Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 1:58 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote: Lay off the cooking sherry http://www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 Do one, old man. The cooking sherry is AWESOME.

Rogues Gallery wrote: Lay off the cooking sherry http://www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011 Do one, old man. The cooking sherry is AWESOME.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:45 am  

Saint Simon wrote:

Personally, I'd put Lance at FB, J-Lo/Wheeler/Gaskell in the halves, Wello to second row were his tackling is still a massive asset and Soliola in the centres where he's even more effective

I'd like to see lance at fullback as he'd bring them same quality greenshields does at catalan, he returns kicks very well and puts his team on the front foot from the kick, unlike wello who is slow to pick the ball up and as he's no pace the defence are on him and we then on back foot. IMO we need to replace wello next season.

However, the Gaskell and lomax pairing has gone pretty well and they have been terrific in the halves but IMO having the two young inexperienced halfbacks will cost us games against the big clubs. They can hold the own against "lesser" opposition but against Wigan, Warrington and hudds they have struggled big time. As I've said on another thread, we either stick with them and hope 2/3 years down the line they fully develop into top halves buy thats a risk and could risk falling further behind or we sign a top quality halfback.

Gaskell has great long kicking game but at the moment goes missing for long periods of the game. Lomax also goes missing for large parts of the game with showing the odd moment of brilliance. With them two in the halves puts more and more pressure on the pack( IMO the reason we done so well is our pack) which must be fustrating for the the pack when they do all the hard work for nothing to be produced or created at the end. Wilkin, TP, roby, Sia and jammer have been outstanding.

Jon wilkin has been awesome this year. He's took a hell of alot of pressure off our young halves. I can't give wilkin enough praise fir the way he's played this year and I think we'd be lower than we already are without him.

If Leon goes and we don't sort our halfback problem out and the likes of eastmond, jammer Defo going and flannery and ade maybe going we will struggle big time.

Pryce, jammer, eastmond, flannery, ade all out and lance and laffranchi in is the way our recruitment has been for past 5 years and looks like our brand new spanking stadium will not have the the team to "grace" it as sir mac has said many many times.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:11 am  

I can't see Leon going as equating to us falling further behind. This season we have basically lived without him apart from 5 minutes. Next year Lomax and Gaskell will be a year further on in their development and we will have Lance who we've not had this year. Who will probably start in the halves.

The % of missed tackles does not work when you compare FB's and 2nd rowers. Once the line is broken effectively the FB is one on one with the on rushing player or players. Defending in a line exposes you much less. So I don't buy the statement that Wellens could not play 2nd row or loose. (what would stop wellens playing loose is that Royce likes a prop at loose).

Also the game ain't over yet. Top 2 are probably gone, but 3rd is still within our grasp and to an extent with in our own destiny as don't Wire also have to play huddersfield again?

Surely just on the basis of number, Lomax and Gaskell in the halves this year, compared to Lomax+1 year, Gaskell +1year and Lance in the halfs next year is actually a step forward not a step back.

Pryce on the injury bench and Pryce at Le Catalans are effectively the same thing as far as helping Saints in the halves goes.

I still think we need 1 or maybe 2 props and would definately keep Flannery in the 2nd row as our young 2nd rowers have not developed as much as we hoped this year.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:32 am  

I don't think think we've lived without Pryce, I think we missed him big time. He's our x factor player, the go to man, the match winner and we've needed that in the games against Wigan, hull, Warrington and hudds.

When Pryce is fit and playing he's our main attacking weapon and could well have been the difference from finishing 4/5th to finishing in the top two.

I'm not having dig at lomax or Gaskell as they have been terrific and done more than has been asked of them but IMO we've missed good hakfbCks this year and IMO is the reason we've struggled.

The season looked so much promising at the start with Kyle ( before his union saga) and Leon at halfbacks. Two quality attacking halves that can take the line on.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:40 am  

St pete wrote:

I don't think think we've lived without Pryce, I think we missed him big time. He's our x factor player, the go to man, the match winner and we've needed that in the games against Wigan, hull, Warrington and hudds.

