What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 9:54 am  

Just thinking back to the first week of the season and the total disappointment, followed by the usual knee jerk reactions.

There was then the disappointment where we struggled to score against Widnes when most had predicted we would decimate them. (although I think Widnes defense needs some credit for it's improvement in the off-season)

Now we are sitting in joint 2nd with all the usual suspects sat around us, a winnable game coming up and Warrington and Huddersfield due to go head to head, which is a win win for Saints. Huddersfield win and we put a gap between Warrington and ourselves. A Huddersfield loss and the league enters the Easter period with a possible 6 teams within 2 points of top spot.

How different a few wins makes our prospects look.

I'm still holding with my prediction of a CC final and 1st or 2nd in SL.

[Sadfish]

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 10:18 am  

I've been pretty happy with the Saints team for the last few seasons,people should stop knee jerking and start being more objective when it comes to how a team is performing as a team. The individuals Saints have are capable of winning the League i'm just not sure some segments of the fan base will let them.

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 10:20 am  

I think its been a combination of small deficiencies that have gradually have been fixed within the club.
We had the notorious lethargic start to the season with player attitude over the first couple of games, the gradual shift in the half back combination, overcoming the confidence factor after losses especially in the home games.
For me the big positive is the introduction of the younger players which has now created a competition for places especially in the backs and front row.
Our history shows that we pick up from Easter onwards so the Game against the Wigoons will be a good marker. We still have the missing piece in the jigsaw at no 6 for us to win any silverware I reckon Gaskell needs to re start a new chapter with a big influence on the teams structured play.
Brown from my side of the fence appears to be a deep thinker and backs his convictions but he needs stability in the key areas of the team, once he does that we become a serious threat in a superleague that is becoming more mediocre season by season.

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 12:50 pm  

Saints are always a top 4 side, and have been for as long as I have watched them. We have just needed an extra spark to make us successful. Brown needs to find the spark, or bit of luck to take us an extra step. That may be Lomax, or wilkin, or Manu, or more likely a combination, but there is a chance to go from nearly rans to winners with this squad and coach. Having said that, it's important we don't swing from the suicidal knee jerks of a month ago, to something delirious now. We need to be around the finals in a few months with a healthy squad, and them see what happens.

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 12:58 pm  

Sadfish wrote:

I've been pretty happy with the Saints team for the last few seasons,people should stop knee jerking and start being more objective when it comes to how a team is performing as a team. The individuals Saints have are capable of winning the League i'm just not sure some segments of the fan base will let them.

I think over the last few years we have gone through major changes and the coaches during that period were unfortunate in having to deal with this big player and then that big player coming to the end of their careers, so not anywhere near as effective as they used to be, and then leaving, so creating gaps which in 2011 were effectively all filled by young blokes.

For those critical of the decision not to play Lomax at fullback before now they need to cast their minds back to where we were in 2011 with Eastmond and Pryce looking like long term injury crises and then Eastmond declaring his love for rugby union. In that context, two young lads who had been playing in the halves for most of their junior careers looked like the obvious choice, with the support of the Roby and Graham combo up front and Wello learning how to chime in from the back. That was completely logical and worked for that season. Without Jammer though, and Wello a year older, things got tougher. With the introduction this season of Walmsley - looking like a very promising direct running prop - Turner and Manu then our present coach immediately has more to work with, especially given that Hohaia has now been with us a year and Wilkin has covered in the halves previously.

The breaking up of our world class team was a painful process. We still need a proper scrum half and at least one more direct running prop, at the very least. But there are now signs that we are rebuilding rather than deconstructing, which is positive.

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 2:15 pm  

No knee jerk from me. I think we've got one of the best coaches in super league and I still predict a top four finish.

However, I don't think we are good enough to win anything this year. We've got to many players that are average and very few top quality players.

As I've said for last 2/3 years, until we sign a quality halfback on we will win nothing. Jon wilkin is doing a excellent job there at the moment but even him himself admits he's no halfback

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 3:50 pm  

We're still a million miles away from winning a trophy. The years tick on now.

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Sun Mar 17, 2013 6:49 pm  

The signs were always there. Brown seems to be a coach that learns from his mistakes and is willing to experiment so he makes them early on. We have blooded some good young players after our youth development stalled last year. We are not just building a team we are building a squad. You feel that by the big games at the end of the year players like Walker, Percival, Walmsley and Greenwood will be real assets. Not sure if this year will be our year but I am starting to think 2014, 2015, 2016 may be very good years.

I also think that our main competitors do not look as good as last year. Wigan’s performance at Headingley compared to last year shows they are relying more and more on Tomkins. Warrington have looked average with their 30+ (being very kind calling them that) players out. Leeds are as underwhelming as they usually are at this point of the year. While it is only a matter of weeks until Huddersfield’s nose dive starts until they become a compete non-factor.

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:05 am  

Noel Cleal wrote:

While it is only a matter of weeks until Huddersfield’s nose dive starts until they become a compete non-factor.

Occasionally, the middle distance pace maker sets off too fast, and the rest of the field let them go, knowing that they will drop out at the half way point. But then the pace setter realise that they can keep going, and sinply run away with the race. Don't back against hudds doing this one season, and walking away with the hub cap.

Re: What a difference 4 weeks can make. : Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:22 am  

I'd have to say that the Warrington game will indicate alot about Huddersfield this year.

They have beaten ourselves and Leeds quite convincingly. To do the same to Wire, would indicate that it's not the usual fast start to the season. Even when they have started convincingly in previous years, the games tended to be a lot tighter between the top teams in the table and Huddersfield.