Sounds interesting! There will be lads looking for a trip to the UK and playing RL pays for it, plus a local job if possible.
New tactics and new 'moves' for next season, plus solutions to opposition tactics that have beaten us. But now at least we look to have coaching staff who can build something new.
Sounds interesting! There will be lads looking for a trip to the UK and playing RL pays for it, plus a local job if possible.
New tactics and new 'moves' for next season, plus solutions to opposition tactics that have beaten us. But now at least we look to have coaching staff who can build something new.
Really positive news especially as other teams have done well with overseas players. We tried to get Maizen from Whitehaven and Sheffield and York have done well getting players abroad. It just gives you a bigger pool of decent quality players to choose from than just local. A partnership with upcoming players at clubs who are not quite at NRL first team level or are top end Championship quality . Plus Alan Coleman will probably improve them to be even better mate. I feel really positive with Coleman at the club, and we need to back him as fans. 💪👍👌
The difficulty with Aussies is the part time element. So they will need a job and accomodation as part of the package. Also they may or may not settle which is also part of the risk. We must have the most local side in years at the moment with no overseas players and only 2 from Yorkshire.
However the player pool over there is much larger and therefore of a better standard. Bradford have recently signed a load of Aussies and done well, Whitehaven also have a number and Sheffield have traditionally done well with some southern hemisphere based players, so it can be done at Championship level. Would a sponsor perhaps be able to help out with a job?
Do we have any ex players who can do a bit of scouting for us as a favour? Watching RL and recommending talent isn't the worst job in the world. Someone like Ben Cross, Jason Demitriou or Cory Thompson.
The pattern seemed to be at first to sign ex Oldham players, then ex Swinton players. I understand this to an extent, but only so many. No offence to these sides but it would also be good to bring in players from a winning culture as you get used to certain standards ( Oldham are winning now) but we signed the likes of Ince and Bent from them at the end of the season they got relegated.
If rumoured signings are correct, the majority are from Swinton and Whitehaven. Haven have gone down and Swinton look to be facing Keighley in the relegation play off. You can get some fantastic players from these sides, Lloyd and Butt being 2 examples of really solid and importantly durable signings. However it would be nice to give Coleman a chance to work with some players used to winning games. Rather than putting it on him to put together a squad used to finishing between 10th and 14th and asking them to finish in the top 4.
A lot of it comes down to money and with IMG and also the reduced funding from Sky. Firstly it will be very difficult for us to get enough points to finish 12th in the standings so why gamble as the SL dream isn't there. Secondly as we have seen with Saints losing £1.3 million last year due to the fall in central distributions, until IMG/the RFL can negotiate a better TV deal you can't survive in SL without someone coming into the club with money (Beaumont, McManus,Davy, Moran,Hudgell, Ellis etc etc) Would we survive as a club in SL with the current TV deal and no 'money man' Sad but true.
Continue to build, make the club as attractive a proposition as possible, continue to help the local community and hope someone with money takes notice and does a Leigh or a Wakefield!
Agree with most of your post. Many signings from the Aussie games are islanders, PNG etc. Wellington Albert was a disappointment but it was his mate that we wanted and unfortunately he died. There was quite an interchange between us and PNG but it seems to have died too.
The add-on to a signing might be a job, or a college course or whatever they lad wants or could benefit by.
As many have said in truth SL may be just a dream until IMG/RFL get themselves sorted. Just let us become a top of the table club for now!!!
Dan and Sandgroper agree with a lot of what you say to be fair. Possibly Coleman can get a job for them, and some accommodation? Sun Decks with Beaumont? 😂 We don't know but one thing is the club are trying, and mixing with the community more than previous years. Some top Tongans, PNG players in NRL 2nd grade which is a better quality league than Championship. Bradford done well with some Aussies in there squad 👍
I have total trust in Coleman and his signings for Widnes after this season but if rumours are true we haven’t actually signed someone with that little bit extra who’s just got abit about them so hopefully we could be looking at someone Aussie/png players because they do bring a certain hype with them.
Yes without a shadow of doubt we have improved, no tonkings and competing every game
yes we need new players, but the right ones- for instance the dud was mentioned, that would be a massive backward move
we need players who buy in to AC s ideas
hopefully a couple of young Aussies/ islanders on there way
onwards and upwards
Our attacking game is based on our Academy moves between Gilly & Jacko getting to ball to our wingers and that we do well. That is unless the opposition move with fast line speed and stop our back line. The old way of beating that was to lie deeper, making the defence move further forward and maybe leave bigger gaps. It also makes the defenders keep a full back or sweeper behind their lie and out of the frontline defence. Since then territory has become the main concentration.
Whatever we do it has to increase our attack invention! Maybe getting HFH to run defence against us would help both!?
BTW watching the NRL Grand Final I am amazed at their fitness and skill - way above SL atm.
We achieved more than most on here thought at the beginning of the season, in achieving a play-off place. Credit to the coach and the squad.
A bigger squad next year, with a couple of quality players capable of lighting up the crowd with speed and skill. would be good; and a couple of big strong-running forwards.
I think the Championship will be even more competitive next year, but not really sure what they will be playing for with SL out of reach for most of the teams. Someone mentioned £100,000 for the team winning the Championship play-off is an incentive, The prize money should be equal, if not more (but won't be), for actually winning the league over the season. No chance of any increase in central funding I guess, so the Club needs to look to more local sponsorship and an increase in season ticket sales and attendances.
The BBC would be better showing Championship games throughout the season, rather than a few SL games, also shown on Sky. Have the RFL/IMG actually tried to market the Championship competition?
It seems that rugby league is way down in Sky's planning for sport on tv and, despite the over-hype from the Sky pundits, it probably won't warrant any higher status and there will likely be an ever reducing income for the game. Where will that leave those Clubs, already over-reliant on the Sky money and a wealthy supporter, in the longer-term?
Maybe more sponsors? Because as many have said the Sky package is drying up and either SL clubs and the RFL accept that and start to cut their expenses or the game will fall into heap.
We are starting to get ourselves sorted at our level and are hopeful that we can consolidate or even improve this year. That could be the turning point that we have been waiting so long for. As has been said before the Championship clubs are showing the way and applying simple honesty with their position.
Coaches like AC are used to the reality that you can only have what you can afford.
The SL clubs need to wake up and get themselves sorted.
Maybe more sponsors?
What I mean is that whilst we do not seem able to attract someone like Beaumont, Moran, McManus etc with an affinity to the Club and money to throw at it (with an ambition to match). maybe we could look for multiple local sponsors - businesses or individuals - who may be be prepared to "invest" relatively smaller sums beyond the current sponsorship deals. Perhaps a push by the Club to promote individual support through VIPS.
Just seen that quite a few teams have started to announce the released, retained and new signings, wonder when we will start to hear things ??
the club seem to make a big song and dance by announcing the names on social media one by one throughout the close season.Just seen that quite a few teams have started to announce the released, retained and new signings, wonder when we will start to hear things ??
Just about the point on Maizen; I'm not sure we are going to end up seeing him at Widnes. I believe he has been done for the old Columbian Marching Powder. Pretty much vanished from Whitehaven and they haven't made any update about him?
the club seem to make a big song and dance by announcing the names on social media one by one throughout the close season.
If I remember correct Sinbad at our Vips night with Coleman he did mention that by dripping names in the close season bit by bit it increases the social media interaction with the fans more and therefore our IMG figures increase. 👍👍