From what I can gather this is our out of contract list for this season. What is everyone’s opinion on keeping or binning:
Matty Fleming - Keep
Matty Fozard - Keep
Levy Nzoungou - Bin
Liam Bent - Keep (changed my opinion lately on LB)
Dec Gregory - Bin
Ryan Ince - Bin if can upgrade
Brad Holroyd - Bin
Aaron Brown - Keep
Oliver Davies - Bin
Kenny Baker - Keep
Oliver Brookes - Bin
Joe Edge - Keep
Shane Grady - Bin if can upgrade
Lewis Hulme - Bin if JJ joins
Lloyd Roby - Bin
Steve Tyrer - Bin if can upgrade
Matty Smith - Bin if can upgrade but keep as a coach ideally
Jake Spedding - Bin if can upgrade
Will Tilleke - Bin
Matty Smith will not be with us next year
Thanks, but does that in itself mean he could no longer play or coach on a part time basis?
I would keep Davies, Roby, Hulme and Spedding ⚫️🏁⚪️
We need 3 Hookers IMO, so Hulme should stay, even if he only plays a few games.
Need a good pool of props.
Think binning Roby would be harsh, I would argue he was our best back until he got injured.
As I have said previously, a strike centre would be a big priority for me.
I would keep Davies, Roby, Hulme and Spedding ⚫️🏁⚪️
Davies knocks on too much for me. Look at Havens second try yesterday as well. He can be a soft touch in defence.
Roby hasn’t done enough over the years from me despite being reasonable at the start of the year. If we are wanting to push for a top 4 place he’s not up to it.
Spedding and Hulme are worth keeping if we can’t upgrade
Harsh on Roby imo. He’s young and was progressing prior to his injury and also offers cover in several positions in the backline. May not be first choice next season but I think he’s shown enough to suggest he should be kept on.
A few from your list I would bin, but some might be required for squad depth and rotation. Players like Levy, Tilleke, Brooks, Holyroyd, Davies and Grady for me are not at the level players if want top 4. I was also thinking Lyons and Owens to get rid too, but it seems Kear is improving Lyons, so I wait and see next few games. We definitely need a top centre, winger, hooker, halfback, 2 props and Second rower of higher quality. Overall I say about 85% stay with extra 7 players of extra quality, as we can't lose everyone. Some have improved a lot under Kear and I trust his judgement.
@sunny it's always possible but from the horse's mouth he's packing in
Well, if Smith told you himself it must be true.
I will await JK's assessment of retentions, he may see things differently!
Josh Johnson is more of a liability than Davies with poor handling, penalties and red mist moments (Batley away, Barrow summer bash and Fev at home) . I agree OD may not be a world beater but from my observations he is a 100% passionate player who wants to win. He is young enough to benefit from JKs coaching and a more experienced pack leaders influence. Also I agree its harsh on Roby. He stood out before injury in a run of poor performances. ⚪️🏁⚫️
I’d be looking at something like this:
Under Contract:
Wilde, Craven, Farnworth, Lawton, Lyons, Owens, Johnson.
Keep:
Fleming, Fozard, Bent, Ince, Davies, Baker, Edge, Grady, Roby, Smith, Spedding, Tilleke, Hulme.
Release:
Nzoungo, Gregory, Holroyd, Brown, Brookes, Tyrer.