HullRover

I am delighted by this signing...particuarly when I heard the figures involved! Craig Hall has all the attacking potential in the world and, with the right coaching, would have been an automatic selection for England by now. The defensive deficiances in his game are by no means insurmountable for a coach of Justin Morgan's calibre and, with time on his side, he could go on to enjoy a long, illustrious career at his 'spiritual home'! Craig Hall joins Richard Horne, Paul King, Paul Cooke, Richard Fletcher, Kirk Yeaman, Danny Washbrook, Tommy Lee...all prodigiously talented youngsters, who have failed to fulfill anything like their potential whilst at Hull FC!

No excuses from me...Wigan were simply too good! They just seemed to do everything a yard quicker and, in Sam Tomkins, they have the 'special' player that Rovers lack! Despite the result, Rovers have exceeded expectations for me this season by actually making progress rather than stagnating. It was a great achievement to get were they did with approx

Though Tom Briscoe, Willie Manu, Danny Tickle and Danny Houghton are all very good players, I think Hull FC's poor recruitment policy will really start to hurt next year. It's going to be a big ask for Fitzgibbon to back up what he has done next year at the age of 34, likewise Cusack if he is still around. Shaun Long's battered body surely won't see the season out while Berrigan has thieved a rumoured

I thought that, but for a 15 minute spell just after half-time, Rovers pretty much bossed the game tonight and were good value for the win. No doubt about it, Hull were badly disrupted by Craig Hall's early injury and the ensuing re-shuffle, but I thought Rovers were really focused tonight and would have won regardless. Our kick-chase game was spot-on throughout...our goal-line defence was magnificent when called upon...while we displayed more controlled aggression than I have seen for some time. What happens next? Well I fear next week (whoever we play) may be a game too far, but next season should be interesting. The club opted this year not to utilise approx

Well...tell me one current Rugby League player who IS recognised outside of RL circles? Certainly not superstars like Darren Lockyer, Jonathan Thurston, Benji Marshall etc that's for sure - more is the pity! But, ask someone with a remotely passive interest in RL if they remember "that big, intimidating Aussie who knocked out Fielden with one punch about four years ago" and it's a fair bet they will remember him. Evidence for this is that Mason's fights with Fielden and Peacock have garnered over one million views on Youtube alone - a staggering amount for Rugby League! Righltly or wrongly, there is a fascination with him - his is as near to RL 'Box Office' as you will get!

No issue from me. Even on TV, what happened at the end of that game was one of those unforgettable, goosebump, moments and I would imagine that for anyone actually there (even for a below average SL referee) it would have been impossible not to have 'got caught up in the moment'! For actually having the moral fibre to reject the Union shilling, Cunningham is univerally respected in RL circles and surely deserves all the acclaim he gets! I would also say that prior to his elbow injury at Blackburn in 2002, he was the greatest hooker I have seen outside of Prague!

Leaving alone the issue that Johns was only a loan signing anyway...of course for any Rugby League connoisseur, is a much higher quality/profile signing. However, sadly his face isn't instantly recognisible to even many RL fans in this country, nevermind those with a passive interest. The difference is that Mason is subliminally remembered by almost anyone with a casual interest in RL because of his menacing, iconic appearance and devastating KO of Fielden four years ago which received enormous, terrestrial exposure (by RL standards) at the time! Sadly, to a casual viewer, those sort of incidents get spoken about in the pub more...get more Youtube hits...and ultimately live longer in the memory than any great try or distinguished career even! For example, I well remember a young Argentine called Mendez flooring an England RU player called Ackford many years ago at Twickenham but could tell you nothing about their respective careers before or since! Like I say, I am equally divided on whether Mason will be a sensation or a flop...either way it will be interesting! His signing will be good for Super League in general and not just Hull KR.

Although I think it would be naive not to have some reservations about Willie Mason, the vast majority of Hull KR fans are rightly ecstatic at this signing! In terms of profile, I honestly think this is arguably the biggest signing in Super League's history! Righly or wrongly, with his mountainous physique and wild hairstyles, Mason is probably Rugby League's most iconic figure who transcended the sport's normal boundaries in terms of profile with his infamous knockout of Stuart Fielden in front a few million viewers on the BBC! For instance, Mason is one of the exceptionally few RL players who could expect an invite onto Question of Sport and be largely recognised! He is a copywriters dream and already there is an unprecedented level of interest locally surrounding this signing!

Have Warrington never tried to get by far it's most famous son Chris Evans on board? Love him or loathe him...(with 8 million listeners every morning) the guy remains one of the most influential broadcasters in the country...yet I have never heard him utter a word about his hometown club! You've got Warrington-born Evans on one station and Leeds-born Chris Moyles on another...over 15 million regular listeners between them...surely there was an opportunity somewhere to engender some good-natured, Cup Final, rivalry between the two on the airwaves this week?

No complaints about the result...Wigan too fast, too strong and, ultimately, too good! Brave effort from Rovers though - we have certainly played worse and won this season. Hats off to Sam Tomkins who was the difference between the two sides. He was simply unplayable at times and produced what I would describe as the best individual performance seen at Craven Park this year! If there has been a better English talent over the past decade, I have never seen him!

I don't have a problem with 90% of the squad...but ...why oh why is McNamara inviting so much ridicule and potentially damaging fallout over the selection of a 30-something, already-capped Tongan who, even on ability alone, would be nothing more than a borderline selection in a position we are not short? And, why on earth has Joel Tompkins, arguably the best second-rower in the comp, been overlooked? Words fail me...beyond astounding! And nobody could ever...and I mean ever...convince me that Leon Pryce isn't among the top 10 English players, yet alone the top 37! As for him being below the likes of Paul Sykes, Kirk Yeaman and Tony Clubb in the pecking order...I give up! I was largely supportive of McNamara's appointment...but I am completely disillusioned at the moment.

You couldn't be more wrong on Justin Morgan. The very fact that he, and his family, are so settled in Hull is the reason why he has refused to countenance interest from St Helens, Leeds, Warrington in the past. A return to Australia is not on the agenda either!

From a purely neutral standpoint, I think Bridge is one of the most improved players in Super League and, right now, the best British centre around! Sam Tomkins apart, I thought he was England's best player in the recent international. Did nobody see the way he created the try for Chris Hicks against the Rhinos...gathering a difficult ball before breaking the line and putting in an inch-perfect crossfield kick? That was pure class and beyond anything the likes of Shenton, Platt, Sykes, Atkins et al could ever dream about doing! I think he will be a big miss in England's only real 'problem position' nowadays!