The same could be said at Hull with their recruitment if looked at with the wrong glasses.

Need a number 7 to build the side around, solution... Shaun Long aged 34, 1 good year left at most and no prospect coming through

Strengthen the pack.. sign 2 forwards, 1 whos 34 which is old for such an impact area. The other who ticks exactly the same faults as the ones you labelled Clinton with, not had a good season in 4 years.
Both these players picked up the covetted wooden spoon this year.

Add to this the project that was Moa, who Agar thought wasn't good enough to get in a struggling side for the majority of the year and a penalty machine in Lauiki.

Add to this that adding 2 34 year olds to a team that sturggles with injuries is hardly advisable.

It's all a subject of interpretations and veiwpoints..[/quote]

Who is the 34 y/o forward FC signed?

for wasn't good enough read wasn't fit enough.

There was always going to be heavy investment and loss in putting Rovers back in the upper tier of the game.
Management of the process is the key.
I have every faith in Neil and the board to do this.
If however there a problems then so beit.
As City fans said it is better to have gained promotion than not at all and their future road is rocky too.

The investment has obviously paid off as we are the premier rugby league team in the city - something which many black and whites have difficulty with - infact they spend more time on here trying to pull Rovers down then making positives on their own club.

Us sensible Rovers fans knew there would be a heavy price for promotion and that manifests in later years.
HKR academy has made parallel progress with the first team and should reap rewards in attracting the better local lads.

Merry Christmas to all rugby fans out there and for the FC fans looking for cheap shots - think of the wider picture!!!

Keep believing the hype.
Hull FC have had 2 bad years on the pitch . Off it they are growing . Hull KR are a big "name" but they are not a big "Club".
They do not have the fan base , stadium or infastructure to totally surpass Hull FC. If Hull are successful next season there will be 15K + at the KC not to mention a full house for the derby . Figures that Hull KR can only dream of.
Hudgell is the classic case of the heart ruling head supporter Chairman. This has now caught him up .

That's my opinion - nothing to do with hype!
And you are entitled to your opinion.
Merry Christmas

The same could be said at Hull with their recruitment if looked at with the wrong glasses.

Need a number 7 to build the side around, solution... Shaun Long aged 34, 1 good year left at most and no prospect coming through

Strengthen the pack.. sign 2 forwards, 1 whos 34 which is old for such an impact area. The other who ticks exactly the same faults as the ones you labelled Clinton with, not had a good season in 4 years.
Both these players picked up the covetted wooden spoon this year.

Add to this the project that was Moa, who Agar thought wasn't good enough to get in a struggling side for the majority of the year and a penalty machine in Lauiki.

Add to this that adding 2 34 year olds to a team that sturggles with injuries is hardly advisable.

It's all a subject of interpretations and veiwpoints.. [/quote]

who else would you have signed instead of Long? sadly for RL there are not many quality no7's available anymore.

Fitzgibbon is only 33, and is here on a 1 year deal. A similarly aged Stephen Kearney was one of the best players ever to pull on the black and white in his 1 season at the club. We needed a 'leader' and we have signed one.

and I think you'll find Moa was always signed as a 'project' and that he played almost every game towards the end of the year when his fitness improved. His form towards the end of the season makes me excited about his potential.

Lauaki does seem to be hot headed, but we haven't seen enough of him to pass judgment yet

we should remember that were still only a 3 year old S/L club, weve made great strides so far but its obviously taken its toll money wise, but promotion was the best thing this club has done so we have to ask the question "was running up the debts worth it?"

of course it was.

Its kinda funny how all these Hull fans are coming on here and are so fascinated with our accounts all of a sudden, is it because there the only thing they beat us at??? lol

One of the biggest problems for Rovers right now IMO is the fact were in a bit of a financial crisis right now so money is harder to come by all round, funding from the council/sport England etc etc,
Maybe the way forward is to lower the playing standards, trim the wage bill for a couple of seasons, go with the younger lads and save a bit of money this way.

IMO Clinton wont come, weve seen nothing to believe he will other than hes left Brisbane, and at the minute i cant see how we can let Cooke leave as we have no one who can replace him, Galeas ok there, Chaz Ianson? i dont think so.

I think we can still make the play offs this season,( injurys permitting) the squad is still good enough IMO. its gonna be good to see how our young guns go this year, (Ratu, Watts and Hodgson)
And i also believe Hull will finish in the playoffs too, IMO there pack looks very strong and if Long can keep fit he could be on for one last swansong.

do we all agree that Melbourne storm are one the best clubs in the world???

well guess what, there in even bigger debt than Rovers, shock horror.

I agree that off the pitch we will never be as big as Hull due to the stadium and fan base they have, after the past two seasons theyve served up, for the amount of fans too turn up there is a testament to them, (either that or there just plain fools)
Would Hull be as well off if they were still at the Boulevard though???

think you missed my point, what I was trying to say was it's a matter of perspective, the poster was pointing out Clinton was an over priced player whilst ignoring the fact 2 years ago he was very hot property in the NRL. So I posted an alternative view of FC's recruitment.
I think FC's sugnings will improve them as will Clinton to ours. We both had gaps in playing staff.

Worry not lads and lasses.

Nobody is worried that Clinton is not a Rovers player it is more a case of can they afford him?