I guess the point is that the better British players are tending to move less now as clubs build their long term plans around them and if Rovers next year gave say 10 overseas players at some point they'll have to replace them with senior British players in the next 2-3 years, which could be harder than for a team that has fewer than 10. The issue for me is that some clubs have geared up for 5 max next season and whittled down overseas player numbers accordingly. Others haven't and are therefore advantaged by this latest change . But that's the RFL all over - set out some guiding principles around franchising to reduce overseas players then change the rules to allow some teams to have, say, 10 in the final year of the first round.

Briscoe, Fox to name 2 that we have got in the off season from other SL clubs.
Players will always move between clubs even if they are not Aussies.
If we were so hard fast to keep all our aussie why was Fitzy let go when he had found good form at the back end of his last year?
Infact I could be wrong but didn't we bring in Colbon as his replacement?

Although Cooke isn't the player he once was he was still a much better play maker than Dobson was when you brought him in, they weren't exactly much better when he didn't play on Sunday were they? Players detoriate (look at Vella).

At some point though you'll have to get back to 5 and all I'm saying is it might be more difficult than from a starting point of 6. I'm not having a go. But some clubs are better placed to ramp up overseas numbers such that the majority of their first choice 17 is overseas. I don't really think that's in the spirit of what the RFL set out to do with franchising yet is an inevitable by--product of their shambolic rule-changing.

Who up until his injury has been playing some of his best rugby in a red and white shirt.

Maybe because he wanted to leave? You did replace Colbon with him however the fact is if you bring in the 3 players (Green, Bailey and Mason) you're starting 17 would probably look something like this;

Briscoe

Fox
Welham
Webster
Colbon

Green
Dobson

Clinton
Fisher
Mason

Newton
Galea
Murrell

Lovegrove
Bailey
Vella
Hodgson

11 out of your 17 will be born out of the UK (Or 65% of the team). That's disgraceful IMO. Vella, Netwon, Galea, Mason fair enough, even Clinton but what about players like Bailey, Fisher, Lovegrove? Surely an English player could do a much better job than them?

If an English player could do a better job then you have nothing to worry about because we will be languishing at the bottom of the table with no wins and no hope

Like anyone round here gives a love about your opinion!

As things stand, we have 1 more overseas player than you, everything else is media speculation.

Dobson wasn't here when we got Cooke Webster was and in all fairness he never really shone apart from maybe a couple of derbies and the odd match here and there. Now Webster was dropped because Dobbo was the better prospect (and webster's an aussie). When we played wakey Cooke looked much the same as he did for us, pretty average wheras Dobson continues to perform at the highest level.

Players do deteriorate (look at all of FC's H/B's over the last 3 years )but they shouldn't in there mid 20's, Cooke did and in his full HKR career he has never been better than Dobson. I'd go as far as to say Cooke at his very best is not better than Dobson at his very best.

Yup I know that's what I meant. Does Dobson continue to perform at the highest level? I could name 6 or 7 HB's I'd take over him in SL. Yet Cooke's lead a team to win a CC and got a SL GF at his very best, Dobson has done what?