Re: Who should play where : Sat May 28, 2011 9:46 pm  

BackrowSaint wrote:

Some say Leon has a poor long kicking game, but I thought in recent years (when he's been fit!), that he's developed quite a decent long kicking game. So I don't see that as an issue. Also Wilkin can do any kicking duties from SR/LF.

IMO having somebody with the talent of Leon Pryce in your squad and not playing him would be nothing short of insanity. A fit Leon would feature in any SL side.

I agree, Leon is important to what saints do and win. Providing he's ok from his injuries he's got to play.

Leon is hit and miss with his kicking game as is wilkin and lomax and that's my only worry but I agree that Leon has to play.

Re: Who should play where : Sat May 28, 2011 9:49 pm  

St pete wrote:

Leon is hit and miss with his kicking game as is wilkin and lomax and that's my only worry but I agree that Leon has to play.

That's true and would be my only concern. But all 3 of them can't have a bad one at the same time, surely. There's also the option of moving Wheeler infield on the last and putting Pryce/Lomax attacking out wide, doesn't take too much intelligence to manage that.

Re: Who should play where : Sat May 28, 2011 10:49 pm  

If fit and on form Pryce will play, it would be nice to be able ease him back from the bench though. Eastmond in my opinion should just be used as cover as and when we need him, in the halves I'd have Lomax, Pryce,Gaskell and Wheeler all ahead of him.

Re: Who should play where : Sun May 29, 2011 9:29 am  

Pyrce was always good for creating our 2nd phase of attack plus his natural ability to break the line occasionally, so he would always be in my team. I noticed prior to his ankle injury Gaskell was using the 2nd phase but not as effectively.
Makinson would be choice on the wing (Gardner) giving the right hand side loads of pace.
Wheeler/Eastmond for the bench spot ideally coming on the field against a tired defence. My concern is that Shenton and Roby need a weekend off, maybe Wheeler can slot in at centre for a game or two, with Moore obviously at 9.
It would be great if Royce could develop Wilkin into a permanent playmaking loose forward (sinfield). If we have the luxury of stability in player positions, saints can still challenge for that top 2 position.

Re: Who should play where : Sun May 29, 2011 9:59 am  

Wellens
Makinson
Shenton
Meli
Foster
Leon
Lomax
Perry
Roby
Graham
Wilkin
Flannery
TP

Subs
Sia
LMS
Clough
Wheeler

Re: Who should play where : Sun May 29, 2011 10:11 am  

St pete wrote:

I agree, Leon is important to what saints do and win. Providing he's ok from his injuries he's got to play.

Leon is hit and miss with his kicking game as is wilkin and lomax and that's my only worry but I agree that Leon has to play.

Ok Pete, I'm going to challenge that. I don't think Leon is important to what Saints do and win. The fact we are only 2 points of the lead this year shows that. Also since Leon came to Saints, we have had a noticable drop in our creative play and this has been our driest spell trophy wise for some years.

Now I'm not laying this all at Leon's door, but I just don't think he is as critical as people make out. He is stunning when on form, but how many key games has he played in where we have seen that stunning ability. I like Leon, but I just think we lose more playing him than we gain. We get some more of what Lomax and Roby already provide. Roby provides those strong quick darts from dummy half and Lomax attacks the line just as well. If we did not have one or the other of these 2 playing then Leon would walk straight into any side. However, given a fit roby and Lomax, what we need is a strong kicking game IMHO. This is something Leon does not provide. It's not just Gaskell and Wheelers kicks are long, on the whole they generally find terra firma and give the chasing pack real oppertunities to pin their opponent back. On the odd occasion Leon will give a booming 40/20, but so can Wilkin and even Roby. Getting Wheeler and Gaskell to try this would not take much.

Any way that's why I have opted to leave out Leon.

Re: Who should play where : Sun May 29, 2011 10:40 am  

Judder Man wrote:

Pyrce was always good for creating our 2nd phase of attack plus his natural ability to break the line occasionally, so he would always be in my team. I noticed prior to his ankle injury Gaskell was using the 2nd phase but not as effectively.

That could be something to do with the fact that Pryce has been playing first grade for donkey's years whereas Gaskell has only just begun? I'm sure they will play second phase in the u20s too, but not at the same pace with the same demands and skill level required for first grade.

I don't understand why some fans compare experienced, international level players with newbies. Gets on my boobies, it does.

Re: Who should play where : Sun May 29, 2011 10:49 am  

bewareshadows wrote:

Ok Pete, I'm going to challenge that.

Oooh. That's risky!

Also since Leon came to Saints, we have had a noticable drop in our creative play and this has been our driest spell trophy wise for some years.

I don't understand your point about creative play. Could you expand on that? I mean, I don't understand why Leon's arrival and a drop in creative play (whatever you mean by 'creative play') are in some way linked.

He is stunning when on form, but how many key games has he played in where we have seen that stunning ability. I like Leon, but I just think we lose more playing him than we gain.

I think back to the 2010 season and we looked 100% better with him in our team. He also came up with some intelligent play: I can still see his solo try from the scrum against Wigan, which undoubtedly helped us to win that match. I thought he was brilliant last season, stepping out from under the shadow of Longy, and I was very much looking forward to seeing him kick on this season given that he would be the senior halfback. That we have continued so well without him is in part down to the quality of youth we have (thanks in part to the quality of youth coaches we have), in part to the quality of senior coaching staff we have and in part thanks to the commitment of the senior players. Remember, prior to his injury, Wello had been asked by Simmons to chime in as a third halfback in order to assist Lomaskell. Their success in that partnership was a team effort, not simply down to them. They were too inexperienced to be thrown in without on field support. Leon does not need that kind of on field support. We have desperately missed his experience and leadership at halfback.

I would have picked Leon in my own team if I was convinced he would actually be fit enough to return to the field but I'm not convinced. If he does become fit enough to return, one thing I would do is rotate him in some way with Gaskell because I don't think Gaskell should lose out on the experience he has been gaining at first grade this season. He needs to have the opportunity to build on that experience.

Re: Who should play where : Sun May 29, 2011 11:05 am  

I think Leon is the sort of player that can break games for us. In tight games he can split a defence and we not got anyone else IMO who can do that.

That's why he's so important IMO.

Re: Who should play where : Sun May 29, 2011 2:01 pm  

I'd be happy with Pryce slotting into the wing or centre, allowing Lomaskell to continue as our half back partnership for the season.