Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 9:16 am  

The Chair Maker wrote:

The club may take the long term view that Lomax and Wheeler need to be given first team action on a regular basis in order to reach their full potential.

If we take it that Wheeler and Shenton cover the two centres.
Then that would mean Lomax has to play elsewhere. Wello has just signed for 2 years, so thats fullback pretty much off limits for Lomax, except if Wello is injured.
Wing is an option but Jamie Foster looks cemented in one wing sport and Meli has just signed for two years. That seems to indicate he has the other wing spot.
All the smoke re Gardner , seems to indicate he knows he hasnt got a guaranteed spot next year, hence he is looking to move on.
Suspect the club will regard Tom Armstrong as the backup winger to Foster and Meli if either get injured. Hence him signing for one more year.

Where then do we play Lomax. The club may therefore take a punt on releasing Pryce and using Lomax as standoff.
Alternatively Wheeler could be put at standoff and Lomax played at centre as he was in the grand final.

People need to bare in mind that Pryce will be 30 years old at the back end of next season. Therefore he is at that age were the club and player will be reviewing their long term options.
At best I think Pryce will see out 2011 as a Saint. I dont think he will be with us after that though. We have too many good youngsters biting at his heels.

This is all great except what happens when we get injuries, or even an injury? We have to assume that like this year we'll rarely put out a completely 1st choice back line.

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 9:48 am  

Harry Pinner wrote:

This is all great except what happens when we get injuries, or even an injury? We have to assume that like this year we'll rarely put out a completely 1st choice back line.

Indeed. Selling Leon would be excusable if he were replaced by a similarly experienced but more creative stand off. Not under any other circumstances, IMO.

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 10:11 am  

Dux wrote:

Indeed. Selling Leon would be excusable if he were replaced by a similarly experienced but more creative stand off. Not under any other circumstances, IMO.

A suitabley creative player would be able to switch between 1/2 and 5/8, meaning we'd then only have to get one of Wheeler, Eastmond and Lomax on the pitch at a time, which may be do-able

I wonder whether Royce will employ split half backs, or 1st and 2nd?

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 1:16 pm  

Its quite a tough one this and its not going away in a hurry. Latest sketchy rumours are that Orfords future wont be decided until early November, so nothing can happen until then. There's clearly a concern over the fitness of the players who would step in for leon, Lomax/wheeler and then there's gaskell a year younger again i think, but are any of these ready to take the 6 shirt at saints full time? a year in that position will make or break them, it worked for Tomkins so it could work for us.

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 6:57 pm  

Offside Monkey wrote:

A suitabley creative player would be able to switch between 1/2 and 5/8, meaning we'd then only have to get one of Wheeler, Eastmond and Lomax on the pitch at a time, which may be do-able

I wonder whether Royce will employ split half backs, or 1st and 2nd?

Are you Paul Cullen?

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 7:49 pm  

Harry Pinner wrote:

This is all great except what happens when we get injuries, or even an injury? We have to assume that like this year we'll rarely put out a completely 1st choice back line.

Well we coped pretty damn well this year without Pryce and Eastmond for long periods.

If Pryce left, we would have Eastmond, Ellis, Wheeler, Lomax, Moore, Gaskell, Flannery and Wilkin who can all cover in the halves.
I would just be tempted to sell Pryce for say £100k and then bring through some of the younger players. The alternative is to see Pryce leave 12 months down the line, with Saints getting nothing.

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:23 pm  

The Chair Maker wrote:

I would just be tempted to sell Pryce for say £100k and then bring through some of the younger players.

We've got enough 'younger players' IMO. Just because they are young doesn't mean they are any good. If you bring through 5 'wonderkid' style players, only one or two will ever turn into anything. Acting the big dog against kids, 95% of whom won't make it at any level is one thing, doing it in SL is another.

Of the current crop:

Eastmond - Superb technically, has that individual magic. But injury prone and seems 100% destined for Union.
Lomax - Should be playing fullback. Wellens is a big weakness in the big games. Having Lomax at 6 instead of Leon is a massive drop on current ability levels. He's an exciting player but it would be an ENORMOUS risk throwing a halfback partnership of Lomax and Eastmond in together. With Keiron gone we're already down to very few 'old heads'.
Wheeler - I can't honestly remember what he looks like he's spent that much time out. I have only seen one run, away to Huddersfield, where he looked SL quality. All the other games I saw he looked a nervous kid who has spent too much time in the gym working on his guns and too little paying attention in training.
Ellis - To be fair to him I have no idea how good he is. He looked terrible in one game I saw, dropping everything. I heard he was leaving the club, did this not happen?
Gaskell - Had a couple of very lively cameo performances this season and looked very good. Reminded me of David Peachey. Looks too tall and gangly to be playing in the halves, fullback or centre looked more natural positions for him.

Moore is a hooker, Flannery a waste of an overseas spot and nowhere near a halfback either.

IF we let Leon go the position he vacated would become like our 'other' centre spot has been since Wild Bill left. Various kids and players from other positions playing there and us basically carrying them.

I bet we're the only side in SL who cannot field a 13 with players in their natural positions.

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 10:11 pm  

The Chair Maker wrote:

Well we coped pretty damn well this year without Pryce and Eastmond for long periods.

If Pryce left, we would have Eastmond, Ellis, Wheeler, Lomax, Moore, Gaskell, Flannery and Wilkin who can all cover in the halves.
I would just be tempted to sell Pryce for say £100k and then bring through some of the younger players. The alternative is to see Pryce leave 12 months down the line, with Saints getting nothing.

The only realistic replacements are lomax, wheeler and Gaskell. Wheeler Was almost permanently injured for the last two years, lomax I really like but also seems a little fragile, and Gaskell needs at least another year before he breaks into the first team full time.
Wilkin, flannery and Moore are never halves, this year proved that and I doubt ellis will be with us long if rumours are true

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Tue Oct 26, 2010 10:36 pm  

If Pryce goes, a quality replacement is a must. I'm pretty sure that if Pryce is following Potter, McManus has already gone a long way to sourcing his replacement.

It would leave too big a gap for us to paper over with a young 'un

Re: Leon Pryce Coming Home (How Much?) : Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:04 am  

Bradford admit to Orford asking for a release, more Leon fuel?