We have won all our matches except one..good! We have scored a lot of points..good! our defence, by and large is ok, with the odd brain fart, but this is the Championship not Super League, and we will have to beat SL teams to get out of this league.
Question- is it time to try other options at half back?
I would like a running half which we don't seem to have, and to date Abdull and Ellis are not 50-60 yard elusive running backs, and don't seem to worry the opposition enough.
They both have their pluses, but I think(my opinion) we could do with a speed merchant in there, wish we had another Steve Hartley(showing my age), who could go 80 yards.
Is Quinlan worth a shot, at least worth a try, If it doesn't work at least we would know. He is reasonably fast and elusive, and would bring another dimension to our attack.
Moss to full back, JBF or Cockayne to wing.
As it stands, I don't think we are showing enough to get in the top 3 in the middle 8s, that is what we must aim for, aim for number 1, we must not be in the MPG again, don't know if I can take it.
Opinions?

With Donno & Addy injured this gives Sheens an opportunity to play Abdul at loose man. (possible his ideal position)
But do we have a viable candidate to play at a 6 ? ( a running half as wished for above) ala Steve Hartley esc.

From what his previous coaches say ZDC is at best a 9 but can filling at 7
Quinlan may be, but does that weaken the fullback slot.
Harris, not really, still learning his trade at 7

So is it Blair at 6 again ? or stick with a non running half in Abdul, but at least he offers a solid defence and the ability to bring others onto a inside ball.

Maybe it's strong running second rows we really need.

Can't even remember when we had an impact back rower off top of my head probably Michael smith is the one that springs to mind.....

Clint Newton and Ben Galea were the best two 2nd rowers in our SL era. Cory Patterson was good when he wanted to play. Since them, we've gone for average joes in the back row.

I don't think we should be expending any effort on Abdul, He is in my opinion a good championship player & his best position I think would be at 13. As he is contracted to FC we will have to pay a fee especially if he improves as the season goes on. Ellis is not any better. ZDC may be the answer? but look to bringing someone in if there is anyone out there.

I actually thought that to myself yesterday about Clint and Ben, O'Neill was a fans favourite too but he had knees made of biscuits.... always remember when we got promoted and I read that we had signed willie manu knew it was too good to be true....

Somebody as been very shrewd with he Ellis and Abdul loans. They are doing a job for us in the championship, and I would expect some part of their salary is been paid by their parent club thus keeping our expenditure down.
Neither seem to be good enough to hold down a regular place in a good superleague team so will not be required if we do get up this season even if they are available.

When we decide to replace them is a trickier decision. If we bring in a good Aussie (which would be the obvious solution), then we will have to pay accordingly.
If it's short term (to get promotion) we will be gambling on someone who as lost the starting spot in the NRL so may have baggage.
If we splash the cash and tempt someone from a superleague club (maybe someone like Miller from Wakey) he will want a long term contract which would be the club gambling on been in the SL next term.

I think Abdul and Ellis will finish the season at 6 & 7 then it will be "Auf weidersehen pet". and look to start from scratch next year.

Abdull and Ellis have performed very well for us this season until their last game together against Fev. However, they are not a solution for future SL aspirations assuming we get there.

That said, I am a fan of Abdulls versatility and defence. His ideal position is as a 13, so a definite keeper for me at the expense of Addy.

I would like to see Quinlan get a run in the halves and Moss a go at FB soon.

I agree on all points we do need a Steve Hartley type player and if we can find one a Kevin Harkin a good player he kicked 40-20 for fun before you got out for 40-20s

I would like to see harris get game time how's he going to learn and develop unless given the chance?

I don't see the point of playing Abdul whatsoever. He's hop stepping back across the river to his preferred choice at the end of the season. Now to rot after Kelly has penned another deal.
Him and Addy are clones in my eyes.
Against the weaker championship sides i'd experiment to get the combination that clicks the most. We've got some talented backs in Quinlan, Moss, ZDC, even our very own product in Harris, as mentioned above.
My opinion, but I can't stand the fact we've got this FC product that were nurturing.

That's how I see it.although you can't blame the lad for landing here and he always seems to try.its a project we don't need and a real class half back we are crying out for. It's not an anti fc thing for me anymore it's just he ain't a half back

Our half back problem isn't just Abdul, against Featherstone Ellis was woeful. Neither are what we need moving forward, but until we have a clear alternative partnership it is what it is.
ZDC may be the answer at 7 but we don't have anyone (including Quinlan) who will strengthen the team by moving into the half's.

Again I agree but Ellis alongside a running half back with proper skills and game management will go a long way to getting us up..Abdull in the half's ends in failure come mpg. Just my opinion and if proved wrong I'd be happy as can be.

how do you know, until someone else is tried there for a few games nobody does

I think Abdull's running game is his biggest asset. Left edge back row for me, looks a natural replacement for Blair.

By the time a player gets into a professional team, he (or she) will have been tried at different positions in their junior/school/amateur teams.
With the exception. of Quinlan we don't have anyone with experience at a higher level who has played at 6, and moving Quin will weaken the team at fullback.

I'm all for giving people a chance to prove themselves, but throwing someone untried into a league game is not the place to experiment.
Maybe if Sheens suspects he's got a possibility in the squad we could ask York to give them a chance to show what they can do,very much the same as Hull are doing with Abdul at Rovers.

I'm not sure on our 6/7 either but I can't help thinking if we get a damaging 2nd row and another prop who can bend the line and get a fast ptb our halves maybe good enough. There was a young half in aus last year Hastings I think who I've not seen this year, aggressive bugger for a half and a decent kicking game would be an option if we look at bringing another in. Maybe our coach already has everything planned out.

Jackson Hastings he's signed for manly I believe?

thats the one I was thinking of cheers.

Don't think we where ever going to get him tbf pal but I don't see the Ellis and Abdul partnership getting us promoted

Tbf I've seen our pack criticisized for still being underpowered, criticism of our halfbacks for lack creativity and concerns about our backs, especially the wings.

Despite all that, and a feeling that the team has still to properly gel, we're currently 4 points clear at the top of the Championship.

Whether we've got the extra gear we'll need to win promotion is difficult to tell, but that was always going to be a massive challenge on a reduced spend. We're where I hoped at this stage and much better than I feared. Ellis and Abdull have played their parts in that, and at least met expectations IMO. ZDC offers an interesting alternative.

We're still 'nowhere near' the cap so I would obviously expect to strengthen come the 8s, I can't see Tim tinkering with the halves as in trying Quinlan there and I would expect zdc to spell with Lunt, we haven't had a big pack in recent years but we seem to be getting away with it so far....

quinlan has played half back at both levels in the nrl and looked half decent , as for weakening the full back position defending one on one he is very weak all I say is give him a try before the eights start

Full back is like another half nowadays long gone has the defensive full back of times gone by, I would like to see moss given a go there if any tinkering is done....