Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:32 am  

2014 The year of the Saints?

FFS, we're sounding like Wire fans. Give over.

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 11:50 am  

This thing about Wire fans saying "next year is our year" is a bit of a myth. Really its the rugby league media that says that.

The average Wire fan is like Saddened, but hardened by years of being poop rather than winning trophies like Saddened has seen at Saints. Last year for instance, the pre season talk on our forum was "why have we not made any signings we will pay for it, other clubs like Hull are strengthening and we are standing still".

Then in previous years it was things like "Myler / Atkins / Ratchford are good but overrated IMO we should be going for x instead".

For about 3 years it has been "our team is getting too old and I fear it will be a season too far for Briers/Morley/Hodgson etc"

In fact the cliche that is most associated with Wire fans, is not "next year is our year" but "last year was our last chance".

The media however, have been desperate for a while to see a new club break the dominance of Wigan/Saints/Bradford/Leeds, and in the past decade or so there have been three clubs that have threatened to do that: Hull (under McRae/Kear), Warrington and Hudds. Of those three, Warrington were obviously the media darlings because they are much more of a slick PR operation and accessible to the press and had Paul Cullen on Sky etc, they are better 'connected' in the media so they have had a lot more hype. So every year we have heard the press big us up and say "is next year the big chance for the Wolves". Winning the Challenge Cups fuelled the fire. But most Wire fans have not got carried away with this as we have a lot of the general cynics.

I expect people will start saying the same about Salford soon "its always their year isn't it" but that will be entirely media led as if you look on the Salford forum their die hards are a bunch of hard to please grumpy cynics (aka realists who have have been fed too much poop in their time to get carried away).

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:21 pm  

I think you lot have a very good chance next year. You have recruited well in the right positions. As for the contenders.

Most of Leeds' important players are well into their 30's, i'd expect them to be challenging but fall short like this year.

Warrington have lost a lot of experience but needed to IMO. They may be a bit light up front but still have enough to challenge.

Hudds should be challenging. I can't think of an important player they have lost and have recruited a bit more grunt in the pack. If Baloo learns from this year as Wane did from 2012 they have a good chance.

We have lost a few important players, again. The team ethic and systems are still there and in Bowen we have a very good player.

There are a few unknowns, Hull, Salford?

In conclusion i think it's between Wigan, Hudds and You

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 2:22 pm  

The squad next season is far better than the squad that we had this year. So on that basis we should do much better and be far more consistent than we were.

Having said that, I don't think we are in a position to be true contenders next season and we still are a centre and a 6 short of doing anything.

#It'sAlwaysOurYear

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 2:44 pm  

Albion wrote:

The squad next season is far better than the squad that we had this year. So on that basis we should do much better and be far more consistent than we were.

Having said that, I don't think we are in a position to be true contenders next season and we still are a centre and a 6 short of doing anything.

#It'sAlwaysOurYear

I agree vas said same thing earlier in the thread, we are a stand off and centre short of being real contenders.

We look to have solved the go forward problem with the signings of Amor, Mose and Beaumont who should provide us with that go forward we've lacked when stuck in our own half and struggled for field position in order to attack.

We also looked to have solved the scrum half problem as Walsh looks the type of scrum half we need. He's a good organiser, great hands, good kicking game but doesn't take the line on enough.

I feel we like genuine strike in the backs. Other than lomax, I can't see anyone else doing anything special we need it. That's why I think a good attacking centre and stand off would really put us up there.

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 2:54 pm  

If we can keep our best 17 on the park come the big games I think we've got a decent chance of challenging. We weren't far off this year in the play offs when we had our best side and we have a better squad on paper next season (although new signings as we know are risky).

Wilkin playing at 7 all season has developed his game which will help relieve a bit of pressure from Walsh I feel.

We do lack a player at stand off and centre but we have a pack strong enough to compete with all sides. If we can maintain the steel in defence that we showed towards the end of this year we'll go well.

Our target next season has to be a good cup run (although this can be taken out of our hands with a bad away draw or a bad run of injuries), a top 4 finish and aim for the last 4 of the Play Offs, It's anyone's game then.

