voice of the crumbie wrote: ↑Mon Dec 04, 2017 10:10 pm
Agree with your comment re Barrow. I believe he "could" develop into a Louis Deacon type of player. An ideal partner would therefore be a Ben Kay, Fritz van Heerden, Geoff Parling type of player.
Barrow needs a season without injury. He's been messed around by them in the last 18 months.
Kitch could have been another Geoff Parling, but sadly like Slater he got within touching distance of an England 23 and then it just slipped away. Unfortunately the club can't just keep looking for the "next big thing" within England* (as it did with Slater - maybe by accident - Parling, Kitch, Barrow). It needs to flash the cash on a ready made model.
*by England obviously I mean Worcester and Newcastle.
From memory Kitchener, Fitzgerald and O' Connor have all signed renewed contracts, in which case dispensing with their services would depend upon their willingness to leave.
Without hope we are nothing, keep the faith, a Tiger for eternity
sapajo wrote: ↑Mon Dec 04, 2017 10:31 pm
From memory Kitchener, Fitzgerald and O' Connor have all signed renewed contracts, in which case dispensing with their services would depend upon their willingness to leave.
Personally I expect all 3 to still be at Tigers next season. Openside experience is very thin on the ground if the latter goes. Fitz is too valuable. Kitch the closest we have to a lineout guru.
Leicestertinytiger wrote: ↑Mon Dec 04, 2017 7:51 pm
Agree with the above, definitely need a backup 10/12 player who can slot in when needed. Mills would be the top of my list, always impresses when I’ve seen him play.
Feel like I wouldn’t be too bothered if O’Connor and Fitzgerald leave. Feel they are surplus to requirement and no longer fit the gameplay Matt is trying to implement. Hangover players from Mauger sadly.
I feel the comment toward o’connor are really unjust he is still our best backrow play over the ball leading the stats in turn overs and also adds in the loose and scores and is only 28 he’s just another tigers play who can show his best as he hasn’t strung a run of games together, I know evans is coming through but a 20 still has some growing to do and is shifted of the ball a lot and it showed most when he was stopped by wade 5 out, and he’s not going to learn that game from the Tongan boys. As for Fitzgerald he is our best 2nd row just in the line out, carries the ball and can cover the back row. If the are players that can be released I’d say Kitchener, beauman, smith and possibly brady looking at our current crop of wingers even though he’s only 26 when you look at our squad it’s suprisingly young with only a hand full of players 30 and over. Also all the talk of Thompson having watched some highlights isn’t he just Hamilton only 5 years older.
For me currently Hamilton and Kalamafoni are our best backrow players with Mapapalangi coming in a close third. Evans is coming through but no one else has really stepped up this season, granted Williams and O’Connor have had their injury problems. Hoping them both can regain their past form of seasons gone by.
Andy Goode on the rugby pod saying that Thompson to Tigers is done, also that we chased Launchbury but couldn't compete with the cash, which if true means we are def after a international lock.
Wasn't there talk of Hamilton being out of contract this summer. Given his international allegiance now, he wish to go north of the border. Seems Thompson would be straight replacement for Hamilton. Just a guess though.
If Hamilton left it would be a massive blow for Tigers. No reason he couldn’t continue his international ambitions with Scotland still playing for Tigers. His stock has greatly improved this season and feel we should offer him a contract which reflects that.
Would be surprised if Hamilton left, the Scottish clubs are not exactly short on flankers, and he got a cap playing for Tigers.
Although him being an international would raise his price but at the same time you risk missing him for a number of weeks.
A big name lock (Which if Goode is right and given how close he is to Wasps currently i suspect he might be and we tried hard to get Launchbury) will cost us a pretty penny.
Say we are looking at bringing in.
A big name lock
Mafi
Thompson
Would mean prob losing 4/5 players depending on the players and the contracts.
Croft is gone already.
Thacker and McGugian are both linked with going off.
Also Jim Hamilton (Who TBH talks alot of Bull but as he says is best mates with the Deacons.) saying that Paul O'Connell has been linked to Tigers as a forwards coach, which hopefully mean Brett can be our full time defence coach like the back end of last season also Jim was saying Blaze is back in a small capacity (Prob in the academy considering that is starting soon).
Hamilton's a tough one. We shouldn't be surprised if he moves north of the wall if the SRU say it'll be increasing his chances in the national set up - we've seen how much international appearance can top up and England player's wage, and although Scotland probably aren't quite at the same level financially, it must be a consideration for a player who probably came to Tigers quite cheaply.
Launchbury was always going to be a long shot, he is Wasps’ Club Captain and they have recovered somewhat from their injury crisis so it wouldn’t have taken a lot of money for him to have switched and the Pests don’t abide by the salary cap anyway
Formerly of Burbaaage (not Inkleh), now up north at uni
