Toulouse New Signings

[Lowdesert]

20 minutes ago, EastLondonMike said:

Maybe the emergence of some genuine forward prospects for France might inspire him to knuckle down and fulfil his potential. Here's hoping.

Indeed Mike.  At 28 he is in his prime and with some application could become a crowd favourite back on home soil.

Im surprised Pat Moran hasn’t been picked up yet either.  Maybe he has?  He was at Avignon.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

1 hour ago, Lowdesert said:

Looks like Gadwin Springer has signed for TO.  I had high hopes for him at Catalans but just doesnt seem to have hit the heights.  Maybe he will do the business back in France, either way, good signing if the club can get some confidence back into him.

 

So Toulouse are signing a French player while Leigh sign yet another Australian, how will their fans turn this round into a criticism of Toulouse?

[Lowdesert]

24 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

So Toulouse are signing a French player while Leigh sign yet another Australian, how will their fans turn this round into a criticism of Toulouse?

Dont know and dont want to get into it as its become tiresome.

Announced by the Yorkshire Post anyway but not confirmed by TO as yet.

[Guest]

Can't be much good if he couldn't get in a Fev side that barely troubled TO.

[Hvy wg]

1 minute ago, Leonard said:

Can't be much good if he couldn't get in a Fev side that barely troubled TO.

He's big and strong. He makes awkward errors. Can still put on a big shift sometimes.

[Saint Toppy]

36 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

So Toulouse are signing a French player while Leigh sign yet another Australian, how will their fans turn this round into a criticism of Toulouse?

To be fair Hitchcox level is playing for a top Championship club, He struggled at SL level with Cas but seemed to perform with TO. But with their promotion he's just swapping one top Championship team for another.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Hvy wg said:

He's big and strong. He makes awkward errors. Can still put on a big shift sometimes.

I was just trolling.

He always looked like he had the attributes - not sure if he is necessarily "nasty" enough to use them.

[The Daddy]

12 minutes ago, Leonard said:

Can't be much good if he couldn't get in a Fev side that barely troubled TO.

He did get into the Fev side before he got injured. 

[The Daddy]

20 minutes ago, Hvy wg said:

He's big and strong. He makes awkward errors. Can still put on a big shift sometimes.

In reference to Gadwin, yeah I agree. He has flaws in his game that's been highlighted before, but when he's up for it he can be unplayable. Let's not forget he was a SL player with Toronto playing regularly before that ended.

In general I'm a bit surprised by the signing considering if rumours are true, Toulouse have also signed Lambert Belmas. I'm wondering how all of the props they now have are going to be accommodated, that's assuming that Maxime Puech and Maxime Garcia sign new deals

[Charlie]

Springer would be a solid signing and bel as would add good depth, I’d still like to see them sign a bigger named prop like Dylan napa or someone of that calibar.

[Snowys Backside]

Toulouse are signing no one that will trouble the lower SL teams  

 

If they don't start spending decent coin on decent clientele, home form isn't going to get them over the line.

Are they struggling financially or something, because something doesn't seem right  ?

[Ray Cashmere]

Agree that TO definitely need to be looking for more if they are to stay up next season. That doesn't necessarily mean a load of big NRL/SL names as London showed a few years ago but all the signings thus far only appear to be adding depth.

I really hope they aren't underestimating the gulf between the Championship and Super League.

[graveyard johnny]

Fulham- Kent Invicta - PSG - Cardiff Dragons- Toronto Wolfpack - etc etc are all still thriving in our top flight so why should we put doubt on toul...............................................oh wait a minute, where are my tablets?

[Tabby]

26 minutes ago, Ray Cashmere said:

Agree that TO definitely need to be looking for more if they are to stay up next season. That doesn't necessarily mean a load of big NRL/SL names as London showed a few years ago but all the signings thus far only appear to be adding depth.

I really hope they aren't underestimating the gulf between the Championship and Super League.

I’m sure you will set them right..

[Ray Cashmere]

4 minutes ago, Tabby said:

I’m sure you will set them right..

I'm open to offers...

Unfortunately, smugness and sarcasm won't keep them in Super League. My fear is neither will Springer and Cunningham. Let's hope there's either plenty more recruitment to come or I'm hopelessly wrong.

[Tabby]

7 minutes ago, Ray Cashmere said:

I'm open to offers...

