airliebird,runninglate! wrote:Pritchard can do 80. Often does 60. If we slug him 80 mins each week at 32 nearly in the 1st yr of a 3yr deal as well as playing extra games a yr in SL when we have 2nd row depth some1 needs shooting imo. Also imo I'd always keep 1 back from mini pritchard n manu. Starting all 3 when defenses are tight and fresh for you to then spell and with no disrespect to whoever comes on lose some of your x factor when the games is just opening up is silly. Benches in the modern game are robotic. Very few teams these days carry players to change the momentum or go for the kill. Personally I'd ride out the 'arm wrestle' then add pritchard and Taylor. Most teams would struggle with that Each of my 2nd rows would be spelled. Mini will benefit from a bit more spelling too. As good as he was he made a mountain of errors and pens. Just cos they can do 80 doesn't mean they should.
You obviously missed the part when I said Abdull will spell them, then?
For all our supposedly strong squad, even our 1st choice bench doesn't look particularly strong. Assuming we go with ellis at prop and manu at 13, it only leaves us with ellis/taylor/watts as the only real quality player on the bench. washbrook is OK but a poor interchange hooker IMO and then you're into the likes of green, feka, hadley, thompson, whiting, bowden etc. We have far too many average forwards in the squad who will get too much game time IMO. If those 6 were repalced by 2 quality players and then use the youngsters as back ups when required.
As for abdul, can we afford him on the bench? He doesn't cut it at 13 so do we sit him on the bench and bring off pryce? Waste of a bench spot for me.
As has been said, we'll flog pritchard and mini again and they'll both be knackered come the business end of the season
on paper our strongest pack in years,if all fit and firing one of the best in SL no question, The backs are shaping up nicely and one more good addition will be just fine,IMO Abdull can be a hull star for many years to come but where that will be who knows 6 or 13 ?
once a black and white always a black and white COYH
Joined: Mar 14 2003 Posts: 25964 Location: Back in Hull.
Jake the Peg wrote:For all our supposedly strong squad, even our 1st choice bench doesn't look particularly strong. Assuming we go with ellis at prop and manu at 13, it only leaves us with ellis/taylor/watts as the only real quality player on the bench. washbrook is OK but a poor interchange hooker IMO and then you're into the likes of green, feka, hadley, thompson, whiting, bowden etc. We have far too many average forwards in the squad who will get too much game time IMO. If those 6 were repalced by 2 quality players and then use the youngsters as back ups when required.
As for abdul, can we afford him on the bench? He doesn't cut it at 13 so do we sit him on the bench and bring off pryce? Waste of a bench spot for me.
As has been said, we'll flog pritchard and mini again and they'll both be knackered come the business end of the season
Bench isn't a worry, as strong as most other teams, just look at the benches of both Wigan and Leeds in the grand final, certainly nothing outstanding about either of those benches.
Joined: Jun 01 2007 Posts: 12668 Location: Leicestershire.
Dave K. wrote:Bench isn't a worry, as strong as most other teams, just look at the benches of both Wigan and Leeds in the grand final, certainly nothing outstanding about either of those benches.
Tbf comparing a bench at the start of the season to one at the end, after injuries have taken their toll is not a like for like.
Hull actually have a good number of bench options. As with a few clubs, the concern looks more to be bench/squad players having to fill in for injured stars.
It'll be interesting to see how you use the antipodeans you've signed. A few options for Radford to play with.
'Thus I am tormented by my curiosity and humbled by my ignorance.' from History of an Old Bramin, The New York Mirror (A Weekly Journal Devoted to Literature and the Fine Arts), February 16th 1833.
Dave K. wrote:Bench isn't a worry, as strong as most other teams, just look at the benches of both Wigan and Leeds in the grand final, certainly nothing outstanding about either of those benches.
Pretty much every game last season we went downhill as soon as the starting props went off and were replaced by the likes of feka, green and bowden. I don't see much different for 2016. We take off mini or pritchard and bring on whiting, hadley or washbrook. Massive difference in quality
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