This. People only moaned when sjielka played so its a bit rich claiming him as a big loss now. We've still got addy on board who covered for sjielka most of season and we've added thomas who can play in halves and are looking at Jacks whose an actual half, quality still to be seen.

And whilst I'd class mullaney as a big loss thats only for the 50% of games he featured in. We;ve still got the same cover for fullback as last year and have added thomas and campbell and from his interview caprice sees fullback as a likely position he could slot in if we take him on.



Think we've strengthened in forwards in general, maybe not in starting options but more in terms of bench options and squad players.



We look in decent enough shape for initial 23 fixtures. Gives us plenty of time to look at our options and then strengthen any areas that are found to be weak in time for middle eights same as we did last yr. Suspect we'll have more wiggle room on cap to make improvements later in season than leigh will who look to have brought pretty much all their recruits in already.





TBH whilst T&a article is maybe a touch heavy on negativity think we can use it in a positive way. Show it to all the players and pin it on dressing room wall. Tell them this is what people think of you, go out there and prove them wrong type of thing.

There still seems to be rumours going around about us trying to bring in Craig Hall. I guess he would be a worthwhile squad player because of his versatility, but some of his performances last season for Wakefield were disgraceful.

He's not alone in that respect though, is he?

Whilst I agreed all season that Siejka was as much use as a chocolate fireguard, it's still a loss to the squad for him to leave and not be replaced. Largely because he's a specialised 7. Whilst people may not have wanted him in the strongest 17, if Addy, Purtell & Thomas were to all get injured this year as we haven't kept Jacks, the squad would benefit from Siejka.



So it is weakened by him leaving, albeit only a tiny bit due to him being turd.

Siejka was a panic buy. We thought we needed a 7 going into the season, but we managed most of the year without one. So even if Jacks isn't the player we hope for, it's not the end of the world.

It's only guess work but I think your problem if you can call it that is one of money, he was Webster's first signing as coach and his persistance paid off when he signed for us, and it's my guess he did not come cheap and there in lies the problem, he might be prepared to drop down a division however temporarily that may be but would he want to lose out financially assuming that's the case.

This, which is why i'm content with the squad at the moment. We managed fine without Siejka, Mullaney for most of the season, and Gaskell playing in about 2 games for the last 3 months and still got to the MPG.



The way the squad is at the moment we have improved the area which cost us the MPG, the bench. and then added depth under that allowing Lowes to rotate (He's making all the noises that he will rotate this year). Yes HB is still an issue but it was an issue all last year. Difference this year as someone mentioned earlier, i think we have room under the cap to sign the RIGHT player for us later in the season. Rather than sending people on loan, releasing promising academy players to try get someone in. If a good player becomes available (inevitably many will throughout the year) then i think we're in a good position to sign them.



Agree with Chissit about Craig Hall, i think Wakey/Smith would perhaps like to release him as he is likely to be on a decent wage and Smith may want to bring someone in. Problem with Hall is he is very hot and cold. One day he looks outstanding, the next he's awful. Although interestingly one or two Wakey fans wanted Hall in their starting 17 as by all accounts he did OK in the pre-season against Fev. For me i wouldn't be in a rush to sign him, i'd like to give Thomas, Campbell, Caprice and Clare a run out.

I don't think the squad is too shabby for the championship and ,hallfback excepted, it looks better balanced than last year. The slightly strange thing about our squad for me is that we were promised a smaller, meaner squad minus the non-playing element that we had last time round yet, all be it with two 'trialists', we are just a couple fewer.



Have to say that my glass is definitely half full though, with fair old number of SL quality players we're ready to rock and roll imo.

At least with Thomas we know that he is capable of playing well at a championship level albeit inconsistently.



Siejka for me never really looked like doing that. While some fans went OTT at him he never looked like creating or directing anything.

Craig Hall is a very good player which is why when he fell out with Sandercock at KR Webster went for him, he can play anywhere you like from 1 to 7, his only problem is that of confidence or lack of it, at times playing in a good and winning side like yours he'd be your star man in a lot of games, unfortunately he was playing in a very poor Wakefield side which was getting hammered most weeks, and also not known to us was playing with an injury most of the time which certainly did not help neither him or ourselves, he's had a couple of ops' close season and is now up to top fitness, quite a lot of Wakey fans myself included would like to see him given a chance to show why Webbo brought him to the club, but I think you were near the mark with his wages and perhaps that's why Smith wants him gone.

On the Fax Forum they are awaiting the arrival of Bertie,apparently tonight.

I didn't realise that Wooster could play RL let alone RU, but then again I expect its really Jeeves out on the field!