Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 10:39 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Not if it held back the development of Powell, Williams and Hampshire (even Shorrocks)

So your basically saying Green doesn't need replacing ?

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:12 am  

In the halves you want quality and experience, it's such a pivotal position where alot of organising, talking and dictating of the plays take place.

The latest article from Brown is pretty ominous for me. He says Dave Hewitt is a good prospect but not yet ready for 1st team rugby and we are actively looking at experienced options for next year. If Burns does sign and gives us 3 years (with Walsh only here for another 1 maybe 2 probably at best) it will allow a smoother transition for us to blood Hewitt (or even Charnock, who keeps getting mentioned) over time and allow him to grow into the role naturally rather than throw him in at the deep end expecting him to dominate and direct more experienced players around the field.

If we sign Burns for next year our 1, 6, 7 and 9 options are fantastic, the best in the league by a long way and it will give us much more flexibility in the squad.

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:14 am  

St pete wrote:

So your basically saying Green doesn't need replacing ?

No, I'd have taken someone like Burns, but only on a max two year deal, similar to the way we have used Matt Bowen.

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:22 am  

Blobbynator wrote:

In the halves you want quality and experience, it's such a pivotal position where alot of organising, talking and dictating of the plays take place.

The latest article from Brown is pretty ominous for me. He says Dave Hewitt is a good prospect but not yet ready for 1st team rugby and we are actively looking at experienced options for next year. If Burns does sign and gives us 3 years (with Walsh only here for another 1 maybe 2 probably at best) it will allow a smoother transition for us to blood Hewitt (or even Charnock, who keeps getting mentioned) over time and allow him to grow into the role naturally rather than throw him in at the deep end expecting him to dominate and direct more experienced players around the field.

If we sign Burns for next year our 1, 6, 7 and 9 options are fantastic, the best in the league by a long way and it will give us much more flexibility in the squad.

Why is that ominous? Seems he is talking a lot of sense, and you are agreeing with him?

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:26 am  

The Chief wrote:

On the subject of Lance, as a World Cup winner, he is surely on a decent wedge. I sometimes wonder if the club would be financially better off if they had just paid Eastmond what Offiah claims he was worth at the time he was negotiating his first major contract when Lomgy retired. I seem to remember the rumours being that the club played hard ball and wouldn't offer him any more than 2 years. I wonder if it would have been better business in hindsight.

Burns will certainly be a great signing, in terms of his half back play, organisational skills, his leadership and his sheer competitiveness. There may be questions over whether he fits into the Saints type of player mould but let's be honest, I can think of more successful players who were thought to be difficult than genuine nice guys who are squeaky clean professionals. I'm sure we still have the management structure to cope with the odd Sean Long character.

Eastmond was always injured in his last season at Saints, and has spent a huge amount of time missing due to injuries at bath, where he hardly ever has any physical contact with anyone else! He would have been another Wheeler, paying him a wedge to sit on the physios table would have been suicidal.

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:29 am  

SomersetSaint wrote:

Why is that ominous? Seems he is talking a lot of sense, and you are agreeing with him?

Wrong use of the word there, but you get the point!

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:40 am  

Blobbynator wrote:

If we sign Burns for next year our 1, 6, 7 and 9 options are fantastic, the best in the league by a long way and it will give us much more flexibility in the squad.

Steady on soldier!

People said exactly the same about our pack, yet Amor, Walmsley, LMS, Laffranchi, Manu, Sia, Masoe, Laffranchi and Roby somehow still seem to be bullied when it mattered.

There is a lot more wrong at Saints than personnel on the field. Sure we had some stunning holes in the squad that should never have been allowed to materalise and which are slowly being closed. But until there is a massive change in culture at the club we will not win a thing. I don't think we'll ever win a trophy until the likes of McManus, Rush and even (Although it's not nice to say it) Cunningham and Wellens leave the club. To win in professional sport you have to be clinical and ruthless, qualities we simply do not have on any level.

I could also dissect your assertion about those players in comparison with other clubs too. Is anyone convinced by Lomax? Looked bright as a kid, flourished at full back for a brief period, then spent 12 months looking jaded during which his performances were nothing to get excited about. Hopefully his op will fix this, but he's not kicked on for me and there are quite a few that could claim to be better fullbacks in SL.

Burns would be good at 6, adding some of the grunt we need. Is Walsh going to be here next year? Is he going to be healthy enough? Is he going to be the same player he was? All massive question marks. Even Roby at 9 is debatable. Clarke is out and out better than Roby now and he'll be playing for Warrington next year.

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:46 am  

This is the article Blobby has referred to. http://www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/4230

This is the article Blobby has referred to. http://www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/4230

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:51 am  

St pete wrote:

Wane didn't pull the plug. The plug was pulled for him.

By the player or Lenagan?

Either way I think it works out to be the correct decision for Wigan. We can't afford to hold the young players back and risk losing them. I'd be nervous if we only had the one option but to have three cracking lads fighting over it gives me confidence.

Burns will be a good signing for anyone who gets him mind.

Re: Travis burns : Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:13 pm  

Would people rather have Travis burns for 2-3 seasons or take a punt trying to prise someone like Ryan Hampshire away from Wigan? Not all three of the youngsters can play 6 at the same time. I suspect least one of those 3 is going to be looking for regular first team action next season.