According to the article below, we are poised to make a move for Wayne Mcdonald, and Leeds are willing to let him go.
Hes never really fulfilled his potential, the guy is huge but hes not got a very aggresive running style. But hes not a bad player and he would add much needed size to our pack, hopefuly leeds will let him go, and for free.
ChrisA posted:
According to the article below, we are poised to make a move for Wayne Mcdonald, and Leeds are willing to let him go.
Hes never really fulfilled his potential, the guy is huge but hes not got a very aggresive running style. But hes not a bad player and he would add much needed size to our pack, hopefuly leeds will let him go, and for free.
I'd pay money for the lad.... he would be a great addition to the team.
There is a chap on the rlfans board who goes by the name of jonh who played alongside McDonald at Wakefield in the academy and reckons he has no guts and no go forward.
The comment about not having an agressive running style made earlier sort of fits in with that.
Sounds to me like a Harvey Howard sort of signing and while we are desperate for a prop is this really one of those "right sort of players" Betts is going on about?
I don't think it is.
The season is a write off as it is so I'd rather wait for the end of June and see who comes available in Australia.
I agree totally. We should wait until June 1st to see who becomes available. We do not need to panic buy now, unless decent players become available. Which is not likely.
As for the summer we should look towards the Cowboys pair of Rauhihi and Tronc - they would certainly add much needed bulk to our 'very small pack'. Apart from that a quality 'line-breaking' centre must be a priority. As Aspinwall, although decent - is not a game winner.
The season is a write off as it is so I'd rather wait for the end of June and see who comes available in Australia.
Dave
Sadly Dave we are hearing this comment every season at the moment.
The club needs a new focus as someone said in a pevious posting at the moment we keep papering over the cracks.
The injuries have been a problem but it has highlighted our lack of depth to the squad.
Whilst this restrictive trade salary cap persists it has become apparent that a large squad of half decent players is more successfull than relying on a first team of outstanding players with nothing in reserve. Even if this means diluting the overall standard of the game.
As for Wayne Macdonald at the very least he will be able to share some of the workload....lets HOPE he stays fit!
Doug Stand posted:
Sadly Dave we are hearing this comment every season at the moment.
The club needs a new focus as someone said in a pevious posting at the moment we keep papering over the cracks.
The injuries have been a problem but it has highlighted our lack of depth to the squad.
Whilst this restrictive trade salary cap persists it has become apparent that a large squad of half decent players is more successfull than relying on a first team of outstanding players with nothing in reserve. Even if this means diluting the overall standard of the game.
As for Wayne Macdonald at the very least he will be able to share some of the workload....lets HOPE he stays fit!
I'm afraid that papering over the cracks is all that this signing does !
This is the type of activity we will see now IMO untill a new more experienced coach is appointed, and probably will not change untill next season, when hopefully Doris will have left as well.
So buckle up and prepare for a very bimpy ride !!!!!
JIMH posted:
didn't this guy score a 40 yard try against saints last season? i would get him just for that
think it was the year before but yeah he went from inside his own half and won the match for Leeds. I wouldn't say I'm an expert on the bloke but he seems OK to me. I think he would be a useful addition, even if it it was just a loaner til the end of the season. He is proven in SL.
An OK player in an OK team, looks like you are risigned to mediocrity !!!
JIMH posted:
didn't this guy score a 40 yard try against saints last season? i would get him just for that
think it was the year before but yeah he went from inside his own half and won the match for Leeds. I wouldn't say I'm an expert on the bloke but he seems OK to me. I think he would be a useful addition, even if it it was just a loaner til the end of the season. He is proven in SL.
An OK player in an OK team, looks like you are risigned to mediocrity !!!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record (you're already ahead of me in that respect), if you consider these players we're being linked with to be mediocre players, who are the experienced, world-class, unwanted-elsewhere players you know of that are available that we could sign immediately? There are none, so we can't sign them. So why is it a problem to sign some experienced players instead until the end of the season? What harm can that do? Is there any reason why we shouldn't spend a bit of money to bolster our depleated team? It's too late to stop Farrell leaving, or Davico, Hock and O'Laughlin getting injured. All those things have happened, so signing new experienced players is the only sensible response to that. We can all criticise in hindsight, but life goes on and we've got to deal with it.
"You rescue me, you are my faith, my hope, my liberty.
And when there's darkness all around, you shine bright for me, you are a guiding light to me....
You are a Tower of Strength to me" - Wayne Hussey, The Mission.
Shepherd's Bush Empire - 27/Feb/08 - 1/Mar/08
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DaveO posted:
The season is a write off as it is so I'd rather wait for the end of June and see who comes available in Australia.
Dave
Sadly Dave we are hearing this comment every season at the moment.
Too true
Whilst this restrictive trade salary cap persists it has become apparent that a large squad of half decent players is more successfull than relying on a first team of outstanding players with nothing in reserve. Even if this means diluting the overall standard of the game.
I have been saying more or less the same thing for a while. You need twenty odd average players who can play to a standard good enough to win things. It isn't a very high standard either.
Botham at Leeds is 28 years old and accocrding to their fans is one of the players who is paid less than £20K a year. 28 years old and earning less than £20K a year? Good job he has a rich Dad but that is the sort of player you need to have squad depth under the current rules.
No doubt Leeds fans will talk of how smart their management are in assembling a squad with depth but I bet they wouldn't do the job for £20K if they were 28 years old!
look we,ve taken the guy on loan, we are depleted by injury ,it,s his chance to prove he can become a regular and if it doesn,t work out we send him back to leeds. what,s the problem there
I'm afraid that papering over the cracks is all that this signing does !
An OK player in an OK team, looks like you are risigned to mediocrity !!!
I'm afraid that papering over the cracks is all that this signing does !