According to League Express. Out of contract at the end of the year.
He’s certainly not a hooker despite a good couple of games there last year. I hope we re-sign him and get him back into a more familiar position in second row or centre.
According to League Express. Out of contract at the end of the year.
He’s certainly not a hooker despite a good couple of games there last year. I hope we re-sign him and get him back into a more familiar position in second row or centre.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
Defo a player we must keep. Next year will be on the bench every game
Release him. Too small and not aggressive enough to be a back rower, doesn't have the skill or pace to play 9 effectively.
Who's he in demand from? Bet it's Wakefield, Salford, Huddersfield etc.
I do love your posting style. Care to elaborate on what you find so offensive? Do you rate Bentley, if so in which position? My original point stands, too small for a back row forward and not good enough to play 9 in Super League. Arguably his best games for us have been at centre.
I agree with much of this. He's a useful utility player but hasn't shown enough at SR, isn't dynamic enough and his distribution is miles too slow at 9. I'd prefer to keep him but we shouldn't break the bank to do it, and he may be able to get a bigger deal elsewhere. But he's not a first XIII player for a major club that needs to be in the hunt for silverware every year.
I'd keep him.
We will have large turnover of players in the next two years as alot to players are out of contract and we have an ageing pack so the priority had to be replacing those players.
Bentley is a very versatile player who can cover centre, 2nd row, loose and hooker to a decent standard (although no doubt hooker is his weakest spot of those). He won't be on Megabucks and he's a player that's improving, so it make sense to offer him a new deal.
If another club offers him a money deal we cant compete with fair enough but he's certainly not a player is contemplate getting rid of.
Originally Posted by Despondent Dave
You know full well very little offends me, I'm just prone to the odd outburst especially after a few afternoon beers. I agree with you regarding hooker, never in a million years. But as a second row, he's tough, hard working, has decent footwork, and can drop into other positions if need be. He'll probably never be a superstar but he's a good little player.
I’d keep him as well, more for his utility value than anything else. He can play 3, 4, 11, 12 and 13 to a solid level and he brings energy off the bench. If you look around the competition over the last couple of years and you look at the number of injuries going around, it would be wrong to get rid of a player who can cover so many different roles in my opinion.
Steve Prescott MBE (1973-2013)
V
For me I'd keep him. Utility value and still developing.
Seeing him at 9, is like when Wilkin was at 7, it's not a bad back-up option but not what you'd want as your first choice.
Always worth having a player who can cover backs and forwards
I like him and he’s definitely worth another few years to continue his development.
He’s been getter better all the time. He was the best player on the pitch against Toronto before his injury, playing out of position.
He’s not a hooker though but I’d like him to put on a few KGs and have a good crack at nailing a second row spot.
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I think he is already a very useful player to have around and will develop into a very good second rower.
His tackling technique is spot on, although he is still predominantly a leg tackler that can sometimes be classed as passive if he does not clear the ruck quickly, he is starting to hit around the waist now. This was noticeable in the CC where he lost very few head on one on ones, this enforced lay off may see him and a few other younger players come back fitter than the lads in their 30`s and ahead of them in the team. I also think Zeb may go around again as he may struggle for fitness at the restart but be raring at the season`s end.
I'd certainly keep him for his versatility
This is the point. We may see him as a [figures plucked from the air] £30k-£40k utility player, but another club offers him £60k and a crack at pinning down a permanent backrow position with 'guaranteed' playing time. The question for us is do we pay more than we want/think he's worth and give him an extended spell at [say] second row just to keep him?
I personally think he has the makings of a very decent loose forward - but we already have the best British loose forward on our books. I guess a lot will depend on what Knowles plans for the next few years. He's an ideal NRL-type player and may be tempted - I just hope he's open and honest with the club to allow us to plan effectively. If Knowles does want to try the NRL, IMO it should affect the club's thinking WRT Bentley.
Whatever, I think Bentley has a lot of limitations as a modern, channel-running second rower (but then again, so does Knowles). Taia has become the blueprint if the archetypal second row in my opinion - and we've had a lot of similar style SR'ers during the SL era, not least Joynt and Gilmour.
I think you need two 13’s in the squad anyway. For a few years we had Wilkin and Knowles, last year it was either Knowles and Paulo or Knowles and someone else. I’d say coming on for Knowles at 13 would be his best position in the 17 at the minute.
Steve Prescott MBE (1973-2013)
V
A good player who is well worth keeping on an improved contract. He seems pretty settled at Saints so as long as we don't take the p1ss he should re-sign.
I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
I think Bentley, using modern coaching jargon (guff) is an "edge player", if this is as a mobile second row or physical centre I don't think it matters. It is like Lee Gilmour in the 2000's, at Bradford he is a centre, at Saints he is a second row, his style is similar in both roles. It just matters where the teams "edge" is. I am confident that he is physical enough to not get shown up in the pack and he is dynamic enough to play at centre. Playing him at hooker is surely just a case of giving him game time as we transition between Roby and Smith. Knowles filled in there to while he was pinning down his spot.
I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
I think he is very good running, if there is a gap. The difference between him and Gilmour (apart from a gulf in class) is that Gilmour was 6'2" Bentley is about 5'9". That 5 inches gives you a lot more prowess to hand off. However as a squad player I doubt we will get anyone better.