Me too.

We've had some real young talent in the half back roles in recent seasons (Gale, Briggs, Wood, Brown, Spaven etc) but we really do need an older head at 7 i believe if we are to challenge for promotion.

It seems there is some sort of consensus on what is needed.
Which is hardly surprising since we have viewed what went wrong last season ... which incidentally should have been addressed ... a little tinkering would have seen us promoted at little extra cost.

This is not a go at the club, I can imagine how hard it must be to run our club and if we could afford to just go out and buy success we probably would.

However having a goal of survival or continued existence is hardly a desirable or inspiring one.

I will have to wait and see what happens and I may be pleasantly surprised. But signing half a dozen 'promising lads' will do nothing, we have already lost real talent in abundance.

I can remember under Wrighty's tenure when we signed Joel Penny, the club was buzzing. Unfortunately there were too many 'promising lads' signed afterwards for him to make that much of a difference. Now I know we are not in that position financially, but we need a 'name' or two to associate with. Off-the-peg players with track records prepared to come down a level at the end of their careers. We haven't the time to develop a stack of 'promising lads' this season. We have got to get out this division THIS SEASON.

We need generals as well as enthusiastic 'promising lads'.
We have some good players from last season who should be even better this time around as well.
So let's be brave and ambitious, it's only money.

I realise we still need more players, but i'd rather still rather take it steady and still have a team to watch in ten years time rather than get into debt and risk the clubs financial security for the sake of one seasons glory.

if we dont gamble and get out the division this year i cant see there being a team 10 years down line anyway infact id say 2 years the crowds and intrest are dropping from playing lower division rugby against teams that bring 5 fans! how can that be good?

If we don't get out of the division this season we we can turn the lights off and go amateur.
Because that will be the level of this division when the lesser clubs are admitted.
And next to nobody will be interested.
And the traveling would be horrendous.
Our income would plummet and our viability would be threatened even more.
We would probably have to leave the Keepmoat and the lever that it provides for us to be a bigger club would go with it.
In my humble opinion of course.

I for one would walk away from it.
It would be like watching Chorley.

The season after 2013 there is still promotion & relegation .

There is.
However we are going into the unknown.
It's alright saying that you (the generic you) are for steady building and that will suffice. Yes fair play, that might suit me too in a stable rugby world. However the nature of the game is almost one of starting anew every season at our level. You lose good players who move on and don't want rugby at this level and replace with others with little track record.
The upshot is uncertainty and no guarantee of advancement.
You (the generic one) would think that the Dons would be nailed on to get promotion the season after next, if we didn't get it this.
But it doesn't work that way. We could lose even more class players if we didn't get promoted, such that we were little better than the incomers.
Hence it's better to push for promotion now.

the Oldham coach has said that his target is promotion, no two ways about it. That's the way it should be.
Whitehaven will be strong as will Workington and Rochdalesky.
Barrow will be an unknown commodity, I should think after their troubles.
A promotion place will be hard to achieve, and an ordinary side won't get a slot.

Anyway, what will be will be.

I still think Edwards has the potential to be a good no 6 given a few games in that position.

Who will be our goal kicker now Spav gone?

And Edwards nay well be an option at 6...can get rid if of a ball and Kes should be hooker

Unless one of the players yet to come in is a proven goalkicker I would guess Stu Sanderson.