Short term Sezer if he stays fit. Long term Bentley.

Bit of a cheat but really hoping that Sezer and Austin make it as a pair. It's been a long time since we've had two fully functioning halves. Desperately hoping Fusitu'a is a hero and not a zero. Still struggling to detect his presence in training clips the club puts out.

You do get the feeling this is quite a gamble by the club re Fusitua. Fingers crossed.

All signings are gambles and may or may not work but Fusitua has a decent strike rate in NRL, it was a position of need and hes probably as big a name as we couldve got. Always a risk, especially with overseas that it wont work out, particularly in pandemic times but only time will tell.

Hopefully all 4 signings work out and move us up a level or 3.

I don't quite get the worries over Fusitu'a not being in pre-season games. Our halfbacks need game time, a winger not so much. I just hope that especially with our new half backs we don't waste his attacking threat by using him as a bettering ram - if he's in the right shape a heck of a lot of our attacking thought has to be about creating space for him.

Couldnt agree more.

It's not practice time which might be the issue but the lad has hardly played for 2 years, and his NRL tryscoring feats were from 2018. That's 3-4 years ago and plenty of stars have lost their shine in the NRL - I think they simply burn them out over there sometimes. You can't just pick the one best season a player has ever had and expect him to replicate that now. He might, and I hope he does, but the odds are against it if you look at the evidence.

The risk is mitigated because the Warriors are subsidising his salary for 2 years (which they are doing for a reason).

We've just come off the back of a season where most of our tries came from our hookers, so we're going to have to completely re-engineer how we play to bring DF into the mix. He's very good in the air and so I hope we can get some good kicks up for him - we've been terrible at that play for years IMO.

I imagine the lack of threat out wide is why we've gone for a completely new halfback pairing.

In terms of Fusitu'a it was more around injuries then COVID than any burnout, although its obviously true he hasn't had much rugby in the last two years. The difference between him and pretty much any winger we've had recently is the potential is there if he's physically fit. If he can get to the sort of shape he has been in previously (and at 27 with no obvious long-term problem that should be quite possible) then its just confidence and match practice. Confidence should come if the team set him up right and aim to get him space - it won't come if we chuck him the ball every time we run out of ideas, like Hurrell.

On the NRL prop availability, I don't think anyone is suggesting we should have signed current Origin players. But there was no reason at all we couldn't have had a similar player to Ava last year and this. Signing King last year showed we wanted a prop, but he was the sort of signing you usually expect at the bottom of SL, not a team wanting to compete for trophies. This year we're banking on a 33-year old bulked up second row in Thompson (who hadn't rattled any cages for years before we signed him) to be one of our front rowers. It all suggests that for whatever reason the management haven't seen prop as big a priority as some of us - I'd suggest the evidence from our play off exits in the last two seasons has been pretty conclusive that when its mattered our prop rotation just hasn't been good enough.

Yep agree with that. Fusitu'a is a big thing and he's also very skilful I think. Not sure he has searing pace but in theory he should be a good signing. Totally agree with comments re. Hurrell. I'm sure David will be used for early carries here and there but I'll be disappointed if we revert to "give it to the big lad" rugby..

King was a project signing which (again) didn't quite work out - I think there is something else there other than just the rugby TBH. He was starting to complain a bit I felt. Ava was the big loss, if we still had him I'd be pretty cocky about this year but it is what it is.

I do agree with Ava. Not a big name but a very solid player.

Early carries in a set has been in a backs remit for over a decade. We'll see plenty of them from Fusitua

Its not about not using your wingers in the early carries as you come away from your line. Its about how quickly that happens and the intelligence that it is done with!
Saints were probably the best in the league at this last year but neither Makinson or Grace could be described as battering rams. Quick play the balls great attitude and running intelligent lines.

Yep this. It's not all about size in those early carries, it's targeting weaker spots in the line with pace and while the opposition line isn't fully formed, and then heavy artillery comes in.

I am looking forward to this year but I think next year could be really exciting. If we make a few calls and release some cap, we really should have the opportunity to fine tune this team to make it into a real contender. Must make the right steps in next signings but the youth system is obviously producing - was great to see the camaraderie of the young lads against Bradford again.

We seem to be saying ‘next year’ every year!

INOUT
We are the slightly less confident/more pessimistic Warrington, 'next year will be our year'.