As far as I know this is, as it stands, the 2016 squad. I put players in all the realistic positions they can cover. Chester said they'll be 4 or 5 players moving so it's by no means the finished squad. Where do you think recruitment needs to focus on? The prop situation needs looking at immediately, I think. Is it good enough to finish comfortably in the top 8 despite finishing 10th this year?

2016 Squad

Full Back - Dixon, Cockayne, Guzdek, Sio

Wing - Sio, Mantellato, Cockayne, Dixon, Hallet

Centre - Thornley, Minns, Salter, Sio, Hallet, Horne

Stand Off - Campese, Blair, Kelly, Marsh

Scrum Half - Kelly, Marsh, Campese, Blair

Prop - Walker, Allgood, Tilse, Green, Cox

Hooker - Lunt, Boudebza

Second Row - Horne, Blair, Larroyer, Donaldson, Lawler, Cox, Ollett, Esslemont

Loose Forward - Donaldson, Holker, Lawler, Ollet, Esslemont.

Pretty sure macauley hallett is on his way due to not being given a chance,he was very good the backend of last season,was it 5 tries in 3 games and at least one man of the match.Would be a pity to let the lad go,has to be given another chance to show what he can do,the salford match would be ideal.You can add chris clarkson to your list of forwards as well.

Hallet can't play as he wasn't recalled from Dual Reg before the qualifiers started.

Yeah, I heard the Clarkson rumours. Another back rower then. Has he ever played 13? Shame about Hallet if true. He looked like a bright prospect in the few games I've seen him.

Just need to add a couple of monsters up front plus keep a settled & fit side & we will do OK. We really do need a reserve grade to give the promising youngsters something to keep them at the club or at least try to get them fixed up with a year in Australia or even the French competition? even if we have to pay their air fare & a couple of grand spending cash as we loose to many before we can say if they are good enough.

2016 squad at the moment including TBCs

1 Sio
2. Dixon
3. Minns
4. Thornley
5. Mantomato
6. Campese
7. Kelly
8. Allgood
9. Lunt
10. Walker
11. Larroyer (TBC)
12. Blair
13. Wheeldon (TBC)
14. Green
15. Tilse
16. Boudebza
17. Horne
18. Marsh
19. Cockayne
20. Clarkson (TBC)
21. Donaldson
22. Cox
23. Hallett
24. Lawler
25. Walsh (TBC) whoops! Shaw (from the Bulls)
26. Ollett
27. Holker

Ins
Minns
Thornley
Listed as TBC x 4
Outs
McCarthy
Welham
Burke
Greenwood
Puletua

Decisions pending: Salter, Esslemont, Gudzek

Rumours: Kirmond, Anthony Walker

IMO the front row needs another impact player; Michael England is available would take Greenwood if he is willing.

Chezzie said his current 25 to 30 squad numbers aren't good enough. So on that basis, it could be curtains for at least 4 of these guys - Hallett, Guzdek, Esslemont, Marsh and Holker.

Given that he is impressed with Lawler by giving him more opps ahead of some of these and possibly Marsh (whose not that good at the moment imo, but needs time), it's easy to imagine which 4 may be at risk of being cut.

Who's Walsh?

Heard an half back from leeds ( sorry cant remember the name ) but don't no how true

Still think we may lose sio.

I have no idea about any of these rumours, but I throw my hands up in despair at Wheeldon.

Guzdek has talent and should be retained, can't see Greenwood getting a gig back into The Pie Dome, but perhaps another club has seen enough to offer more than us, it looks like Esslemont is never going to kick on at Rovers and we clearly can't offload Cox because he's finished here. Needs a new club and to address his stamina issues.

And, as the esteemed young Master Mc says, who is this Walsh character?

Those forwards hooker apart look very very dire. As do the centres.

I've been over to Cas on a number of occasions this season and TBH Scott seems to have found a new lease of life under Powells coaching. Had a very good season.