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 3:03 pm  

St pete wrote:

I agree vas said same thing earlier in the thread, we are a stand off and centre short of being real contenders.

We look to have solved the go forward problem with the signings of Amor, Mose and Beaumont who should provide us with that go forward we've lacked when stuck in our own half and struggled for field position in order to attack.

We also looked to have solved the scrum half problem as Walsh looks the type of scrum half we need. He's a good organiser, great hands, good kicking game but doesn't take the line on enough.

I feel we like genuine strike in the backs. Other than lomax, I can't see anyone else doing anything special we need it. That's why I think a good attacking centre and stand off would really put us up there.

Yeah, the forwards are massively improved by the signings and the youngsters we have in those positions are very promising.

The point you make about strike in the backs is unfair I think; considering that our back line will look like: Lomax, Makinson, Turner, Percival/Jones, Swift, Wilkin/Wheeler/Hohaia/etc, Walsh.

Makinson has shown that he could do something (Wigan at home this season, for example) and Swift does look dangerous at times with the ball. If Jones plays centre then he does seem like a steady player who won't produce anything special, but he made 18 breaks this season so he must do something right. Comparatively, he made the same amount of breaks that Kallum Watkins and he is seen as a dangerous attacking player. Turner has made a promising start in a Saints shirt too. If we go with Percival he looks dangerous too, but far from a finished product obviously.

So I don't think we do lack strike tbh, although we 100% need a 6.

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 3:30 pm  

If we stay injury free, I really believe we can aim for 1st and the Grand Final. The standard of the league is that average elsewhere.

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:19 pm  

Albion wrote:

Yeah, the forwards are massively improved by the signings and the youngsters we have in those positions are very promising.

The point you make about strike in the backs is unfair I think; considering that our back line will look like: Lomax, Makinson, Turner, Percival/Jones, Swift, Wilkin/Wheeler/Hohaia/etc, Walsh.

Makinson has shown that he could do something (Wigan at home this season, for example) and Swift does look dangerous at times with the ball. If Jones plays centre then he does seem like a steady player who won't produce anything special, but he made 18 breaks this season so he must do something right. Comparatively, he made the same amount of breaks that Kallum Watkins and he is seen as a dangerous attacking player. Turner has made a promising start in a Saints shirt too. If we go with Percival he looks dangerous too, but far from a finished product obviously.

So I don't think we do lack strike tbh, although we 100% need a 6.

I don't agree with your assessment of our backs. All those have played this year and we've struggled massively to put points on the board at crucial times in games.

Makinson is a good steady player but isn't strike player and very rare he beats a man. He's a good finisher but he's not exactly a go to player when we need a break.

Swift looks a very good promising player but it's early days. Same with Percival.

Wheeler will not play.

Jones also isn't a strike player. He's also not a good centre. He won't (can't) pass. He plays with his head down and looks more of a Backrow than a centre. I like JJ, he's a good steady player but no strike player.

Wilkin isn't a back and not a strike player at all!!!!

Hohaia has been pretty awful.

Turner has done ok in his first season but I also don't expect him to make a break out of nothing.

Only lomax I'm the backs has the X factor, he's a go to player when we need a break or a pass but IMO he's the only one in the backs capable of being a match winner.

Re: 2014 The year of the Saints? : Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:27 pm  

St pete wrote:

I don't agree with your assessment of our backs. All those have played this year and we've struggled massively to put points on the board at crucial times in games.

Makinson is a good steady player but isn't strike player and very rare he beats a man. He's a good finisher but he's not exactly a go to player when we need a break.

Swift looks a very good promising player but it's early days. Same with Percival.

Wheeler will not play.

Jones also isn't a strike player. He's also not a good centre. He won't (can't) pass. He plays with his head down and looks more of a Backrow than a centre. I like JJ, he's a good steady player but no strike player.

Wilkin isn't a back and not a strike player at all!!!!

Hohaia has been pretty awful.

Turner has done ok in his first season but I also don't expect him to make a break out of nothing.

Only lomax I'm the backs has the X factor, he's a go to player when we need a break or a pass but IMO he's the only one in the backs capable of being a match winner.

Don't tell me he is injured again already !