Just thought i would open a thread to discuss the transfer dealings of other clubs in the league for the 2021 season and assess them.



There have been a few announced so far and i though it merited conversation. I will start with the obvious one



Greg Inglis - Warrington. Stellar name and a money draw. Good for Super League and media exposure but 2 years out of the game at his age with the compiled injuries he has sustained i can only see him as being a steady signing. We have seen it many times players coming over after superb careers but totally off the pace. There is a reason he had to sign for a Super League club and not an NRL one. In my opinion



James Tamou - Not signed (yet) but rumoured to be nailed on for Saints. Again was a superb player in his pomp but seemed to lose his way after Mitch Garbutt punched him into next week. I think he will do a decent job over here but he is nowhere near Luke Thompson standard. Saints will look completely different next season. Roby could possibly retire too. They could go from contenders to fighting to get into the top 4.



Andy Ackers - Salford. This has all the hallmarks of a club on the rapid decline and trying to operate way, way under the cap. Average is probably generous to him and can't see a future for Salford as a club after 2021.



Niall Evalds - Castleford. The best bit of business so far for me. Castleford have been looking for a full back with skill, speed and agility since Hardaker was given his marching orders. We could well see a return of the 'Classy Cas' we saw a few years ago. Linking up with 2 young energetic halves and working behind a powerful pack gives them all the ingredients they need.



May have missed some

Inclined to agree to an extent about Salford. I often wonder if Marwan wouldn’t have walked in waving his “wand” around buying over the bill, over expensive players and had actually done it right where they’d be. It’d be a damn sight better off from where they’re going anyway. Andy Ackers is a championship standard hooker at best, but on the flip side they do have some decent players and are more than capable of beating anyone in the league. The proposed signing of Escare is good IMO. He was decent for us and certainly had the speed to cause issues but his defence was abysmal.

Tamou is a good signing for me, not many better Thompson replacements available.

Cas also rumoured to be looking at Cain Evans.



They could start to be a side capable of consistently challenging for trophies as their halves mature and develop.

Ben Flower and Stevie Ward rumoured for Toronto in 2021. Both would be good signings for them I think. Personally I’d be disappointed to see Ben go but I think it would be the right move. I’d rather Clubb leave first mind but I’d imagine he’d be off when his contract is up.

Ryan Hall also being linked with Toronto

He would be a good replacement for Millington, Cook or Moors

I think he could be a great signing for anyone in SL IF he keeps the attitude he currently has.



He is playing for a contract at Parra at the moment and going really well.



He has had a few off field issues and I expect that will follow him to the Uk should he come.

Totally agree about Clubb but Flower has already signed for Toronto and i wish him the absolute best. Been a good player for us consistently when fit. His best years are behind him thats for sure. Good signing for Toronto though i think.

Richie Myler also being linked with Toronto

Not bothered about Flower going, been on the decline for a good few years and I still can't forgive him for THAT incident. What a waste of money that evening was, thanks Ben. He could have redeemed himself a bit but injury record and poor form have both been poor.



Can't help feel sorry for Stevie Ward though. He is clearly a very talented player but his career at the top level seems effectively over at the age of 26. It's a bloody shame because he could have been one of the best in the comp if not the best. Reminds me a bit of Gary Wheeler. He stood out as a young half back but got derailed almost instantly with multiple injuries.

Whilst I'm still peed off we didn't get to see us give Saints a good hiding, I'm probably more annoyed that we should have won with 12 men had Matty Bowen spotted the 3 man overlap rather go alone.

It’s been 6 years. Let it go

Completely agree.



With signing SBW, Flower and being linked with Richie Myler, Ryan Hall and Stevie Ward, though not a ‘world beating’ side and they won’t make a huge dent on SL/CC competitions; it’s certainly a good base for future challenges. The caveat to that is obviously staying in SL. If they dropped down to the Championship I think most would abandon ship.

If it is true that Flower is leaving the club, I wish him all he best of luck as he has been a great servant to the club, despite what took place in the Grand Final against Saints.

'

We all make mistakes in life!

Spot on Ruddy

Ben's offence was a ridiculous overreaction to some extreme provocation, but still hugely overblown ... by rival fans who hate Wigan, and by the national press, who relish anything negative about RL. Even though some Wigan fans claim he cost us that Final, the blame could just as easily be laid at Lockers' door for wasting a late penalty by kicking for goal when Saints were rocking on their line.



That said, I do think the incident affected Ben in terms of confidence. He's never been the raging bull that he was before then, and seems to have picked up a lot of injuries in the intervening years.



32 is quite early for a prop to be declining, but it feels to me as if Ben is on the way out. In that regard, I don't blame him for looking at pastures new and distant from the pressure cooker that is Wigan. Grateful for his service and hope it works out well for him.

"extreme provocation"

Without getting into a debate about it, ‘extreme provocation’ is a bit far fetched. He got elbowed to the head causing minimal, if any, damage. Hardly justifiable for what happened next.



Anyway the rest of your post I agree with completely.

Can anyone give an example of a worse piece of foul play than Flower's attack on Lance? Sure, the game was more consistently violent than it is now, but as an incident in isolation, I can't think of many worse.



He'd probably go to prison if it wasn't done in a game of RL.

The first punch is the reaction to the blindside forearm to the face and something we would probably all do. The second is unforgivable.

Barry McDermott on Paul Sironen at Central Park in 1994 gives it a run.

Leeds supporters are the last to make any comment about Ben Flower, when they had a certain Arthur Clues playing for their club.



Hardly, a angel was Clues where dirty play was concerned!

He really went for him didn't he. I remember the one when he went hunting for a young Stuart Fielden. He certainly didn't miss.

David Hobbs on Greg Conescu in a test match versus Aus in 1982. You can actually see Conescu’s tooth fly out of his mouth