LeytherRob

They managed to get Hanley over the line without a head of rugby so there’s no need to panic just yet.

I think there are 7 genuine GF contenders going into the season and it’s probably going to come down to who has does better in keeping themselves fit, or coping when not. Hull FC had quite a few injuries last year that kept them lower than they were capable of, keeping Asiata, Ese’Ese and Cartwright on the pitch will be a big factor as when all 3 are fit it’s one of the hardest packs to defend against in the league for me.

Ironically it’s the lack of safety net in the TV deal that seems to have given everyone a collective kick up the backside to get their own revenues rolling. If they can get a halfway decent TV deal in the next cycle the game could be in a good spot

Losing Mulhern is definitely a blow, he’s been performing at an England level the past few years IMO. It’s a salary capped sport though and it’s the nature of the beast in the same way Wigan wouldn’t have necessarily wanted Byrne or Hill to go. This is why Leigh need to get the academy bearing fruit as soon as possible.

RCG the best forward on the pitch by a mile but his discipline has been horrendous

Considering you’re derailing a thread about reserve clubs and specifically York/Newcastle, I’d say you probably are living in that world

It’s been less than a month since Salford were formed, they’re lucky to have any kit at all on that turnaround, and the player in question was on a 1 week loan from Leigh. If it was a choice of a loan player turning up in his clubs hoodie for a warmup because ours hadn’t arrived yet, or one of my clubs big quota players missing week 1 of the championship to play in a friendly, I know which I would pick.

You need at least 30 players per club to account for injuries, probably closer to 35 for SL. The 46 mentioned isn’t enough and will leave Newcastle short once injuries start to bite, which they will - it’s a big step up on intensity for a lot of formerly part time players and older heads. I’ve seen it happen at my club multiple times when stepping up from championship.

That’s a recipe for disaster when injuries start biting

Umyla Hanley signs a 2-year extension at Leigh until end of 2028

I’ve read the statement and it doesn’t sit well with me, personally think he should be dismissed. That being said I don’t know if my preference is even possible with existing employment laws if no complaints are actually made.

Yeah, imagine a question being asked to provoke debate on social media, then people actually engage in debating that topic? Wild that.

In what way am I being selective? I'm not the one trying to say only certain players count because they weren't signed by an arbitrary deadline 1 month before the start of the season. I'm including the strongest players in each squad. There's also absolutely nothing to back up the league being considerably easier between the 2 seasons. In both years there were only 2 full time clubs and such was the lack in quality of 2019, a newly promoted York Knights were 3rd with a very modest squad. The 2020 season(and 2021 for that matter) is relevant because it's important to see how players measured up in the respected time periods. There was only 1 real star player in the Toronto squad - Ricky Leutele who would go on to make the SL dream team and be one of the best centres in the comp. There were 6 or 7 genuine stars in that Leigh 2022 side, the subsequent dream team inclusions are a pretty easy measurement - not sure what's rose tinted about that? Feel free to tell me which players in those 13's I compared I'm wrong about due to bias - the only one that is even up for a close debate is Bodene Thompson vs Sam Stone as far as I'm concerned and I opted for the Toronto player.

Firstly, it's 'moot point', secondly it's anything but a settled debate that a moot point would imply. It's just as valid to say that Toronto only had to beat Toulouse and that's it - there were only 2 full time teams(same as 2022) and Leigh/Fev along with much of the league had stripped back their spending in 2019 so that Toronto would be out the way as soon as possible. Leigh 2022 statistically outperformed them in attack and defence and when you look at what the respective squads would go on to the following season, it isn't even in the same league. Toronto were embarrassed in 2020 before covid put them out their misery, Leigh won a major trophy. This is my honest comparison of the 2 best 13's, and I think picking Bodene Thompson over Sam Stone is being quite generous to be honest. Toronto 2019/ Leigh 2022 Gaz O'Brien/ Caleb Aekins Matty Russell/ Josh Charnley Ricky Leutele/ Krisnan Inu Chase Stanley/ Nene Macdonald Liam Kay/ Blake Ferguson Joe Mellor/ Joe Mellor Josh McCrone/ Lachlan Lam Adam Sidlow/ Adam Sidlow Andy Ackers/ Edwin Ipape Ashton Sims/ Tom Amone Andrew Dixon/ Kai O'Donnell Bodene Thompson/ Sam Stone Jon Wilkin/ John Asiata