Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:22 pm  

How many times did Wheeler play this season?

He should be released, not given one of the key roles in the side without doing anything to justify it. In his years at Saints he's never done anything to suggest he's a first team player, let alone a first choice stand off.

Release Wheeler, Wellens, Gardner, Laffranchi and Hohaia and sign a stand off. How hard is it?

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:51 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Release Wheeler, Wellens, Gardner, Laffranchi and Hohaia and sign a stand off. How hard is it?

It's that hard my next door neighbour's budgie could understand it. I'll make it easy for a bobbin brain like you:

1. Wellens is getting a new deal. So shut up and deal with it. NB, nor anyone else for that matter, cares not about your constant ramblings and bleating clearly driven by an obsessive dislike of a player in a team you never watch. He's the boss, you're not, so button it.

2. Laffranchi is getting a new deal. Keep dealing with it.

3. Hohaia is contracted for another 2 years. We can't afford to pay him off. It's like you wanting a new pram yet not being able to afford one. You can't have one. He's here. For another 2 years. End of.

Which stand off do we sign that would improve us? Don't give me any of this reactive 'anyone will do' rubbish - give me names of available, quality 6's who are available and we can fit in?

None? That''ll be all then won't it?

Back to school now.

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:10 pm  

Hopefully Percival will be a revelation,
Certainly has potential.
Jones is another option who looked very good at centre.

Lance could do better having an organiser at half back, plus wilkin given more to do at lose forward (sinfield type role).
Wilkin is an all round rugby league player and needs to be used that way.
LMS did look good at loose forward too so there a few options which is needed for injuries.
Will be a bonus if wheeler has a decent run but if not no big deal.

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:14 pm  

Allez wrote:

Which stand off do we sign that would improve us? Don't give me any of this reactive 'anyone will do' rubbish - give me names of available, quality 6's who are available and we can fit in?

spot on...

how hard is it to understand that getting rid of 2 stand offs in Wheeler and Hohaia to sign a new stand off (especially when there arent any available who are better than the 2 we are letting go) would be a stupid, ridiculous and pointless thing to do??

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:27 pm  

My first choice would be

1. Lomax
2. Makinson
3. Turner
4. Jones
5. Swift
6. Wheeler
7. Walsh
8. Amor
9. Roby
10. McArthy-Scarsbrook
11. Clough
12. Manu
13. Wilkin

14. Hohaia
15. Soliola
16. Walmsley
17. Masoe

With Flanaghan, wello, Beaumont, Percival et al coming in for support/ injuries

I feel we're looking as strong as we have done for a while and am optimistic!

A few points that's been raised:

Wheeler, as several have said, relying on biscuit bones is dangerous, but I don't think anyone can disagree, he's shown us (oh so brief) moments of what he can be able to do, and next year is definitely do or die for him, he's off contract at the end of next year and if I were saints I'd be telling him: be available for selection for 20-22+ games otherwise your being released - if he works at the contact and (finally) gets over his phobia of any sort of twinge I have no doubts he'll go fantastically, he'll never have the same injury record again (unless we're stupid enough to give him 4 years which I doubt!) as I think it's psychological and getting through a year would get him over that - and if he doesn't/ carries on being biscuit bones, we can get shut knowing nothing is going to change, and it was just wasted potential (and we can sign braith anasta to outcrys of ageing Aussies and relive the start of the millennia again!)

Starting with Manu and Soliola: I am a huge fan of both players don't get me wrong, but from the times I've seen the two start together I just don't feel it works, bioth are specialists at what they do, but I feel like at the start of the game we need another grafter to help win the forwards battle, which means sia and Manu can then let loose, hence I think Clough is the right choice (I doubt this will happen though as he's very much out of favour) and then having the two of them on together for the second 20 of the first half and then rotating - I think a one of the reasons why Leeds had so much more possession and position in the first half came from ablett putting his hand up for that role and putting that graft in and we didn't seem to have anyone to match that.