Jordan Cox has had issues this season but he put in a good performance against the Eagles, still a year to run on his contract, spoke to him a couple of weeks ago and he is happy to scrap for his place at Rovers. Whether thats enough to keep in Chezzy's plans is moot.

IMO, Jordan Cox in 2016 will be make or break. He hasn't kicked on and his fitness isn't what it should be. Has all the attributes of a decent player, although his handling is sometimes suspect, but next season may well prove him either a Super League player or a drop into the Championship.

Ina good pack he'll look decent, the problem we have is that our pack is full of players that would look good in a good pack but in their own right are just ok squad players.

We need a pack leader and a couple of top class pack members to allow our alright players to look good.

Spot on, if the fans can see it, I'm hoping the coach can too

Why do you still think that?

I'd love to know what constitutes a good pack?

The closest I've seen to one this season perhaps is the Cas pack against Leeds last week. Lynch, Milner, Millington, Holmes, Moors and Wheeldon started. Cook, Maher, Boyle and McShane off the bench.

Let's be honest, you'd look at those names and Lynch apart, nobody would have any of them in their dream team. However, they seem to be coached and now play in such a way that seems to optimise their collective strengths and they really make the effort to support one another especially in attack and dominate the opposition.

Massive metres, taking first and second phase ball at speed, landing on their front with subsequent speed at the play the ball, supporting the runner, making dummy runs, offloading in the tackle and running intelligent lines. Add to this a desire to dominate, to win and to play for 90 minutes to provide a platform for a pair of extremely creative halves and a talented fullback and you get your reward. You beat a team that annihilated us 50-0 at Wembley 3 weeks earlier on their own patch.

Maybe therein lies the problem with our pack. Lack of speed, intensity, desire, belief and an absence of basic game instincts and poor coaching.

Think most of what you say is spot on,but oliver holmes is a terrific player only just 23 and top class,just what we need.

If there's a pack we should emulate it's definitely Castlefords. As PR stated. No star larkers taking Lynch & Millington (who I'd have at Rovers in a heartbeat) aside. Just tonnes of average players working incredibly hard for each other. Our pack could match theirs, but it means ours have to show a hell of a lot more desire than they show now. I don't know what Powell does to that team, but one thing for sure he gets a shed load more out of them than Chezzie does with ours.
One wish for 2016 is less injuries! About time we had some luck in that department.

I agree to an extent but Lynch has been playing like that for years, he’s very similar to Peacock in that he can play massive minutes and not drop intensity, very hard to find one of those, still baffled that Hull let him go.
I agree the training and effort go a long way but I think our pack lacks size, Green is a decent size but the likes of Tilse, Allgood, Cox, Walker are all not big blokes. TP was our biggest prop this year and he’s a 2nd rower and our 2nd row is miniscule compared to most other SL teams.

I agree with Lynch leaving FC. What were they thinking!

I wouldn't say Castlefords pack is any bigger than ours. Tilse, Green, Walker and Allgood are big guys, no smaller than anyone from Cas.

Your right about our second row. Way too small. Our Achilles heel in our team. Even more so when you count Larroyer as our biggest most destructive second row forward that's had his worst season with us, imo.

Agree with the comments about our second row. Way too small and not enough pace. BTW, Chris Clarkson is quite pacey. Donaldson plays the game at the right speed but is way too small. Bobby Blair will add impact and defensive stability next year and George Lawler is a find if he bulks out.

Back to Cas. It has to be coaching when you look at the likes of the way Wheeldon and Cook perform in that pack, not to mention the other ex Broncos (Luke Gale included) they have in their ranks, who are different class now they are at Cas.

Rovers problem is a speed, tempo, size and game basics issue. When we play with physicality, speed and intensity, we are a match for anyone.

Scott wheeldon't is lightweight forward we needed bigger forwards

The most important signings for next season will be within the backroom staff, If this area doesn't get renewed & refreshed with something far superior to what is already at the club then whatever playing staff is recruited/retained will be irrelevant.