Currently I have the main squad looking something like this...





C.Price/Agar(groans)



1. Ratchford/Dagger/Johnson

2. Lineham

3. Goodwin/T King

4. Atkins/livett

5. Russell

6. Kevin Brown

7. Roberts/Patton

8. Hill/G King

9. Clarke/Smith

10.Crosby/Philbin

11.Akauola/Hughes

12.Masila/Jullien/Westwood

13.Currie/Cooper



Please feel free to question/alter/remove any positions.

That's currently 25...isn't that the main total amount to be named as the first team squad?

If so...is there room for additional players for the new coach? Will someone have to go?



I've left Pomeroy out because I've heard nothing about a new contract for him.



Looking at the line up, it seems strangely we don't actually need another prop...but I'd have had it as a priority. Will the addition of Aka and BMM add enough mean to offset the soft under belly of the front row we saw last year, or will they front up?

If Brett Morris comes in I can see Lineham being shipped out to create cap space for him.



Back to the front row, Cooper and Westwood can add reserve depth but I'd still like to see an enforcer come in, perhaps letting Jullien go to Catalan to free up cap if the rumours have foundation.

Players in vs players out and my guess at like for like cap value



Gidley < Roberts

Westerman - BMM

Sims > Akouola

Hiku - Goodwin

Dwyer

Savelio

Evans

Pomeroy

Blythe

Penny

Wilde



Obviously this is all guess work, but....



The top 4 in/outs in that list seem to balance themselves out in salary cap value (remembering that only £175k of Roberts salary will count)



Any player outside the top 25 paid players and under 21 won't count on the cap, so Dagger and Smith would fall under that category.



I think we need a replacement of sorts for Dwyer.



Props of Hill / Cooper / Crosby / Akouola with Westwood / Philbin / King as back up seems ok to me...? But if a very good prop was available I'd take them, we're not as strong as Hull in that area.



Linehams starting place looks at risk for me, but would you use a marquee spot on a winger?



Does Hughes get another year to prove 2017 was the exception?



Not sure who's ready to step up from the academy, but we need a little more squad depth considering who's leaving. Given the new salary cap rule of anyone under 21 not in your top 25 earners not counting on the cap - we need to focus some attention there.



I'd probably keep Pomeroy as long as he's happy to be a back up to the theee quarter line.



I'd say we still have plenty of cap space left, remembering the club say they want to carry two marquee players, would that suggest we will carry £175k of cap space in to next year if we can't sign another marquee for 2018?



Cap is also increasing by £100k, I assume that will be spread throughout the squad, although few could argue they deserve a pay rise after the 2017 season!

As things stand



Ratchford

Lineham.....??

Goodwin

Atkins (two left sided centres)

Russell

Brown

Roberts

Hill

Clark

Cooper

Hughes

Currie

BMM



New Hooker

Crosby

Akouola

.......Westwood? Maybe a good young backrower should be a priority?

If BMM and Roberts are confirmed I'd like to see a decent interchange hooker and new winger. Both wings are weak for different reasons. I'm not sure there's much coming through from U19s this season so perhaps 3-4 promising young academy/championship players would bring numbers up to what we need. I'd then be tempted to renew my season ticket.......

well since you've invited, why have you started putting currie at loose forward? you mentioned that a copy of times yesterday, and it doesn't make a lot of sense since he's an edge runner. Not a middle.

I thought Dagger had gone to HKR?

1. Ratchford

2. Lineham

3. Atkins

4. Livett

5. Goodwin

6. T. Roberts

7. Patton

8. Hill

9. Clark

10. Cooper

11. Currie

12. Julien

13. BMM



14. New hooker (I'd go for Pelissier at Leigh)

15. Crosby

16. Akauolo

17. Westwood/Philbin



Bin off Hughes, Brown and Russell.

He does run the lines well but he also steps changes those lines off both feet and he has a pair of hands.

With 300k(guess) spent on 2 backrowers, I want them starting in the team. I can only see Currie or Ratchford(with a few lamb chop dinners) filling that void of loose...and I'd rather see the lamb chop off Ratchford's plate start at loose forward before I'd play Cooper there.

I'd like us to sign a try scoring winger too and replace Lineham. I'd be throwing ridiculous money at Wakefield for Tom Johnstone perhaps offer them cash plus Lineham.

Masilla is a better bet playing either wide or 13. Middle of the park wouldnt suit currie

That is probably a better call. So long as we get them both on the pitch.

tom johnstone, knee reconstruction, tom johnstone?

Someone mentioned yesterday they'd play him at 13 in a 'Jason Taumalolo' marauding role. I like that. I think he has the ball skills to play there.

Suffered a ACL injury like Ben Currie. Not uncommon. Still young enough to come back. Worth taking a punt on, special talent.

I agree, middle of the park would not best suit Ben Currie 2nd row all day long

I would push Livett up to 13 personally.

Is Akouola not 2nd row?

Cooper/Crosby/Philbin/King are bang average at best. I'd like to see a high quality prop added to the squad.

He's also played on the wing believe it or not......

On the webstite they listed him as a prop when he signed, so i assume he will be played there, I think he played both for Penrith. possibly he will be used off the bench to cover both in a similar way to Savelio?

1. Ratchford

2. Lineham

3. Goodwin

4. Atkins

5. Russell

6.Brown

7. Roberts

8.Hill

9. Clark

10. Crosby

11. Currie

12. Masilla

13. Cooper



14. Morgan smith

15. Akuoala

16. Jullien (then maybe Hughes)

17. Philbin

Remembering the applause Westwoods new contract was met by, I can only see his name mentioned 3 times in 23 posts all in a squad player basis, what happened to him being worth that extra year?

From Ben Curries twitter account I see that he's training with the England squad. However if selected I can't see that he's fit enough for such a tough trip and I fear that we'll be missing his services for a large part of next season.

Perhaps there are only 3 people who go to the match that actually post on here .