The Phantom Horseman Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 A few years ago a spine of Cory Norman, James Moloney and James Segeyaro would have been seen as a strong one in the NRL, now they can be seen in Elite 1 with Lezignan! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav Wilson Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 On 01/11/2022 at 19:00, Mumby Magic said: Steve Crossley saying he's playing next season even though we knew that. Think he was leaving space before he announced he's signed for Keighley. Hunslet it is... @GavWilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeytherRob Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said: A few years ago a spine of Cory Norman, James Moloney and James Segeyaro would have been seen as a strong one in the NRL, now they can be seen in Elite 1 with Lezignan! Good to see more Australians heading to Elite 1. If France really want to become a serious team at International level, it can't just be driven by 1 or 2 French teams in SL, the standards in Elite 1 needs to driven forward too. I'd love to see more British players do the same and maybe even resurrect the Elite 1 vs Championship fixtures they tried a few years back(2014 maybe?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragingbull Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 49 minutes ago, Gav Wilson said: Hunslet it is... I'm not even sure he's good enough for them to be honest. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Horseman Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 12 minutes ago, LeytherRob said: Good to see more Australians heading to Elite 1. If France really want to become a serious team at International level, it can't just be driven by 1 or 2 French teams in SL, the standards in Elite 1 needs to driven forward too. I'd love to see more British players do the same and maybe even resurrect the Elite 1 vs Championship fixtures they tried a few years back(2014 maybe?). I think I'm right in saying that Featherstone Rovers have been the official European club champions for 10 years now... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumby Magic Posted November 3, 2022 Author Share Posted November 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Gav Wilson said: Hunslet it is... Saw the tweet earlier was going to put it on. Like poor jokes? Thejoketeller@mullymessiah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanishknight Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Gav Wilson said: Hunslet it is... Think that's his level Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Stottle Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 3 minutes ago, spanishknight said: Think that's his level That is totally unfair to Hunslet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiggy Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 7 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said: Thanks for that, do you know where Alvaro is going? back to Aus? Yes, he's back in Australia now. I see the signing of Calum Gahan has now been officially announced. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelic Cynic Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 5 hours ago, Gav Wilson said: Hunslet it is... Wow! Using the wisdom and insider knowledge of Alan Kilshaw,I reckon Hunslet have outbid Keighley, and Hunslet have now spent over a million pounds. Shocked,I tell you. 1 No reserves,but resilience,persistence and determination are omnipotent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowys Backside Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Great deal for Wigan if Bateman has gone, especially for a chunky fee too. Absolute, Overrated Gash !! 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleEyePie Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 21 hours ago, WN83 said: I'd like to see what we do with any replacement before being confident we could say it's a good move. In big games Bateman has been fine but I do think overall there has been a motivation issue. I think in his case he loved playing in the NRL and the challenge that brings but he wanted to be closer to his family in the UK. I can understand why then coming back to Superleague may just make you lose a bit of that competitive edge and especially in lesser games, I don't think we've seen anything like his best. He was excellent in the Cup run last year, especially against Salford in the quarters and then in the final and I think that highlights that he's needed that big game, knock out jeopardy feeling to get him up and firing. He has come back from Oz with hugely inflated expectations though and by anyones standards he had a good 2022 but he isn't being judged by normal standards and as you point out, the marquee tag adds to that. The worry I have is that we lose a very good player and don't replace him. In that case us saving cap space is pointless and I'd rather we just keep paying him the money. Yes he might be getting more than his performances warrant but there's no doubt in my mind that we're better with him, than we are without him. I think you might be right about the motivation issue. I doubt it's anything deliberate, it's likely to be subconscious. He's essentially come back to his comfort zone having been competing at the very highest level and it seems like it was a personal decision based on family rather than a rugby decision giving him the challenge that he wanted. Having said that there are plenty of players who go to the NRL and struggle when they come back. Sometimes it takes them a few years to return to form in Super League. When I say it's a good move I mean it makes sense given the circumstances. To keep Bateman it would mean to continue paying over the odds. We have other options so we're not leaving ourselves short of numbers in the back row. We're supposedly getting a transfer fee which is good for the club given rising costs so from a financial point of view it would seem beneficial too. It's not easy to make up for what Bateman gives us but it's definitely not impossible. I'm hopeful Pearce-Paul could have a good season in 2023 (seems inevitable given he'll probably leave after that) and if our middles can play well then Smithies is an option there. Nsemba will also hopefully get more opportunities. I just think on balance if he wants to leave we're in a position at the moment to cope with it and possibly get something out of it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Horseman Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Titus Gwaze signs a 3-year deal with Sheffield. Looks a good signing for them, I thought Gwaze was one of Halifax's better forwards when I saw them this year. Sheffield have certainly been busy in free agency lately with Cory Aston, Aaron Murphy, Jesse Sene-Lefao and QLT all announced in the last couple of weeks too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WN83 Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 1 hour ago, EagleEyePie said: I think you might be right about the motivation issue. I doubt it's anything deliberate, it's likely to be subconscious. He's essentially come back to his comfort zone having been competing at the very highest level and it seems like it was a personal decision based on family rather than a rugby decision giving him the challenge that he wanted. Having said that there are plenty of players who go to the NRL and struggle when they come back. Sometimes it takes them a few years to return to form in Super League. When I say it's a good move I mean it makes sense given the circumstances. To keep Bateman it would mean to continue paying over the odds. We have other options so we're not leaving ourselves short of numbers in the back row. We're supposedly getting a transfer fee which is good for