Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:41 pm  

Saint Simon wrote:

and 50% went up the middle? serious question

Er, yeah.

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:45 pm  

redex113 wrote:

The try he scored when switching hands behind his back was if truth be known a stroke of luck rather than genius.

Wrong!

It is a training ground exercise. He said so, on camera, at the time.

I can back that up as I've done it myself with primary school children. It's a very good exercise to encourage good ball control.

And yes, you do sound like you are running him down. He had a poor start to the season and he wasn't alone in that. But last year he did a lot to help us through the season and indeed in the GF, like kicking that incredible penalty from the halfway line. That takes real nerve in a GF when his team are on the back foot and have lost the game for the previous four years.

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:33 pm  

SaintsFan wrote:

Wrong!

It is a training ground exercise. He said so, on camera, at the time.

I can back that up as I've done it myself with primary school children. It's a very good exercise to encourage good ball control.

And yes, you do sound like you are running him down. He had a poor start to the season and he wasn't alone in that. But last year he did a lot to help us through the season and indeed in the GF, like kicking that incredible penalty from the halfway line. That takes real nerve in a GF when his team are on the back foot and have lost the game for the previous four years.

I think what he was trying to say was he wouldn't have practiced finishing a move by putting the ball round his back. Things like that do just happen sometimes in games like a miracle pass, you don't particularly practice them, they come off when needed.

Not taking away that it was brilliantly skillful though!

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:56 pm  

redex113 wrote:

Makinson 6.6 m ave from only three clean breaks looks pretty good against Fosters 8m ave from 23 clean breaks.

STATS? there are lies, lies and damn statistics.

6.6 is an average, you can't average it again without knowing more info.
6.6 m per carry, each carry was not a clean break.

Anyway my point was more about how similar all 3 are, hence Foster getting far more flak, than deserved. I was neither trying to prove one was better or one was worse just that all their figures are pretty similar some showing strengths slighty in one area or another, but none stand out as the obvious choice.

Lets not forget Ade has been doing what he's been doing at Saints for 10 years and last year was probably his best in the redvee. So the point stands whilst he may not be a Ryan Hall, Foster is not a great deal different from Makinson or Ade.

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Tue May 01, 2012 9:57 am  

You can't have 2 shrimps on the wings.
The success we had in gaining momentum early in the set when Meli and Gardner were moved back to the wing positions was extremely significant. Their ability to gain yards on the kick return and "win the collision" is vital to the go forward of the set.
Makinson doesn't really offer us this and Foster even less so. We could get away with one, perhaps, especially if he was a deadly goalkicker.

When Foster came through, he didn't do much going forward, but was extremely safe in taking kicks (remember Stevo giving him MoM against wigan) and added a brilliant goal kicker to the side. If he can get back to a no-error form,he could sake his claim again.

However, I think both he and Makinson are too small for the reletively 1-dimensional postion of wing. If they are to have any long term success, i think it will be in the centre or full back positions were they can use a bit more guile in their game.

Comparing the stats of the two? Well, just cast your mind back to how much Meli put on a plate for Foster to finish, combined with the chances created on the other side, then you'll realise you have to look into the stats a little deeper.

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Tue May 01, 2012 10:07 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

I can back that up as I've done it myself with primary school children. It's a very good exercise to encourage good ball control.

No further evidence needed.

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Tue May 01, 2012 12:19 pm  

SomersetSaint wrote:

He will probably go down in the anals with Danny Arnold and that other goal kicking winger who played outside Mal, whose name completely escapes me.

That's either a very unfortunate spelling mistake or a very dubious allegation!

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Tue May 01, 2012 1:39 pm  

TheOtherOne wrote:

That's either a very unfortunate spelling mistake or a very dubious allegation!

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Tue May 01, 2012 3:12 pm  

If he recovers his confidence then I see no reason why he can't get back into the first team. He'd need a good start because everybody will be scrutinising him for one reason or another and that's not good. If we can get behind him no matter what and he learns from his errors then why not.

Re: Have we seen the last of Foster? : Tue May 01, 2012 8:20 pm  

Smurf wrote:

:lol:

No further evidence needed.

Well, given that the head coach of a reputable local amateur rugby league club was the one who showed me how to coach it then yes, I suppose no further evidence is needed.

Idiot.