Another signing for HKR !!

[bertina]

Just appeared on BBC sport that HKR have signed West Tiger's utility back Daniel Fitzhenry on a two year deal.
There must be plenty of HKR'S current squad getting twitchy with all these new signings.

[warriors10]

2 words.. salary cap! they don't wanna be doin a wigan

[GeoffN]

warriors10 posted:
2 words.. salary cap! they don't wanna be doin a wigan

True, but I think they've also been surprised by the amount of support (and therefore income) that they've had this year. I think they've found that they've got more to spend than they expected to have. Their existing squad (before all these signings), with the exception of Cooke, won't be that expensive.

[adrenalinxx]

Hull KR have bought a lot of good players how ever it could backfire on them. Justin Morgan has kept Hull KR in the Super League my keeping most of the same squad from last season instead of doing what most promoted teams do and try and buy loads of new players.

When Cooke signed for Hull KR the standard of there performances actually decreased for a while. Hull KR's season could depends on how long it takes there new players to settle in. Wigan have shown that the days of being able to buy your way up the league are long gone.

[Cruncher]

You've got to admire their gall, but I have a sneaking feeling that, in the age of the salary cap, all this is too good to be true.

Their fans are now predicting they'll be signing Clint Newton as well.

If so, there's no way these sums add up.

One theory is that they're so uncertain they'll get a franchise that they're going all-out next season to make themselves the team to beat. Their view being that points deduction won't mean anything if they're going to get kicked back to NL1 anyway.

But I'm now starting to wonder about this 'live salary cap' thing. It's all very well Hull KR saying: "You can't stop us fielding all these players in 2008 because we actually signed them in 2007." But, in an era when the RFL are supposed to be actively intervening to stop teams busting the cap, can you really see them allowing a team to take the field, which is the result of blatant overspending?

Maybe I'm fantasising about this. But imagine if Wigan had been announcing signings like this every other day. There'd be an uproar and deafening demands for an investigation.

I've heard all the arguments about Rovers having £400,000 more to play with than they used to have. But surely the names they've announced in the last couple of weeks should easily have gobbled that up. And this business about them unloading the 'dead wood'. We at Wigan know how difficult and expensive that can be.

[Matthew]

The other thing that I have noticed is that they seem to be signing a lot of backs. Most of KR's "sparkle" came from half back - however they seemed to be obssesesed with strengthing their backline rather than their pack.

A good back line with a weak pack will still find it hard to win games

[ian.birchall]

adrenalinxx posted:
Wigan have shown that the days of being able to buy your way up the league are long gone.

I'd like to try and do it though :exc:

[butt monkey]

Matthew posted:
The other thing that I have noticed is that they seem to be signing a lot of backs. Most of KR's "sparkle" came from half back - however they seemed to be obssesesed with strengthing their backline rather than their pack.

A good back line with a weak pack will still find it hard to win games

Ben Galea and Clint Newton (if signed) are forwards, Dan Fitzhenry has played hooker.

[DaveO]

Cruncher posted:
I've heard all the arguments about Rovers having £400,000 more to play with than they used to have. But surely the names they've announced in the last couple of weeks should easily have gobbled that up. And this business about them unloading the 'dead wood'. We at Wigan know how difficult and expensive that can be.

The names that have signed are:

Galea, Fitzhenry, Briscoe, Webster and Walker. If C Newton signs as well that will be 6 very good players who will all command a very good salary.

They will obviously be 20/25 players so I wonder how much that leaves to spend on 14 other 20/25 players?

Do they have an academy side? That costs money.

I think its time the RFL started to take an interest.

Dave

[Matthew]

So out of 6 signings they have one confirmed forward and a guy that can cover at hooker - think their pack might be a bit weak next year.

Don't think that the RFl will be interested - not unless they start spelling Hull Kingston Rovers WIGAN