Russell Signs New Deal : Wed Apr 16, 2014 5:15 pm  

Till 2017.

Re: Russell Signs New Deal : Wed Apr 16, 2014 5:41 pm  

I hope he has also signed a deal to join the attacking line and create overlaps and assist in try scoring opportunities, whilst chipping in with one or two himself like Hodgson used to.......... rather than just look like a powerful running Brent Grose.

sometimes I don't take good news in the correct manner .....

Re: Russell Signs New Deal : Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:40 pm  

He's signed a new deal a month into his first season? Was he on a trial or something?

Re: Russell Signs New Deal : Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:44 pm  

It is to tie him up and improve on his current deal.

Re: Russell Signs New Deal : Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:55 pm  

Well, at the moment he looks one of very few genuinely pacy strike players we have so it's good news, but we need to find a way to harness that threat and make best use of it.

I'm not sure comparisons with Brett are fair - Hodgson was like a stand-off with full back qualities rather than a full-back with stand-off qualities and his absence is a significant part of the reason the team (and half-backs specifically) look shallow, lost and ineffective.

Re: Russell Signs New Deal : Wed Apr 16, 2014 8:18 pm  

Agreed again Morrissey.

Re: Russell Signs New Deal : Fri Apr 18, 2014 9:25 am  

For me this is the biggest part of the transition. A few years ago leeds had Webb an. Saints had wellens who would hang around the middle channel looking for an offload. These fullbacks usually played in a team with an old school loose forward that would be ball players who would hardly ever go to ground with the ball. in Aus things were changing with fullbacks playing the extra pivot and loose forwards playing as extra props. That was the sort if model that we adopted when Hodgson arrived. After seeing a bit of Russell I thought we would go to back to having a ball playing loose forward but injuries to Grix may have hampered that. When wigan had Tompkins and Oloughlin they had the best of both but I don't think we have that luxury. I think Russell can be devastating if he stays on the shoulder of the big men in the middle. Just a shame that Carvel is not here to supply the offloads and short balls in the middle of the park.

Re: Russell Signs New Deal : Fri Apr 18, 2014 10:23 am  

And apparently one of our junior prospects ,Ryan Shaw ,has left the Wire & signed for his home town club ,Barrow. Good luck lad !