Was just about to post it aswell
Remember him at widnes but he just seemed to make up the numbers nothing else. Not sure hows hes done at london.
So far for 2021 we have
Thompson - second row
Paasi - prop
Matautia - second row/center
Norman - second row
Looks like woolf wants to re shape our forwards
Can't say I know anything about this guy.
Seems a strange one to day the least and another back rower.
Originally Posted by Despondent Dave
Perhaps a replacement for knowles or Bentley, if either or both leave for the NRL after next season?
Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional
This is what Danny Ward said upon signing him from Widnes last year.
---London coach Danny Ward said: “Dan is an exciting young prospect we are hoping we can bring the best out of at Broncos.
“He is a big human and can move well for a prop. He is what we are about at London, he’s a good bloke, young, hungry and keen to work hard and get better.”
Big and mobile works for me for a project forward. Perhaps he is the new LMS? Prop/running 13
A would rather give someone young and hungry a go , rather than just roll over LMS/Amor out of convenience.
Right now back row seems the last position we need to strengthen. Hope he is decent, don't know much about him.
St Helens are interested in London Broncos backrower Dan Norman.
The 23-year-old looks set to join the Super League champions in 2021 after being eyed up as a star of the future.
Norman only joined the Broncos ahead of 2020 from Widnes Vikings, where he made 19 appearances last season.
An England representative at youth level, Norman made his Super League debut in 2018 before Widnes were relegated.
Humans are more concerned with having than being.
The article says backrower but he was playing prop at Widnes and the quote from Danny Ward says prop too. So maybe this is the “project signing” at prop that people have been asking for. Or could it be that LMS isn’t staying on?
NEVER WRITE OFF THE SAINTS
I dont get why people are saying Lees is to lightweight. If we bulk him up, we are just setting ourselves up for a pack thats just 5 drives and a punt.
Lee's would be better off in the preseason learning decent running lines and building up and offload technique.
Hes already got a bit of grit about him , he'll never back down, lets develop his game, evolve him as a player rather than turning him into a glorified battering ram.
It doesn’t matter how good your running lines are, sometimes as a prop you will be expected to barrel into 3 defenders and make yards. On a frame like Lees there’s no reason he can’t add some bulk without affecting his mobility. There’s also no reason why he shouldn’t be working on his running lines and offloading as well like you say, after all being a rugby player is his full time job. I don’t agree we’re setting ourselves up for 5 drives and a kick by wanting to develop him into a prop that can bend or break the line, after all, you need your pack to lay a platform with good ball and field position otherwise you can’t play any decent rugby anyway.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
Any team, no matter how expansively they play, needs a glorified battering ram or two.
To me it makes sense to build his size because the strengths in his game are suited to a big bloke - he runs straight and hard, is absolutely fearless and loves throwing his weight around. I think it makes more sense, and will be much easier, to change his weight than to try to change his instincts.
EDIT: I’d also echo what Wee Waa Womble says above. There’s no reason why he can’t put on weight and add subtleties to his game at the same time.
prop's need to run and run straight first and foremost, it's a tough position to play if your giving up size and weight
you can be as brave as you like but if your constantly running into players 2/3 stones heavier your not going to make much yardage
I don't think people are suggesting bulking him up to be a battering ram, he was a little over 100kg when he first started and went down to 94 kg during his bad illness. Put another 5kg on him with the same leg speed I would expect him to be something similar to LMS, quite surprised when he has made the occasional break he runs with his head up ready to pass to the supporting player, we probably need a bit more of that.
Don’t shoot the messenger.. If indeed there is a message, but twitter rumours hinting Luke Thompson signing for Wigan / Leeds..
One source is a subscription which I don’t subscribe to just has a headline Luke Thompson to Wigan??.
As I say not sure if it’s all crap, but that would be a coup..
Yes I know the pitfalls of twitter.
Humans are more concerned with having than being.
Humans are more concerned with having than being.
I'm not going to get sucked in on this and doubt there's any truth in it but, if it did happen, I'd be amazed.
Firstly, there's no way we'd not be offering him a return. That would mean he'd have to reject us. I doubt we're short of cash - and with Amor and LMS off contract for next season, we could find even more (assuming we've not re-signed them already). Four props of Walmsley, Paasi, Thompson & Lees would be superb. I know McManus made that comment when he went, but there's have to be immature petulance from one or both to refuse to work together again.
Secondly, he's on record for saying he really hates the pies. He was a Saint in an Ashton school full of six-fingered scum fans. Players won't refuse to play for rivals, obviously (I dare say that growing up, players like Long & Joynt hated Saints), but when a player has been at their hometown, boyhood club and are wanted back by them, unless there's a massive disparity in wages on offer (and I doubt there would be), I'd be stumped for the player to go the rival knowing how much they'd be despised by the fans of their former club.
Thirdly, if he was going to another team, it would surely be wanky, with their 'flexible salary cap' and superior culture.
I personally think he will start next season in the NRL. It's been a crazy year and I think he and Canterbury know that circumstances dictate he wasn't anything like his best. Canterbury won't want to give up on their investment after only a fraction of a mad season; Thompson won't want to give up his ambition so quickly and be written off as a failure.