New Hooker

[Sam Panapa ate me pie]

Anthony Mundine is also his cousin if I remember right.

Now that would be interesting....

[highland convert]

Watched the try. minus the hundred metre run in it is identical to the Farrel try. He jinks and runs round the player exactly as Farrel did round Lockers,
Jim

[DaveO]

Deacs wont be retiring.[/quote]

If so then with Roberts back and Finch arriving I can't see the logic in signing a new hooker. It surely has got to be the plan that Roberts goes to no. 1, Sam back to 6, Finch to 7, with TL & MM sharing the hooking.

If we sign a hooker we don't need one of Finch, TL or MM. (Assuming Deacs is the reserve half back).

We only had two hookers this season and having three who are first team standard is not something any side does.

With hindsight we should have gone for a hooker before Finch.

Dave

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

Deacs wont be retiring.

If so then with Roberts back and Finch arriving I can't see the logic in signing a new hooker. It surely has got to be the plan that Roberts goes to no. 1, Sam back to 6, Finch to 7, with TL & MM sharing the hooking.

If we sign a hooker we don't need one of Finch, TL or MM. (Assuming Deacs is the reserve half back).

We only had two hookers this season and having three who are first team standard is not something any side does.

With hindsight we should have gone for a hooker before Finch.

Dave[/quote]

Dave - St Helens and Warrington had three last year!

The downside is that Pryce and Phelps would be retained. My view is that we need another quality hooker as it is such a vital position. Competition for places is essential if a team is to be successful, hence the reason we won the GF. Next season we will have a plethora of backrow forwards so if we follow your logic then we shouldn't have signed Hoffman and we certainly shouldn't be considering taking Hock back.

I agree that getting the balance right is important but making sure you have options in key positions is vital.

[GeoffN]

We only had two hookers this season and having three who are first team standard is not something any side does.

With hindsight we should have gone for a hooker before Finch.

Dave

We had three really, Dave, if you count Tommy in.
Thing is, with only two, it seems to make Logan the first backup, which may work but I and others don't think he's quite ready.

[DaveO]

We only had two hookers this season and having three who are first team standard is not something any side does.

With hindsight we should have gone for a hooker before Finch.

Dave

We had three really, Dave, if you count Tommy in.
Thing is, with only two, it seems to make Logan the first backup, which may work but I and others don't think he's quite ready.

If we get another Hooker where does Tommy or MM play? One of them would be dropped because Finch with have the 7 slot. I can't see either of them being happy with U20's football and that is all they would get unless an injury occurred.

I think a trio of Tommy, MM and Logan is far more likely to meet the aspirations of all three players than having three 1st team standard hookers in the squad.

Tommy and MM are both good enough to be SL standard hookers. That doesn't mean they are the best hookers in the competition but in some positions you have to accept "good enough" is OK.

I'd hate to see MM frozen out as he was the best 9 on the park in the GF (and will only get better IMO) and I can only see that happening if we get another top class hooker.

I'd be very surprised if TL lost out.


Dave

[GeoffN]

If we get another Hooker where does Tommy or MM play? One of them would be dropped because Finch with have the 7 slot. I can't see either of them being happy with U20's football and that is all they would get unless an injury occurred.

I think a trio of Tommy, MM and Logan is far more likely to meet the aspirations of all three players than having three 1st team standard hookers in the squad.

Tommy and MM are both good enough to be SL standard hookers. That doesn't mean they are the best hookers in the competition but in some positions you have to accept "good enough" is OK.

I'd hate to see MM frozen out as he was the best 9 on the park in the GF (and will only get better IMO) and I can only see that happening if we get another top class hooker.

I'd be very surprised if TL lost out.


Dave

It would depend on other players' form/fitness, but Finch & Tommy in the halves with Sam at fb? We have to have backup in all positions, as this season has shown.
Bear in mind we look like missing Pat for the start, which could put Amos on his wing.

You seem to be dismissing injuries, yet only the Tomkins brothers were injury free all season, out of all the squad (and other clubs were even worse hit; it's the nature of the sport). We used 30 players this year.

[cpwigan]

Competition for places Dave. Without another hooker, Tommy is tied to playing 9. We sign another hooker and we have Finch, Deacs, Tommy, Sam T, Joe Mellor who can play 6/7. It also means that if need be Sam T can play FB and puts pressure on Amos.

[DaveO]

If we get another Hooker where does Tommy or MM play? One of them would be dropped because Finch with have the 7 slot. I can't see either of them being happy with U20's football and that is all they would get unless an injury occurred.

I think a trio of Tommy, MM and Logan is far more likely to meet the aspirations of all three players than having three 1st team standard hookers in the squad.

Tommy and MM are both good enough to be SL standard hookers. That doesn't mean they are the best hookers in the competition but in some positions you have to accept "good enough" is OK.

I'd hate to see MM frozen out as he was the best 9 on the park in the GF (and will only get better IMO) and I can only see that happening if we get another top class hooker.

I'd be very surprised if TL lost out.


Dave

It would depend on other players' form/fitness, but Finch & Tommy in the halves with Sam at fb? We have to have backup in all positions, as this season has shown.
Bear in mind we look like missing Pat for the start, which could put Amos on his wing.

You seem to be dismissing injuries, yet only the Tomkins brothers were injury free all season, out of all the squad (and other clubs were even worse hit; it's the nature of the sport). We used 30 players this year.

But we can only have 25 who get paid from the £1.6m salary cap. It is just not possible to recruit enough first team standard players to provide cover everywhere. The system forces you to use U20 players if you are unlucky with injuries and indeed if you are unlucky with injuries it can kill your season. It's not possible to mitigate this possibility completely.

Given both TL and MM - unlike Piggy - could do 80 mins at hooker if needed I would think those two plus an U20 player such as Logan Tomkins is enough.

I would also expect Sam to be FB due to Pat's injury but that is where Deacs comes in and why he will probably play on.

Dave

[Bendy Hendy]

Going off on a tangent Amos has a 17 year old cousin playing for South Sydney on the wing. Runs like the wind, scored a 100 yard effort recently. Real pace

Doesn't he also have a nephew playing for Shevy Sharks?

It was his brother dale. He was over here for a long holiday. Some of the tries he scored where absolute class, and helped us secure promotion. He was contracted to the roosters i think it was. Class act