I don't think the signings are done, but I wouldn't be surprised if nothing is announced until after the World Cup - by my accounting there's still a bit of the room in the cap for another sigining, but if we're still trying to pull a major scalp it may require wello/ Laffranchi to retire - which might be why no announcements have been made on that front either (Flanaghan basically said himself he'd resigned on twitter so I discount him from that list)

To my knowledge there are any major quality mystical marquee 6's still available for next season (unless you count Thomas Bosc?) and I've tried asking saddened before who he thinks we should sign for 6 and he came up with Sam Hopkins so he's not really the man to ask

I'd like wello to resign for another year, he gives us a lot of leadership across the park - something Walsh should be doing next year but still needed at times (especially when we have injuries which is when he would be playing!) he can definitely help develop Lomax/mako/swift and transition to the back room for 2015 - I think it's easy to forget given all the criticism he gets from some, he's a club legend and I will applaud him until he hangs up his boots

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:28 pm  

wakey_saint wrote:

spot on...

how hard is it to understand that getting rid of 2 stand offs in Wheeler and Hohaia to sign a new stand off (especially when there arent any available who are better than the 2 we are letting go) would be a stupid, ridiculous and pointless thing to do??

Not difficult for anyone who (a) knows anything about the game, (b) has sufficient intelligence to rationalise our current situation and player availability, (c) recognises that we have actually been really positive and strengthened more than we have done in the last 7 years and (d) doesn't try and depict themselves as an Über troll who's funny at the same time.

It's boring.

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:58 pm  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

To my knowledge there are any major quality mystical marquee 6's still available for next season (unless you count Thomas Bosc?) and I've tried asking saddened before who he thinks we should sign for 6 and he came up with Sam Hopkins so he's not really the man to ask

You couldn't make it up really could you? Maybe we should sign Tyrone McCarthy as our 6 for next year? He's just been released and I hear he's 'really good' so that'll do.

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 3:26 pm  

Allez wrote:

You couldn't make it up really could you? Maybe we should sign Tyrone McCarthy as our 6 for next year? He's just been released and I hear he's 'really good' so that'll do.

Well he has been playing at Warrington so must be a step up on what we have...sign him up!!

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 4:03 pm  

Allez wrote:

It's that hard my next door neighbour's budgie could understand it. I'll make it easy for a bobbin brain like you:

1. Wellens is getting a new deal. So shut up and deal with it. NB, nor anyone else for that matter, cares not about your constant ramblings and bleating clearly driven by an obsessive dislike of a player in a team you never watch. He's the boss, you're not, so button it.

2. Laffranchi is getting a new deal. Keep dealing with it.

3. Hohaia is contracted for another 2 years. We can't afford to pay him off. It's like you wanting a new pram yet not being able to afford one. You can't have one. He's here. For another 2 years. End of.

Which stand off do we sign that would improve us? Don't give me any of this reactive 'anyone will do' rubbish - give me names of available, quality 6's who are available and we can fit in?

None? That''ll be all then won't it?

Back to school now.

Sadly your probably right , our club really is dumb enough to sign up a past it second row to play prop, a past it fullback to come on from the subs bench and wonder round the field looking lost getting in the way of set moves and we really are stupid enough to go into yet another season without having key positions covered.

We really are that stupid and it's very very sad.


There isnt too much we can do about Lance as nobody else is dumb enough to take him off us.

You ask about a quality 6 ... isnt Thomas Bosc OOC? He might have signed something now but I'm sure he was due up at the end of this year

EDIT: Ben Roberts is also OOC too I think

Re: Saints first choice next year : Thu Sep 26, 2013 4:19 pm  

No1 Saint wrote:

Sadly your probably right , our club really is dumb enough to sign up a past it second row to play prop, a past it fullback to come on from the subs bench and wonder round the field looking lost getting in the way of set moves and we really are stupid enough to go into yet another season without having key positions covered.

We really are that stupid and it's very very sad.

There isnt too much we can do about Lance as nobody else is dumb enough to take him off us.

You ask about a quality 6 ... isnt Thomas Bosc OOC? He might have signed something now but I'm sure he was due up at the end of this year

EDIT: Ben Roberts is also OOC too I think

Exactly. Resigning Wellens is just stupid. If he's going to stay as a coach, give him that job now, he contributes nothing on the field. Sentimental folly by a club that simply hasn't tried to win trophies over recent seasons.

Another thing, why is it up to fans on the internet to find players? It's not our job to find stand offs, that's Rush/McManus/Brown's job. There will be stand offs out of contract and there will be quite a few in the NRL that will be available even though they are under contract. Rangi Chase was available for two years and we did nothing. If we can't afford it, fine. But Wigan got Green, Bradford got Sammut and Gale, London got Soward for a year. Warrington got Ratchford, Salford got Fages. Sneyd etc. Every other club in SL manages to find 13 players for their starting positions, why do we find it so difficult?