cadoo wrote:But the question has to be asked lets say we get Matt Orford - where does he fit into the squad?
Riddell is here for three years and Leuluai has had an extension. Michael McIlorum and Sam Tomkins you would hope wont be going anywhere so someone will have to be dropped every week. One of either Tomkins, Leuluai, McIlorum or Riddell because you wouldn't sign a player to then immediantly drop him would you?
One of those players will have to leave and I get the awful feeling it will be McIlorum.
Easy to say in hindsight but the signing of Riddell was a disaster. Not because he hasn't hit top form yet but because we already had a potentially lethal hooker partnership is Leuluai and McIlorum.
For Noble not to have realised Leuluai is most suited at hooker in 2 years when Wayne Bennett spotted it in a matter of weeks has been catastrophic to our chances of having a balanced squad.
As you say, we have Riddell, Leuluai, Tomkins and McIlorum already at the club, and we need a 6/7 to come in still. If Riddell's form does not improve, and he is still being consistently outplayed by McIlorum, then I firmly believe he is the one who has to be dropped. We couldn't justify letting McIlorum go if he is out playing an experienced Aussie. That said, I expect Riddell to improve as he settles and as the weather picks up, so decisions will need to be made.
The other area of recruitment where I think the club messed up massively last season was keeping on Phelps and then signing Roberts. It had to be one or the other. And as we've got Robert's services long term, I feel we'll have to let Phelps go at the end of the season regardless of how good he has been because we cannot afford to have two quota spots taken up when most likely they won't both be involved in first team rugby next season.
