I thought Welham's development had plateaued somewhat last year but early signs this season is there is some real improvement again. He outclassed his opposite number Briscoe and despite all the hype about Briscoe I expect Welham to be playing at centre for England at the end of the year.

Hodgson is another who seems to have made significant improvement in the off-season and his intelligent dummy-half play was instrumental in bringing Rovers back into the game - he showed he has wide and varied skill set as a hooker and outshone the one-dimensional "pick it up and run" Houghton.

Thought Murrell was afforded more chance to mix it physically @ 13 whilst all the indications of Westerman are that he's showing the same poor form of last year and may prove to be a waste of money.

I'm really optimistic that our coaches theory of our young British players learning of quality imports is really working and hopefully there'll be more this season making the same progress the above players have.

General.., i am not a big fan of Welham , he lacks some basic Rugby League skills and his defence and reading is not the best but his try scoring prowess and ability to be in the right place attack wise is making him grow on me but i would be disappointed should such a limited player turn out for the national team at such a time of need..( and he is not a "young " player at all ) and you are way off regarding Houghton..the kid is class and would walk into Rovers team..a genuine class Hull born talent (who i would not be surprised to see make the international arena..)

Agree re Murrell and Westerman and your last sentence...

Lacks basic rugby skills?!! Also I don't believe he is 'in the right place' by accident, he is following a gameplan. His catching, passing and running game is developing year on year and his defensive game has improved no end. If he continues to develop I would not be surprised to see him play for England in the future.

Welham is an excellent player, and people who say he needs to bulk up and this and that, watch him play, never loses a collision. He always looks capable of breaking a clean defensive line and that's a skill in it's self.

He's playing very well.

Welham is a real good player IMO.

No skill? Both his tries the passes were quite awkward to catch but he took them at speed & made it look easy.

Being in the right place at the right time is just another way of saying he reads the game well and anticipates what is going to happen. Call it vision if you like but it's a great asset that not too many players have. A bit like Garry Schofield in days gone by.

His defence is miles better than given credit for. He comes out of the line a lot and occasionally misses but its obviously something his coach wants him to do. Probably because he reads the game so well he's given licence to do this.

Josh Hodgson I was unsure of last season but he looked the part in Cardiff. He actually had more of an impact than Fisher I thought. Very encouraging.

Looking forward to the likes of Jordan Cox and Kristian Bell becoming established over the next couple of years. What a thrill and an education it must be for kids like that to play & train alongside outstanding overseas players like Ben Galea & Michael Dobson. Bet they can't wait for Willie Mason to get here for them to learn from him too.

Some people say we should ditch the overseas stars which would mean playing those kids every week right now. Good for the British game they say. But I don't think that would do the players the club or the game any good at all. Those kids will develop miles better as things are and when they get their chance - which they will- they'll be far better equipped.

Not just a thread to talk about your young players, but also to stick the boot in to Hull's? Typical post from Zoddy, a veiled attack on Hull FC.

As for your youngsters; Welham took his tries well, looked solid and if he keeps his form over the year he should be being talked about for an England place. Hodgson did well in his stints too, particularly after the first 'round' of interchanges were made. Thought Wheeldon had a decent game too.

Aways rated Hodgson. Still think he could make a decent halfback in time.

I thought Hodgson was really impressive and for me, was the pick of the players brought on from the bench