the club given rising costs so from a financial point of view it would seem beneficial too. It's not easy to make up for what Bateman gives us but it's definitely not impossible. I'm hopeful Pearce-Paul could have a good season in 2023 (seems inevitable given he'll probably leave after that) and if our middles can play well then Smithies is an option there. Nsemba will also hopefully get more opportunities. I just think on balance if he wants to leave we're in a position at the moment to cope with it and possibly get something out of it too. He’s still played pretty well but does look to have just lost that bit of competitive edge. He was far better in 2022, than he was in 2021 but I agree we could say he’s been at his absolute best. I do think we’ll be pretty short in the second row tbh if he goes. Faz and KPP is a good pairing and Isa is your back up. Nsemba is very raw and very young, so you wouldn’t want to overly rely on him. You can move Smithies in there but he’s made that 13 shirt his own and you could do the same with Shorrocks. It’s all a bit ‘make do’ if we go down that route and we can’t be like that when we’re trying to keep up with a Saints side who always seem to find a way of keeping their players. If we have a way of replacing him lined up, then I can go with it but if not, I’d rather hold him and then let him go for 2024. It’s not my money though, so it’s easy for me to say. You’d still get a fee but it would be lower and we’d have another season of paying him big money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blues Ox Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 29 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said: Titus Gwaze signs a 3-year deal with Sheffield. Looks a good signing for them, I thought Gwaze was one of Halifax's better forwards when I saw them this year. Sheffield have certainly been busy in free agency lately with Cory Aston, Aaron Murphy, Jesse Sene-Lefao and QLT all announced in the last couple of weeks too. Agree, he was one our better forwards last season so for me its a real shame he backed himself in to a corner with his contract negotiations although Im pleased for him that he got a 3 year deal as he was obviously looking for that security and most teams are not going to be giving out that length of deal to a prop. As for Sheffields other signings, 2017 called and want their players back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Horseman Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 3 hours ago, The Blues Ox said: most teams are not going to be giving out that length of deal to a prop. Wait, are you suggesting that Degsy giving out that 5-year deal to Sam Barlow wasn't a roaring success? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeytherRob Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 32 minutes ago, The Phantom Horseman said: Wait, are you suggesting that Degsy giving out that 5-year deal to Sam Barlow wasn't a roaring success? I'm not going to comment on his physicality considering the manner of his ban, but he had the skills to be a really good SL level prop/loose forward. Real shame he ultimately threw his career away along with several others in that Leigh squad of 2014-2017. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelic Cynic Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 The 5 years deal that most remember would be Bradford Bulls and Elliott Whitehead https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbulls/9599294.bradford-bulls-elliott-whitehead-signs-new-five-year-deal/ It didn't last until the end of the month https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/mar/27/bradford-bulls-race-extinction Still,they managed to be good enough for Super League. No reserves,but resilience,persistence and determination are omnipotent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUBRATS Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 5 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said: Wait, are you suggesting that Degsy giving out that 5-year deal to Sam Barlow wasn't a roaring success? Unnecessary, Barlow had all the skill needed to build a team around , but not the brain cells , not the first , not the last Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPERSTUD Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 12 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said: Titus Gwaze signs a 3-year deal with Sheffield. Looks a good signing for them, I thought Gwaze was one of Halifax's better forwards when I saw them this year. Sheffield have certainly been busy in free agency lately with Cory Aston, Aaron Murphy, Jesse Sene-Lefao and QLT all announced in the last couple of weeks too. I struggle to grasp deals sometimes. Three year deal at Sheffield. How much would it take to sign a deal like that at mediocre Sheffield. The home ground is absolutely soulless at this time. If you sign for one year and do the business 5hen surely you have a chance of prospering beyond. Just don’t get it sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blues Ox Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 12 hours ago, SUPERSTUD said: I struggle to grasp deals sometimes. Three year deal at Sheffield. How much would it take to sign a deal like that at mediocre Sheffield. The home ground is absolutely soulless at this time. If you sign for one year and do the business 5hen surely you have a chance of prospering beyond. Just don’t get it sometimes. He obviously wanted some security so can't really blame him but I just wonder how close he is to what Fax offered him and what he wanted. He is a good signing for Sheffield but as a Fax fan its a shame he has left and I don't think his agent helped him with negotiations. Getting him to break off negotiations with Fax and wait till the end of the season gave him no chance of staying which ultimatley is what Gwaze wanted. In the mean time it looks like Fax went out and signed Doro who I think has the potential to be a lot better than Gwaze. Fax announced Ben Forster from Rochdale, I don't know much about him but he speaks well and sounds keen and I assume he is a little bit of a project player similar to Ben Tibbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Horseman Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 15 hours ago, GUBRATS said: Unnecessary, Barlow had all the skill needed to build a team around , but not the brain cells , not the first , not the last Which was well established long before he was given that 5-year deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiggy Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 13 hours ago, SUPERSTUD said: I struggle to grasp deals sometimes. Three year deal at Sheffield. How much would it take to sign a deal like that at mediocre Sheffield. The home ground is absolutely soulless at this time. If you sign for one year and do the business 5hen surely you have a chance of prospering beyond. Just don’t get it sometimes. It's just a generic contract, it will have multiple cop-out clauses to allow them to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo5 Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Salford sign Sam Stone who was expected to join Melbourne on a 2 yr deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phiggins Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 3 hours ago, Davo5 said: Salford sign Sam Stone who was expected to join Melbourne on a 2 yr deal. Has been very good for Leigh, and I imagine if he wasn't expecting to get an NRL deal, he'd have been offered a contract at Leigh ahead of O'Donnell or Nakubuwai. (Not to say he wouldn't have preferred to sign for a club that just reached the play offs anyway) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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