Wouldn't say I know anymore than you, just that I rate Tamou. I think he's a very good prop & still doing it.
As for a return date, not a clue but I expect it will be behind closed doors
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Well LMS gone! On other thread! Get rid of Grace and take Tom Johnstone. I know had bad injury but hes a different class
Why get rid of Grace, hes young and can still improve. As for Johnstone i do rate him, but he’s had 2 serious knee injuries, surely they will have an effect on his pace and finishing ability, i just dont think its a good idea to go and sign someone from outside the club with an injury record of 2 serious knee injuries before they turned 24.
OK, happy to admit I am wrong. A few people have picked me up on saying Laffranchi was solid. I remember not being his bigger fan, he made his stats look good by returning every kick off. Wire signed Trent Waterhouse as the same time which was a much better deal.
I am happy to upgrade Tamou to a Peter Shiels at least maybe even a Jason Cayless?
Grace is good with easy passes and open space. Dor someone so fast he scores very very little trys from 10 metres out or more. He gets a lot of space in open field and always finds a opposition player. He is also too lightweight hes another Jamie Foster but Foster could kick. The young lad Simms looks better
Hes scored tries from most places on the pitch, including not far off his own try line, you want a winger to finish, he does that, could he improve certain areas, absolutely, especially under a high ball. As for being too lightweight he is very similar to how Jason Robinson was in size, you do not need a bulk to be a good quality winger.
A curse of the modern game right here, where wingers are judged not by their speed or their footwork but on their size. If they are dead fast and can use their feet to beat the last man I don't care how big they are. I generally hate seeing wingers being flogged down the middle taking the ball up 1st and 2nd tackle, just because some of them are 15 stone and built like back rowers. The game is producing robots.
It seems more and more that people are judging a winger on the metres they make bringing the ball back. Personally i like my wingers fast and elusive and able to score from near enough anywhere. I do wonder how people now would of judged a young Offiah or a Sullivan.
Vollenhoven was probably 12 stone wet through, and I have never seen anyone so elusive. Nowadays the problem with that type of winger is when the other team have a 16 or stone Samoan, and when we have coaches that flog these smaller guys bringing the ball out up the middle.
I think Grace would look alright playing against London reserves as well to be honest.
IMO he’s improved a lot since the start of the last season. Last year in particular he was involved in a fair few long range tries where he’d make a break down the middle and either score himself or put someone else over to score. I also think his finishing has improved as well. He’s still slightly unpredictable defensively at times with his decision making but again, I think he’s better in that area than he was.
Also think Makinson, Grace and Percival have contributed to a lot to Walmsley and Thompson’s performances. They’re both difficult to tackle early on in the set and it saves Walmsley and Thompson from flogging themselves trying to get back behind the ball. When they do get back in the line, inevitably those outside backs have already got the defence going backwards and it makes it much easier for those two then.
Is Bentley’s contract up at the end of the season, or is that the 2021 season ?.
I agree Dave. Bentley is interesting, I think his agent would struggle to get a much improved deal. Batchelor seems to have a good work ethic but not a lot of it is in the shop window yet. Bentley can be a first class interchange though.
We'd be mad to release Bentley. Young, improving all the time and can play several positions well. He's got a bright future ahead of him.
I don't think we need to worry about Bentley. Batchelor is the interesting one for me, he's 25 now I think, he certainly has the frame and has scored lots of points for York previously. I'm going to stick my neck and say maybe he needs a go at centre instead of SR. Who knows, it may come to nothing but I suspect we're going to really need our squad once the season starts so maybe?
Lets get that lad Partington from Wigan, I am going now .
I doubt we would let Bentley go, he offers too much versatility from the bench. The only problem I would see is if he wants a regular starting spot, then I would think he would be looking at the lower levels of SL or the Championship.
If only he had a decent quick pass off the floor at the PTB he could possibly be a good No 9 alternative, he's tough can play big minutes, fairly durable and has good strength for his size. But at the moment he's a decent utility player and does make a difference when he comes off the bench, one to keep with a 2 year contract perhaps.
I think he is a 75-80% player in a number of positions. When it comes to being to being first choice at saints, he is probably lacking in skill to be centre, size for SR and has you said his pass is not good enough for No9. I had hoped that he would have been working on his pass during the off season. However whether he comes on to fill in, in the 3/4s or in the back row, I never really have any concerns.
Bentley will be a very important player for us in the coming seasons. He needs to stay