When Pryce is fit and playing he's our main attacking weapon and could well have been the difference from finishing 4/5th to finishing in the top two.

I'm not having dig at lomax or Gaskell as they have been terrific and done more than has been asked of them but IMO we've missed good hakfbCks this year and IMO is the reason we've struggled.

The season looked so much promising at the start with Kyle ( before his union saga) and Leon at halfbacks. Two quality attacking halves that can take the line on.

I'm not arguing that, I'm just arguing that Lomax and Gaskell and Lance next year is a step forward from Gaskell and Lomax this year.

Saying that Pryce leaving will knock us further back suggests he excerts some sort of mystic powers from the injury bench. You can argue we would not advance as far without him, but you can't argue that we'll have less ability in the halves next year compared to this year so far.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:47 am  

bewareshadows wrote:

I'm not arguing that, I'm just arguing that Lomax and Gaskell and Lance next year is a step forward from Gaskell and Lomax this year.

Saying that Pryce leaving will knock us further back suggests he excerts some sort of mystic powers from the injury bench. You can argue we would not advance as far without him, but you can't argue that we'll have less ability in the halves next year compared to this year so far.

IMO we are a worse side without him.

The lance at halfback is another strange risk by saints for next year. He's not played in the halves for long long time and is seen as a good fullback.

Lance is a runner, he takes the line on and not a ball player. We need a ball player to control the game for us.

Our recruitment policy is utter shocking and has been for the last five or so years!

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:45 am  

St pete wrote:

The lance at halfback is another strange risk by saints for next year. He's not played in the halves for long long time and is seen as a good fullback.

I'm sure Lance said on his interview with Saints that he has been playing fullback for two years? Before that he was playing at stand off, which is the position he has played in for most of his career. I watched the Warriors in the Full Time programme on Sky on Thursday and Lance let in two tries due to fluffing bombs. He scored a try as well, but he has the rep of being unreliable under bombs. But man has he got some acceleration about him! He just fires off the spot. Fabulous. I'm hoping that he settles in ok over here as I'm looking forward to seeing him zap around the pitch for us.

I don't think his appointment was strange at all. Halfbacks, especially scrum halves, are thin on the ground. Available ones more so. We needed experience in the halves and he has it. He also has the added value of having played in other roles, giving us flexibility when injuries strike. He wouldn't have been considered had Eastmond decided to stay.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 11:02 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

I'm sure Lance said on his interview with Saints that he has been playing fullback for two years? Before that he was playing at stand off, which is the position he has played in for most of his career. I watched the Warriors in the Full Time programme on Sky on Thursday and Lance let in two tries due to fluffing bombs. He scored a try as well, but he has the rep of being unreliable under bombs. But man has he got some acceleration about him! He just fires off the spot. Fabulous. I'm hoping that he settles in ok over here as I'm looking forward to seeing him zap around the pitch for us.

I don't think his appointment was strange at all. Halfbacks, especially scrum halves, are thin on the ground. Available ones more so. We needed experience in the halves and he has it. He also has the added value of having played in other roles, giving us flexibility when injuries strike. He wouldn't have been considered had Eastmond decided to stay.

I was under the impression he's played fullback much long than the last two year but I remember him first coming thru and was a halfback, he was tipped as the next big thing along with moto Tony.

I think Leon and lance would go well in halves but not so sure about lomax and lance.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:08 pm  

St pete wrote:

IMO we are a worse side without him.

The lance at halfback is another strange risk by saints for next year. He's not played in the halves for long long time and is seen as a good fullback.

Lance is a runner, he takes the line on and not a ball player. We need a ball player to control the game for us.

Our recruitment policy is utter shocking and has been for the last five or so years!

But not worse than we have been this year, as he has not played.

Re: is the pryce right for les cats?? : Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:29 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

But not worse than we have been this year, as he has not played.

And were fighting to make the top four for the first time in god knows how long and failed to best a top side yet.