Cas).

I know you well enough to agree you aren't trolling, but I disagree that we will be battered every week. We're going to find it tough but there is some quality in there. We're not going to be world beaters first season but I'm not getting carried away with gloom just yet.

Fringe players and surplus to requirements and in Clarke, Moore and Cross you lost plenty of metres in penalties, Ah Van was arguably the worst player in SL last year and only the fact he kicks goals brushed over that.

I'd love to be wrong, i want a local side competing, i want Widnes in the top half of the table, the more competitive the game the better for me, just can't see it in season one.

Not sure about that as bar Clarke (who regained place near the end anyway) all the others were in there sides 17 every week. Ah Van had a few stinkers in defence (mainly when centre from what I gather) and also did some good things in attack however if he was that awful why did Bradford stick with him every week? Especially when announced he was leaving?

We probably won't be top half for a year or two yet (though who knows) so we have to build a squad up slowly and surely and for a first year SL squad that IMO is a very good start when you look at other recent newly promoted sides.

then again, we dont have a pink building with a giant eye. so its all good.

Just wondering how much of an advantage we will get from playing on the iPitch. Interesting quote from Briscoe in that interview on the official site..


Obviously we are going to be training on this every day so we should be able to work out any quirks with it.

To be fair though I don't think any reasonable Widnes fans are expecting miracles. Im not going to judge individual players until they have actually played next year for us but I am reasonable enough not to jump down your throat for your opinion and proclaim our championship challenge.

A solid season off the bottom next year with some close games along the way would be a job well done. There is a little bit of quality in that side with plenty of graft elsewhere and if we can get a couple of the youngsters more involved on a weekly basis then we have got to be pleased.

There is no doubt that we will cop some hammerings next year as it goes with being the newbies. Equally though we are the unknown quanitity and every new team has sprung up some surprise results along the way for as long as we have promoted sides. One of our main advantages could well be the I-Pitch and if it gives us a little bit more of a leveller then that would be perfect.

And that is before they have even started training together



Why cannot some posters look at comparisons with other squads before condemning the Vikings squad.

All in all, it is not a bad squad that Betts and Cullen have got together.

Im not just saying this but I think we, wakefield will come quite far above you next season.
Isa and Dean very weak centre pair. We have had Winterstein 2 year ago and for the size of him he is utter garbage.
Briscoe FB good hard player but hes past it and your wingers dear me .... Wish you guys luck but cant see you ahead of us next season.

Looking at the squad we could still do with a winger and a centre maybe a loose forward as well.

These Trolls are making me laugh now.Wakey fan should think they are lucky to be in Superleague with their Tin Shed ground and fanbase is crap.I love it like Kevin Keegan if we come a darkhorse and see Wakey at the bottom.Anyway on subject i think a quality centre like Senior or Gleeson is required or someone from Australia?A nasty prop and a winger then happy days.Anyway these trolls do not know how good our youngsters are either.

Two outside backs and maybe a front rower for me, unless they deem Mullally ready for first team.

Still can't understand why we didn't resign Tyrer, especially given Betts' comments about a lack of quality centres out there.

It'd be nice if we could sign a classy half-back too, but that's probably unrealistic. Got a lot of hope for the Watts signing anyway.

Im looking at our squad and getting more confident, other fans dont seem to agree!

Anything above bottom will do me 1st year

Looking at the Wakey squad you could say similar... There outside backs look very weak IMO and one winger as it stands is Penny who we let go, no real half backs, two decent hookers.

Got a few good signings in the pack but they are certainly nothing overly social and will be amongst where we are amongst a few other teams at the bottom end.

Mentioned about Tyrer and Varks on the trust site.Does seem bizarre, unless get better quality next in these postions. Mullaly i think could be a surprise to alot of our fans, as when i saw clips on you tube he looks a top player.


Wakey fans make me laugh and the way they spout on this board is like they have a world class team.

-decent
Thats my fair and honest assesment of your squad.
I think you will finish 14th-12th you have some decent players but not much depth and you are relying on alot of players that have little or no sl experiance, how well you can gel as a team will decide if you can avoid the wooden spoon, i think you probabaly will.

Seems quite a fair and balanced assessment pyeman, cheers

some of these players will only be fringe players and usedon the odd occasion imo. We still need 3 solid signings imo, not just to increase squad depth but overall squad quality. I think Moore, Briscoe, Clarke, Davies, Isa, Watts and Cross will have a great season next year. However this is just 6 from 13. There are other players like the 4 from Crusaders but ive not seen an awful lot on them to say. I just looked on the wakefield website and they have a few good players like Rinaldi, Henderson, Motu Tony and Glen Morrison but nothing overly exciting. If we have a good season we will finish 9th-10th at best. Thats why its a 3 year liscencing process however, always time to build.

Bring in Inglis, Slater, Cameron Smith and Benji Marshall and i'll be satisfied.

I am quaking in my boots with Wakeys squad.Worried about Penney,Morton,Walshaw,Cowling,Mellars,Moore,Hyde,Kaye,Wildie,Ellis,Annakin,Lee,Higgins,Wilkes,James,Johnson,Lauititi who near end of career,Spiers,Trout,and Southern.Hardly world beaters and to laugh at our squad is a joke.

I vote we give Wakey the 50 point treatment next year

1 winger ha Peter fox is far away a better player than penny. Penny cannot cut it in SL. You can have him back if u want.

Yes... Peter Fox being the other winger