For the rest of the year. That'll offset losing Atkins.

Didn't we have one open anyways?

I believe we are allowed 7 and we now have;
Tyrone Roberts, Bryson Goodwin, BMM, Sita Akuola, Mitch Brown, Ben Pomeroy plus Bodene Thompson. That's a full house.

So it looks as though this has all been carefully planned beforehand with the likelihood of Leigh failing to make the top 4, and the loan of Crosby to Leeds in order to make cap space.
Perhaps the short contract is a bit of a 'try buy' to see if it works out. Ben Pomeroy is OOC this year and will be 35 next season, so Thompson could be a potential replacement.

Not a lot wrong with this signing and also, potentially, explains the release of Crosby.

We have sufficient numbers, if not quality, in the front row but we could benefit from some additional cover in the back row. Pomeroy has filled in but I think that he is more of a 3/4.

Still 11 weeks until the Grand Final (fingers crossed). 25 games played, including the CC, up to 12 to go if we were to reach both finals. We started the season with a small squad, 2 players released, 2 out for the season, 1 starting player out for several weeks and who knows what sort of injuries the remaining players are carrying.

Welcome on board Mr Thompson, happy to have you.

Yes. Good business off-loading injury prone/sicknote Crosby, for the hard, nuggety Thompson who has played 25 games this season.

Jason Clark already signed for next year too with Austin replacing Roberts. So for Thompson to get a deal next year we’d need to lose Pomeroy plus ANother?

Yes, Jason Clark will certainly be earning more than Crosby, who I assume is the exchange. There could possibly be a bit of a clear out at the fringes; Jack Johnson, Taylor Prell, Pat Moran and Mitch Brown, who I think will be 31 next year anyway. Together with the departure of Pomeroy, that would allow a decent salary for Thompson. Meanwhile I guess George King will make way for Matt Davis on a similar salary, whilst Roberts and Austin will exchange salaries as well.


Have we already completed our squad changes for 2019 ?

Welcome to Wire Bodene. Hopefully Moran and Johnson will be retained; they are real prospects. Prell - we will never know how good he is, as he has never been given a chance in the first team.

There are a few contracts to be done on existing players. Kevin Brown & Benny Westwood.

I am guessing that they may both be retained but on lower salaries.

If Mitch Brown and Jack Johnson did leave, I don't think we would have cover at FB. Perhaps Johnson might be retained, particularly as he has not had the opportunity to play this year ?

Morgan Smith will still be contracted in 2019, but I suppose he could be vulnerable as well depending on how aggressive Pice is with his restructuring.