No matter what Smokey or the FC fans think of Lovegrove the people who have seen every one of his games since his arrival are the ones that know he is worth a new long term contract.

His stats for meters gained this year have been the best at our club and although no Vella to rival him he has been keeping up with the top 10 meter gainers in the Super League.

At prop he has shone yet he is still a competant left second rower and a player that can cover at centre. As one of the fittest and fastest members of the squad I dont see why he would be one of the players we are trying to get rid of from the Super League.

The RFL want the competition to have the best players playing week in week out. As Justin Morgan says the cream will always rise to the top so if there is a top prop/second rower or centre coming through in the juniors they will take Rhys's place and he wont be offered a contract. This is exactly whats happened with Welham who took the place of a highly paid NZ international.

Just for the FC fans sake, you have Tickle, Radford and Washbrook so why indeed do you need Willie Manu and Michael Crocker?? It works for everyone and IMO to get a player of Rhys's quality at such a young age is a credit to Justin and the club for getting him here.

[quote=No matter what Smokey or the FC fans think of Lovegrove the people who have seen every one of his games since his arrival are the ones that know he is worth a new long term contract.

His stats for meters gained this year have been the best at our club and although no Vella to rival him he has been keeping up with the top 10 meter gainers in the Super League.

At prop he has shone yet he is still a competant left second rower and a player that can cover at centre. As one of the fittest and fastest members of the squad I dont see why he would be one of the players we are trying to get rid of from the Super League.

The RFL want the competition to have the best players playing week in week out. As Justin Morgan says the cream will always rise to the top so if there is a top prop/second rower or centre coming through in the juniors they will take Rhys's place and he wont be offered a contract. This is exactly whats happened with Welham who took the place of a highly paid NZ international.

Just for the FC fans sake, you have Tickle, Radford and Washbrook so why indeed do you need Willie Manu and Michael Crocker?? It works for everyone and IMO to get a player of Rhys's quality at such a young age is a credit to Justin and the club for getting him here.[/quote]

We have only 1 quota and 2 other non-British players playing for us at the moment and probably 8 Hull players in the 17 on Friday. What's your point again?

Rhys Lovegroove

The point being that were being told that where there is an Aussie playing there could be an English lad there, well the same goes for most teams too and I'm sure if there were better props out there for us to bring through we would be playing them rather than him. Fact is he's been our best prop this season and is the lowest paid Aussie in the league.

The point about Manu and Crocker is that they are there within the current quota rules Rhys isn't. I have no problems with Rovers signing Rhys Lovegrove on a long term deal provided they make him a quota player. Special dispensation on overseas players has to stop. The game is flooded with average overseas players who add nothing to the quality of the end product and continuing to offer players special dispensation just makes a mockery of competition.

If Rhys is as special as you make out then Rovers will have no problem allocating him a quota spot.

Nah, we will just keep the special dispensation thingy. Whats the problem? Theres only sport that has such blinkered views, it should be a case of employ whoever you like, its a free market, dont think there is any other proffession in which where someone comes form dictates if they can have a job or not? I dont buy into the "it stops the young english kids coming through" brigade, if a player is good enough he will get his chance.

If the off shoot of that is that we as S.L fans get to watch the worlds best players week in week out then i will settle for that.

Yes i know teams will always pick up the odd Dykes or Maiava but hey ho they will learn from their mistakes im sure.

Seriously though, I would open up the whole market, look at how good the Prem league has become.

If its to the detrement of the National team, so what I am a Rovers fan and they will always be my priority.

So we can all accept that we have an Aussie coaching our Country, a south sea islander playing for our Country but when it comes to a British passport holder it stirs up a crazy debate like this!!!

He came when he was 20yrs old and spent 8mths at Rovers just 4mths short of classing him as a home grown player. Although eligable for the 21's (as it was at the time) he was too good and so played for the first team, I dont know if this has gone against him in the end but I think the only argument is that he didnt sign for us 4mths earlier which could/should have made him home grown.

Will the club argue this case to the RFL or will they just accept it and force one of Fisher, Fitzhenry or indeed Lovegrove to leave the club? I'm sure his new agent will sort him a good deal out and he'll be around in SL no matter who he's playing for.

Think he will go anyway, whether we keep Rhys is a different matter. If he can get back to full fitness and play like he has been doing he will be worth another contract, especially as he is only 22 ish and looks like becoming a very good prop.

Is he exempt on the quota being British