MZH

Am I right in saying Lloyd plays centre too? That's another option if so. But the pair of them at 6 and 7 a few years down the line is an exciting prospect.

The Jack Charles situation isn't quite as you paint it. Hull KR wanted him, Hull rate Callum Kemp as the better player (correctly, based on what I've seen), and therefore weren't willing to match Hull KR's offer for him. It wasn't a case of choosing Arthur over Charles. Callum Kemp has just turned 19. The plan now will be for him to learn from Aiden Sezer for a couple of years and get gradual exposure to SL rugby and then hopefully take the 7 shirt for 2028.

Signing him wasn't odd. He impressed with his attitude during his loan spell and we were pretty much trying to build a team from scratch and needed experience and professionalism. The mistake was giving him a 3 year deal.

Ed Chamberlain to Bradford on a year long loan. Not a big surprise, he would be well down the pecking order now at Hull. Hard worker if unspectacular. Should do a job for Bradford.

I don't get to watch the Hull youth games these days but I was going to mention Paleaasina. His highlights pop up on social media from time to time, including a full length try he scored against Hull KR. I'm not sure he's even turned 17 just yet, but he's tall and strong and has the speed of a back. Really exciting prospect.

Well for a start, when he left the Knights fans were disappointed and felt like he'd not been given a chance, so there's that. There's also the fact that the NRL is swimming with good full backs, so the fact that clubs weren't "clamouring" to keep him doesn't mean he isn't any good. He's also 22 years old, away from home for the first time, and you only need to look at social media to see he's very close to his family. So maybe, rather than not being good enough to stay there, he decided it wasn't where he wanted to be right now. I'm not suggesting he's the answer to our problems. He's got plenty to work on. But he is one of the very few English players with real X factor. One of the very few players who would genuinely worry the Aussies when he runs the ball. If it wasn't for injuries he would have been in the picture this year imo.

The closest we have to Walsh, imo, is Will Pryce. Not saying he is on Walsh's level by any means, but he is the one player we have who, given a sniff of a chance, has the acceleration and evasiveness to take it, and he has a bit of skill to boot. He needs to work a bit on defense and positioning to be an international FB, but he has the tools to do it at the highest level imo.

Pretty much what others have said, I think he needs to go and be replaced by a younger, more forward thinking coach. However, I do worry about who that may be. I'd be a bit concerned if they gave it to Burgess.

By going from 7 to 10 there are potentially going to be an extra 42 overseas players in SL (assuming all spots are filled, which is unlikely. But adding 2 teams means approximately 70 extra players at SL clubs. So it is a net gain. Although fwiw I agree, I don't really like the increase.

In the modern game full backs and stand offs are pretty much interchangeable in attack. A bit different in defence of course, so I will excuse him for his defensive errors and fragility under the high ball, although I would have expected a top class player to be more adaptable than that. But he was poor in attack too. Balls thrown on the floor, average decision making, plays breaking down with him. Then that penalty on our line on the 5th was inexcusable. I think Lewis is a great player at SL level. He could yet be a great player at international level, but this series has shown he still has a lot to work on.

Well, another disappointment, but not really unexpected. As was the case in the 2nd Test I thought the pack really stood up well. All the front rowers performed but I thought Walmsley was particularly strong, which was good to see after a couple of disappointing displays from him. Off the back of their work Litten was able to have success, and whilst I wouldn't go so far as to say he was good, Williams looked much more effective with that extra space to work with. I also thought Harry Newman showed up alright, I'm not a big fan generally, but he held his own. On the other side of the coin, Lewis was really bad. Not all his fault (he's not a FB after all) but plenty of it was just poor rugby regardless of position. Harry Smith was disappointing in attack. Burgess hasn't played for England in 10 years and based on that you won't see him again, a great recovery on a drop out aside he was dire. Farnworth was easily wrapped up. In general we were just dumb and shot ourselves in the foot, and where the Aussies are able to remain switched on for 80 minutes we always looked like our next mental lapse was just around the corner. I'm not despondent though. There are an exciting young crop coming through. If we can get that same effort from the pack with Litten sniping, and add in the likes of Morgan Gannon, Will Pryce, Harry Robertson, Lewis Martin, maybe a rejuvenated Junior Nsemba, it's got the makings of a handy team. The halves are a worry though. Smith is what he is, solid but limited, I don't think Williams has it anymore, and there are question marks over Lewis. We really need someone to emerge to take the mantle because that's the one area that we are miles behind.

I don't think that is what he is saying. He's saying England are in a bit of a no win situation because even if they play lights out and win the third test, the narrative will be that it was a dead rubber and the Aussies didn't turn up. I guarantee that will be the case in the Australian press. Just look at all the times an English team has won the WCC in recent years and what has been said afterwards (little more than a pre season friendly etc.).

Unless we are suddenly blessed with a golden generation of players (there seems to be a great crop coming through now, so who knows) we will probably be in much the same position regardless of the coach. A little bit better than Samoa and Tonga, on a par with NZ, and a little bit behind the Aussies. So I just want a coach who can maximise what we have, play entertaining rugby, and show the world what Super League players are capable of. I'd much rather we pick some younger, more dynamic players and send them out with a bit of freedom than watch us fail yet again to win an arm wrestle. I say it every time. Theres no point trying to play Australia at their own game, because they are simply better at it. So go show them something they don't normally see and lets see what comes of it.

Not sure about the video, but the shirt looks pretty nice.

I hope he goes well. When he was at Hull he clearly had talent but successive coaches didn't like his attitude. Hopefully he's matured because if he has then he can bring something to the table.