Unfortunately, smugness and sarcasm won't keep them in Super League. My fear is neither will Springer and Cunningham. Let's hope there's either plenty more recruitment to come or I'm hopelessly wrong.

How many players are still currently contracted?

[Ray Cashmere]

2 minutes ago, Tabby said:

How many players are still currently contracted?

I'm not aware of them releasing a retention list but, from everything I've read, their intention seems to be to stick with what they have with the addition of 3/4 players.

From what I've seen, they do have several player who I'd be very confident will be able to make the transition to Super League: Kheirallah, Sangare, Pelissier, Schaumkel. They obviously have good Super League experience in Navarette, Gigot and Peyroux and others who definitely *could* be good enough in Bretherton, Jussaume etc.

I'm airing on the side of pessimism because I do really want to see TO consolidate themselves as a Super League club. Obviously there's still time and their existing crop may well be good enough as it is. I just think it'd be a huge disappointment if they go straight back down and everyone will be pointing at their recruitment in hindsight. 

[Tabby]

4 minutes ago, Ray Cashmere said:

I'm not aware of them releasing a retention list but, from everything I've read, their intention seems to be to stick with what they have with the addition of 3/4 players.

From what I've seen, they do have several player who I'd be very confident will be able to make the transition to Super League: Kheirallah, Sangare, Pelissier, Schaumkel. They obviously have good Super League experience in Navarette, Gigot and Peyroux and others who definitely *could* be good enough in Bretherton, Jussaume etc.

I'm airing on the side of pessimism because I do really want to see TO consolidate themselves as a Super League club. Obviously there's still time and their existing crop may well be good enough as it is. I just think it'd be a huge disappointment if they go straight back down and everyone will be pointing at their recruitment in hindsight. 

But in hindsight, surely contracts are holding recruitment back. They will all count on the cap next season. Retention is confirmed via having players still contracted for next season.

[The Daddy]

Announced that Gigot has signed a 2 year extension

[Ray Cashmere]

1 minute ago, Tabby said:

But in hindsight, surely contracts are holding recruitment back. They will all count on the cap next season. Retention is confirmed via having players still contracted for next season.

The message seemed to be they weren't planning on spending the full cap next season (might not be true).

Quota spots are another issue as I'm not sure how many (if any) they still have available

[Tabby]

1 minute ago, Ray Cashmere said:

The message seemed to be they weren't planning on spending the full cap next season (might not be true).

Quota spots are another issue as I'm not sure how many (if any) they still have available

So how much did they spend on the cap this season?

[Ray Cashmere]

1 minute ago, Tabby said:

So how much did they spend on the cap this season?

I've no idea. All I have seen (largely from on here) is they were planning to largely go with what they have with the addition of 3 or 4 new recruits. 

[Lowdesert]

1 hour ago, Ray Cashmere said:

Agree that TO definitely need to be looking for more if they are to stay up next season. That doesn't necessarily mean a load of big NRL/SL names as London showed a few years ago but all the signings thus far only appear to be adding depth.

I really hope they aren't underestimating the gulf between the Championship and Super League.

I don’t think it’s a case of the quality but more the availability.  Very few headline props available anywhere that’s why I mentioned Moran earlier. Mulally has been playing with Carcassonne, has SL experience.  Could be that the plan is to look at these and any others as the season unfolds but this is the problem promoted teams have.

[Tabby]

Just now, Ray Cashmere said:

I've no idea. All I have seen (largely from on here) is they were planning to largely go with what they have with the addition of 3 or 4 new recruits. 

So we agree. Without knowing what they already have on the cap! Results, in how they recruit. So we can’t really go down the lines if they get relegated based on poor recruitment.

[Ray Cashmere]

29 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

I don’t think it’s a case of the quality but more the availability.  Very few headline props available anywhere that’s why I mentioned Moran earlier. Mulally has been playing with Carcassonne, has SL experience.  Could be that the plan is to look at these and any others as the season unfolds but this is the problem promoted teams have.

I agree, there is obviously a dearth of players for any promoted club. I do think TO potentially have an advantage over previous relegated clubs insofar as there are a lot of Super League standard French players who are just on the periphery at Catalans. 

There are still some very good options from the NRL dependent on quota spots and their ambition. Edrick Lee & Dunamis Lui would both be great signings if they could pull them off. Obviously, neither of those two may be interested but options do exist as limited as they are.