colonel_123 said:
Jamie Nowland's working his way back into premier league after his injury. He played well last season and could be an option.
They could also bring Brett Oliver up from the Magpies and move Prince to 5/8.
Hasn't Ben Jeffrey also spent some time at 5/8? He's been playing wing and fullback for BRET but has been in decent form.
Do you think either of the Flegg boys, Russel and Caldwell, might be ready for a start?
I think it's time to think long term. Prince is gone next year and if Sheens is serious about giving the young kids a shot at replacing him now would be a good time to do it so that they get a chance to shine before Wests go looking for a replacement on the open market.
I'm a big fan of Nowlands and we'll see how he goes over the next couple of weeks but he's been out for a while and only managed to play 15 minutes last week - he's going to need a while yet.
Caldwell is without a doubt the best long term option in the halves - the kid is brilliant, but he also has spent most of the last 18 months on the sidelines, he's steadily improving every game atm but he's still a while off regaining his best form. When he gets his confidence back he's the one we need to be focusing on but I wouldn't be throwing him into the action yet.
Russell is very talented indeed but he's a good 2-3 years off first grade imo, he's looking absolutely awesome in flegg but its a huge step up.
I didn't know Jeffery had played in the halves but it could be an option I guess, personally though I think he's still very young and asking him to make his first grade debut out of position might be a bit of a stretch.
Chase is the other real possible option, Rangi is ultra talented and plays a lot like Benji so would fit right into the team, but the club has made it pretty clear they view him as a hooker and don't think he has a future in the halves so I don't expect to see him get the spot.
If Benji is out for 8 weeks I'd be looking at reynolds (as much as I dislike him) and, if he fails, giving Rolfe or Chase a chance.
If Benji is gone for the season I'd start off the same but I'd want to see us throw all our resources into getting Caldwell ready to play first grade because he's the pick of the youngsters he's just got to find his feet again.
Will we ever see a Kiwis team featuring Wiki, Jones, Marshall and Sonny Bling Bling Bill all at once?
