Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:26 am  

For me Gaskell will always be risk in the "big games", he,s done well in most games but still needs another season of development tactically and physically.

When Pryce came on his presence and experience was almost instant in what we have been missing all this season. I did like the touch of Royce in bringing Gaskell back on to rest Lomax, this sends a message to Gaskell that he still has a part to play even with Pryce available at 1st choice.
I really hope Pryce signs up for another season be it at stand off, centre or full back. To be honest he could migrate into a great loose forward.
I hope our chairman sees the importance of Pryce and what he offers in skill and experience to be added to the arrival of Lance.

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:28 am  

Judder Man wrote:

For me Gaskell will always be risk in the "big games", he,s done well in most games but still needs another season of development tactically and physically.

When Pryce came on his presence and experience was almost instant in what we have been missing all this season. I did like the touch of Royce in bringing Gaskell back on to rest Lomax, this sends a message to Gaskell that he still has a part to play even with Pryce available at 1st choice.
I really hope Pryce signs up for another season be it at stand off, centre or full back. To be honest he could migrate into a great loose forward.
I hope our chairman sees the importance of Pryce and what he offers in skill and experience.

It don't matter if the chairman sees how important he is r not. If we can get shut and save money then the will only be one outcome.

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:45 am  

St pete wrote:

It don't matter if the chairman sees how important he is r not. If we can get shut and save money then the will only be one outcome.

Very unfair Pete.

Leon started the year with a career threatening injury, obviously we could not offer a contract to a player based on that. When he came back he lasted 5 minutes so in reality we still don't know if the neck injury is a cause for concern. If we had signed him, to find out actually the neck injury would rule him out of 75% of matches this year and next year, then we would all have cause to call our board amateur in approach.

As it is his injuries have took him into the part of the season where other teams can offer contracts too.

I think bradford have been put off with the injuries, but Catalan have sparked an interest. Simply nothing is signed and maybe the chairman just needs to say we are interest to let leon know it's not over, but we need to see him in a run of games up to playing for a full 80 to know his recovery is complete.

Lance, Lomax and Leon would be an ideal triangle next year, With any of them covering either halfback or fullback. But we can only sign someone if we know he can actually physically be up to it and 20 minutes last night does not equate to immediate offer, no matter his previous record. I'd say we have at least till mid August to assess leons return and offer something before he seriously has to look elsewhere.

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:47 am  

Not to mention being link with another club like Les Cat, will help him agent negotiate a good contract with Saints.

We have no idea who is stalling on the resigning at present, it's not unknown for Austrailians who are renegotaiting contracts to have links to a SL club to help improve the offer from their current club.

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:52 am  

I don't recall Graham or eastmond having possible career ending injuries but we've lost them.

To be fair, I've I've wrote on another thread, it was common sense by both Saints and Leon to put contract talks on hold. It would be huge risk on saints part as he had a serious injury and also risk on pryce's part as acgreat end to the season with saints boosts his contract demand and plus no club can talk to him until September.

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 11:06 am  

St pete wrote:

I don't recall Graham or eastmond having possible career ending injuries but we've lost them.

To be fair, I've I've wrote on another thread, it was common sense by both Saints and Leon to put contract talks on hold. It would be huge risk on saints part as he had a serious injury and also risk on pryce's part as acgreat end to the season with saints boosts his contract demand and plus no club can talk to him until September.

We did offer Eastmond the same as union and Graham alot of cash, but when the NRL has a salary cap double our own if not more, well we just can't compete.

Just a point of notice we lost both to organisations out side of SL, not to other SL clubs. So it's hardly a level playing field. We could not offer Eastmond what he wanted in Union which was the international game. We could not offer Graham the NRL or the same money most likely.

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 11:12 am  

bewareshadows wrote:

We did offer Eastmond the same as union and Graham alot of cash, but when the NRL has a salary cap double our own if not more, well we just can't compete.

Neither player made their decision as a result of finances if their press statements were anything to go by. Eastmond claimed he had always wanted to play union and Graham claimed he had always wanted to try his hand in the NRL. Sometimes it really isn't about cash. It's about dreams and ambitions (or about family life, as in the case of Roby, who had no hesitation in staying with Saints). No amount of money could have made either of them stay IMO. Damn shame really but hey-ho. The club tried their hardest (offering Jammer 'the best offer ever made by the club' to sort of quote McManus).

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 11:14 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

Neither player made their decision as a result of finances if their press statements were anything to go by. Eastmond claimed he had always wanted to play union and Graham claimed he had always wanted to try his hand in the NRL. Sometimes it really isn't about cash. It's about dreams and ambitions (or about family life, as in the case of Roby, who had no hesitation in staying with Saints). No amount of money could have made either of them stay IMO. Damn shame really but hey-ho. The club tried their hardest (offering Jammer 'the best offer ever made by the club' to sort of quote McManus).

Isnt that just a excuse players use when they don't want to be seen going for the money?

IMO both went for the cash as well as better way of living and I don't blame them one little bit.

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 12:24 pm  

St pete wrote:

Isnt that just a excuse players use when they don't want to be seen going for the money?

No. Both players had already spoken about their respective wishes or have you forgotten Kyle's press releases about union in his previous contract negotiations and Daniel Anderson's comments that Jammer had expressed his wish to play in the NRL when he was younger? Fans do have short memories!

Re: Halfbacks : Sat Jul 16, 2011 12:28 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

No. Both players had already spoken about their respective wishes or have you forgotten Kyle's press releases about union in his previous contract negotiations and Daniel Anderson's comments that Jammer had expressed his wish to play in the NRL when he was younger? Fans do have short memories!

So jammer is upping sticks and moving to the other side of the world on less money just to try the Nrl?

Kyle is moving to bath on less money so he can play union?

Get in the real world, I have to deal with contracts all the time in my business. No matter how well you like someone, how much you want to try something new it's money that talks!