You would have to think that as the season goes on we will get a bit more conditioning (although we can't make up for the lost pre-season). This lot will definitely respond better to being full time than the crew we have had the last two years. Those young legs should be chasing everybody around the park come mid point of the season. The backs look devastating going forward and we have beefed up the pack. The two main things to improve are: cutting out silly penalties and stopping the opposition making easy yards when we defend. And third of the two is completion rate, stop dropping the ball especially early in the tackle count.

Yeah they signed him for a season, then loaned him to us for a season. After a month they have a 24 hour recall option.



Pretty much agree with your points there. Especially the ones regarding games we 'should never have lost' but have we continued that trend by losing to Rochdale? I mean all things considered I marked it down as a loss pre-game but we were in a position to win.

I've always said nothing prepares you for match fitness than actually playing matches and as the season goes on we will get better. However a good pre-season is so important!! Especially when you need to get off to a good start like we do!!

Oh, we definitely were in a position to win but lost out for many of the reasons I highlighted. We have some excellent young prospects and a few good solid pros in our side but they need to gel and move from being individuals to becoming a team. That takes time though, and particularly with our interrupted pre-season, in order to achieve that we need to keep the nucleus of the side together as long as we can, imo. Sadly, it is largely out of our hands though.

Yeah, it all depends if we stay up or not. For arguments sake we do stay up. We can keep the nucleolus of the side. For any team the 1, 6, 7 and 9 are key positions. Everyone else can pretty much chop and change. I think our left edge of Bentley, Oakes and Ryan are important to keep a hold of.



So for 2017 you have Thomas, Pryce, Keyes and Lumb/Moore. Pryce retires at years end. So potential for Pheonix to be the 6 (looks like a poor mans Benji Marshall on the videos). So the nucleus would be Thomas?, Pheonix, Keyes and Lumb. All very young players. Build around these guys and the left edge and we are looking very good

I would urge you not to get ahead of yourself esp with regard to Phoenix who hasn't even put a boot on yet.

Ah I never get a head of myself! Just enjoy thinking about the game

Besides it's much better than looking at -10





As for Phoenix, just going by his clips on Youtube. But as I have said before, touch rugby and sevens rugby in warm, sunny weather is a far cry for the beast that is the 13 man code in poor weather at times against teams like Swinton who want to knock your head off haha

To be honest, I wasn't looking any further than this season, and our prospects, such as they are, of avoiding relegation.



In that context, the players I was hoping to, 'keep hold of, were the loanees, so as to integrate them into the squad and get the most from them for as long as we can - I take it for granted that fully signed players will last the season out at the club.



Over the longer term you're probably right, though that is most likely dependent on any SL release clauses not being activated and, it must be said, which division we find ourselves in next season. I agree Phoenix looks an exciting prospect, but, though he plays a little like Benji, he, doesn't yet have the same physical presence, so added to the fact we've not seen him in a Bulls' shirt yet, I'd hang back from making too many predictions there and see what turns up.

In terms of this season when the loans were announced I was very surprised we bagged Lilley. But at that moment I knew we wouldn't keep him longer than the month so keeping him longer wasn't really an option. Realistically we are looking at maybe keeping Jordan-Roberts and Oledzki for longer as Leeds seem fine in these positions for now. So these two we need to integrate more. For the halves I would assume we go with our own guys in Pryce and Keyes, with maybe Thomas and Pheonix covering.



Key person for me at this moment is Moore. But again we have to play a waiting game with him as we don't have a clue what is happening until the 10th March.

One certainty is that no one can say this season isn't going to be 'interesting'. One way or another..

This season isn't going to be interesting.

No, writing it doesn't count.