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Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2025 12:11 pm
by medlocke
Cooper and Isa need to be replaced by experienced players, not youngsters from the academy
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2025 12:19 pm
by the pieman
medlocke wrote: ↑Mon Mar 24, 2025 12:11 pm
Cooper and Isa need to be replaced by experienced players, not youngsters from the academy
Cooper is the most challenging, especially if rumours are true that we are losing Byrne and Hill too for next season. Most clubs are looking for props, and we're potentially going from well stacked to ok but could do with another body or two (Thompson, Havard, Dupree, Mago, Walters (with flexibility) and Ellis but leaves us exposed at 13 and then into the upcoming young lads)
i agree with what you are alluding to, that we need the experience, even if only for 1-2 years, whilst the young lads get some experience
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2025 7:15 pm
by EagleEyePie
The good thing is we have a core group of forwards who do have the sort of experience that most clubs would die to have. Age and experience aren't necessarily the same thing although they do often go hand in hand.
Cooper obviously had a very positive impact with his experience but hopefully the likes of Thompson and Ellis are now taking on a similar role within the team and passing on their experience.
It's always difficult for clubs to recruit forwards. I think that's how we ended up taking a punt on players like Eseh and Chan. No matter what standard you're trying to recruit at there's so much competition and not a lot of players available.
Tom Holroyd at Leeds looks like a decent player but he's had injury issues (and discipline issues). Renouf Atoni at Wakefield has improved a lot since he first arrived and Pangai Jr at Catalans might interest some but I'm struggling to find any really exciting options in Super League.
It's little wonder that clubs might be willing to offer more than we can for players like Byrne and Hill.
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 9:23 am
by NICKYKISS
I don't think we need to overthink a couple of close defeats. Cooper and Isa were really experienced heads for us but we didn't have them on the field for most of last season and we did ok. Sometimes you just get outplayed even when you're playing ok but I think most of the time, we lose games because we lack motivation/concentration. I think those two things go hand in hand. Comfortably our best two performances this season were when we had motivation (Hull away after losing against Leigh) and the players were excited (the Vegas game). We've played in that many big games recently, that I think we probably need a bit of adversity to just get the players ticking again. When they've been on this past couple of years, they've hardly conceded a point, let alone lost games.
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 2:00 pm
by the pieman
i was thinking slightly longer term than this season with the rumours of Byrne and Hill potentially moving on
we are well stacked in the props as has been discussed previously, but ideally a 2nd row back up, if Walters is going to be utilised as a prop would be nice and i think that was the role that Isa was going to fulfil this season, with Faz, Nsemba, Walters and Isa providing the 2nd row cover
whilst it was disappointing to get knocked out of the CC, we cant win everything, so LLS and GF will have to do this season
and i agree that when we need to up the intensity we can do
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:36 pm
by NICKYKISS
Talking of reinforcements, great news to hear that Brad O'Neill will make his comeback on Sunday against Salford. He's done really well to get back from such an injury as quickly as he has and I'm sure he'll add plenty to us in time, once he's back in the swing of things.
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 5:07 pm
by morley pie eater
NICKYKISS wrote: ↑Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:36 pm
Talking of reinforcements, great news to hear that Brad O'Neill will make his comeback on Sunday against Salford. He's done really well to get back from such an injury as quickly as he has and I'm sure he'll add plenty to us in time, once he's back in the swing of things.
I was wondering re O'Neill coming in - once he finds his feet, and if Jai's hamstring takes a while to clear, how about Leeming at 6?
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 5:27 pm
by Charriots Offiah
EagleEyePie wrote: ↑Tue Mar 25, 2025 7:15 pm
The good thing is we have a core group of forwards who do have the sort of experience that most clubs would die to have. Age and experience aren't necessarily the same thing although they do often go hand in hand.
Cooper obviously had a very positive impact with his experience but hopefully the likes of Thompson and Ellis are now taking on a similar role within the team and passing on their experience.
It's always difficult for clubs to recruit forwards. I think that's how we ended up taking a punt on players like Eseh and Chan. No matter what standard you're trying to recruit at there's so much competition and not a lot of players available.
Tom Holroyd at Leeds looks like a decent player but he's had injury issues (and discipline issues). Renouf Atoni at Wakefield has improved a lot since he first arrived and Pangai Jr at Catalans might interest some but I'm struggling to find any really exciting options in Super League.
It's little wonder that clubs might be willing to offer more than we can for players like Byrne and Hill.
Holroyd has played under 50 games in seven years.
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 8:04 pm
by widdenoldboy
morley pie eater wrote: ↑Wed Mar 26, 2025 5:07 pm
NICKYKISS wrote: ↑Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:36 pm
Talking of reinforcements, great news to hear that Brad O'Neill will make his comeback on Sunday against Salford. He's done really well to get back from such an injury as quickly as he has and I'm sure he'll add plenty to us in time, once he's back in the swing of things.
I was wondering re O'Neill coming in - once he finds his feet, and if Jai's hamstring takes a while to clear, how about Leeming at 6?
Thats an interesting thought and I think it could work. I didn't get the criticism on Leeming v Leeds - he did make a few bad decisions but he was leading from the front and played 80 minutes - not something he does very often.
Re: Reinforcements?
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2025 11:50 pm
by moto748
I don't like the idea of Leeming at 6. I'd rather give Farrimond another shot. Assuming Field doesn't play, that is.