Fax Knight

Well let’s see if new half backs make a difference or if we still execute that scintillating strategy of five drives and an aimless kick that served us so well last year.

Indeed good luck to him. He always seemed to try, but to me he never seemed much of a threat with ball in hand for a big winger. Seldom broke the line and he doesn’t really have a step. But then we’re hardly the greatest team at creating space for wingers. Him and Dixon didn’t get much quality ball last year thanks to our turgid game plan. Let’s hope this season is different.

Monday night. Really! Doubt if I’ll be there due to work commitments. I hope this is a one-off. RL really is run by idiots.

Seems a decent signing, but I believe we still need more forwards. Wafer-thin cover at present if anyone gets injured - we’ve got three hookers, but only four props and, what, four seasoned second rows/loose forwards and a young lad. Unless I’ve missed someone?? And, sorry, great player though he once was, I don’t want to see one-legged Cuthbertson as another forward. Here’s hoping.

As others have said he needs to play like he did in the second half of the season because in the first he was pretty ordinary - unless you count conceding more than his fair share of penalties as being extraordinary. He was also absolutely shattered in many matches so you’re only going to get half a game from him. I’d still like to see a couple of young, mobile 80 minute forwards in the mix.

Some great names. One or two before my time. I do remember big George. He looked like he should have been jumping off a Viking long boat and ransacking a few monasteries.

Matongo and Pauli Pauli - we’re certainly adding some size!! Have we ever had a player as large as Pauli Pauli? I wonder how the likes of Trevor Hooper would look like next to him? Sorry, but it’s a “no” to me on Cuthbertson. His knee/knees are shot and he should call it a day and free up a squad number. Only way I’d change this view is if he’s working for the club in a different capacity and his registration costs very little then I’d keep him in case of emergencies. Whose next Fordy? Taumalolo and Fisher-Harris would do nicely.

Matongo is a unit and very mobile. Very happy with this. More of the same please!!

So long as it’s not Mick Morgan or Dave Dunkerly. Given the recruitment policy twelve months ago that might have been a distinct possibility.

Good to see we’re not creating a ‘Dad’s Army‘ team like last year, though given pretty much everyone seems to be a back more of last years’ squad must be leaving - which of Dixon, Bass, Salter, Dow-Nikau, BJB, O’Hagen, I wonder? Isn’t is about time Cuthbertson announced his retirement? The statement he should have made two years’ ago. “Solid” rather than “Box Office” is how I’d describe the squad so far. Still waiting for those big, bruising forwards....Thompson, good player though he is, isn’t one of those. Fingers crossed some of the the next few announcements tick this box....

Thompson’s a start, but we need at least two more props (assuming Dixon signs). I’m guessing Porter will sign, so I wonder who else in the second row? Exiting tones (I hope). Bit strange that a player as good as Nick Rawsthorne is now playing for a local ‘Fax RU club in about the 6th or 7th tier. I think he’s had enough of RL.

We need some specialist line breaking forwards, lads with some size, bulk and power, not centres having a go.

I liked Perry as he was committed and, like Ryan Hall, was good at carting the ball up to give the forwards a rest. But being built like Ryan Hall isn’t enough to make you a top class winger. As other have mentioned, he was prone to errors. And like all our other wingers this season, he was prone to conceding too many tries out wide. Wish him all the best at Batley.

Cuthbertson must have known his knee/knees were shot and should never have signed for us. How many minutes did he actually play last season and what did he offer on the pitch? I hope a darn sight more care and research has gone into whoever we sign for 2022 compared with what has occurred over the last two seasons.

Let’s hope we sign some forwards who can actually break a tackle, off-load and maybe have some pace? Fowards who do some damage. The likes of Fev, Bradford Fax our-muscled us up-front. Scott was the best in that regard, but he’s off. Why do we never sign any big Islander forwards - Tongans, Fijians, Samoans, etc? I’d have though York was darn sight better place for them to live compared to most other RL towns?

Good to see the refs are as useless running the women’s games as they are the men’s. How did he and the touch judges miss the hair pull? York score there and it’s game over. Hill-Cox is an excellent player mind. Pace, great passing and kicking game. It was a damn sight more entertaining than Wigan and Leeds on Thursday.

Good day today. Let’s hope we recruit well in the coming months. All the young lads showed a lot of promise and there must be more out there. Credit to London for applauding the presentations - I’m not sure all teams would have been so gracious. I hope they don’t disappear. I lived in London in the nineties and remember some big crowds at the Stoop with the likes of Edwards, Offiah, Gill and Tollett. I’m afraid RL currently is not in good shape at all. Still at least today was a positive for us. Onwards and upwards.

Apparently young James has a great game for Wigan tonight. Scored a try and handled Kasiano extremely well. Good on him for taking his chance and impressing.

I presume Smith has been getting some kind of payment from the Knights? If this is the case and he disappears to Fev it says a lot about him as a person. He owes us a season. I appreciate Fev might pay a bit more than us, but they are hardly Melbourne Storm offering him £300k+ a year. Let's hope he's an honourable bloke and turns out for us in 2022. If he's had no payment from us then feel free to clear off.

Echo what other have posted, he has been great for York, but absolutely correct to call it a day. I wonder had Covid not wiped out last season if a few of our recent retirees might have called time on their careers at the end of last season? Cuthbertson will no doubt be next. Kirmond is a “maybe” - perhaps he fancies being a prop next year?

Another loan player who did a great job for us. Aggressive in the tackle, never took a backwards step, hard running with a side-step and an off-loading game. As fresh after 80 mins as he was at the start. Just the sort of young player we should look to sign. The dilemma for him is could he make it at Wigan / another SL club as a full-time pro, or does he choose a semi-pro rl club and a “proper job”?

I think he’s tried hard, but as he hinted it must be frustrating for an elite sportsman when his body starts to let him down and he can’t do what he used to do. Good on him for recognising this and stepping down. I think one or two of our “experienced” signings must have known this truth about themselves a year or two ago, but chose to keep on going instead of calling it a day.

Green is definitely retiring. I’d wager Cuthbertson, Spears and Washbrook are definites. Kirmond, Jones-Bishop and Atkins are possibles. Maybe Dixon might call it a day? Maybe Brining’s sick of getting injured? Also with Scott and possibly Baldwinson going to Bradford there’s a fair bit of recruiting to be done.

Yeah, apologies, I always get Stock and Bass the wrong way round - must be my age...but as Spanish Knight says a lot of players won’t be around what with retirement and Kear, for one, sniffing around.

Interesting. We have three specialist wingers, plus Stock (who actually has the No 2 shirt doesn’t he?), plus young Towse. Looks like someone will be on their way....