Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Sun Aug 07, 2011 4:22 pm  

St pete wrote:

Like I said, he's back in full training and available for selection. It's up to Royce if he thinks wheeler is fit enough or not.

i cant see wheeler being in the 19 man squad when it comes out on wednesday we are already playing with too many half fit players who need a op come the end of the season

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Sun Aug 07, 2011 4:51 pm  

Lomax isn't a full back, plain and simple. What is the point of wasting his step by shoving him to the back of the field and bringing him in on the 3rd tackle to get mullered by O'Loughlin etc after he has made 10m. He isn't a Tomkins type of player, he is most dangerous with ball in hand attacking players at the line.

We can't make a Sam Tomkins player, the way we play doesnt have that element to it. The three quarters we have now are fine, Meli has been in great form (for him) Makinson is giving 110% every week for a 19/20/21 year old lad playing aginst guys often a lot more developed than him, Shents is getting there but i feel an injury he had at cas might still be with him and why are people getting on Foster's back? He is another Ade but with a phenomenal goal kicking game and probably a little more pace. People on here would still complain about the lack of pace if we had Usain Bolt on the wing.

I agree we are without a game changer but again you dont build Sculthorpe's/Long's etc you have to be patient and see what comes of it. Leon was clearly unfit yesterday, he had a great first half but you can understand why Royce left him on, in 1 second Leon can change a game but unfortunately he didnt. With Leon's (IMO) impending departure Hohaia will play at 6, without doubt. Lomax will carry on at 7 and Makinson should go to full back when Ade comes back fit and ready.

I love you Wello so think about your place at Saints and what you can bring to the team. I agree that we were flat yesterday i think at one point Lomax passed the ball to a standing still James Graham so its not all clicking yet but play Leon against Hudds then dont even take him to Hull the week after and dot he same with Eastmond and Wellens

We used the same move to score both tries and like many have said Shents should have been given the ball more but we were beaten by the better team on defence and they were much much more clinical. I don't think we are too far away but i wouldn't fancy us to beat Warrington or Wigan. They will be at the Grand Final for sure IMO.

Still i was very proud of the lads yesterday, 100% effort on the field and the terraces.

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:08 pm  

IMO the backs ain't fine, they ain't good enough and we wont win anything with these current backs.

I'm not saying they are rubbish but for us to stay a top 3 side in the next few years and have a chance of winning something we need a centre and a halfback and most prob a prop.

I think the difference on Saturday was, they only needed few chances and they took them, we was camped out on wigans line for 30 mins in the first half and didn't look like scoring.

Meli is doing ok but he's not a centre and is just relying on his strength, the is nothing skillfull about him and he's no chance of creating anything unless he's in their 20 meter. He lacks pace and can be a liability in defense.

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:26 pm  

Rob Wire wrote:

I couldn't agree more abour Shenton, he was very lazy for the first Wigan try. I would have expected more urgency from him with it being a semi, if you can bare it then watch it again, he just casualy ambles across and doesn't put in any effort at all to close them down. With ball in hand he's a good player but he's not what you would call an X factor back, thats the problem with your backline is it doesn't have much X factor in the three quarters like it used to have down the years.

If you comapre this current backline to what saints have had in the past then its very average at best, Wellens and Meli are past their best, Shenton is average, Foster is ok but he's far from the finished article.

I'd say you need a new fullback (need to see how Hohaia goes), 2 better centres and at least one very dangerous winger (Broughton or Tom Briscoe maybe), a new scrum half, another prop to replace Graham, a classy back rower with pace in the Lee Gilmour mould, a better impact hooker or starting hooker and use Roby as the impact after 15 - 20 mins) and a classy loose forward, down the years you have had some very classy 13's.

Matty Blythe? John Clarke?
Pot Kettle Black.

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:28 pm  

Don't worry !! Leon Pryce will look world class on Friday night when we (Hudds defence) stand and admire him running through a huge gap to score, i have lost track the number of times in recent years I have seen him score off the same play at knowsley road...... huddersfield have a 'thing' about playing saints away and despite our home win I will be surprised if it doesn't continue Friday but I live in hope... i watched all 38 years of leeds games until this season and was at Knowsley road when we last won..... I live in hope.... just don't bring Kieron Cunningham out of retirement for Friday or I may stay at home.....

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:29 pm  

St pete wrote:

IMO the backs ain't fine, they ain't good enough and we wont win anything with these current backs.

I'm not saying they are rubbish but for us to stay a top 3 side in the next few years and have a chance of winning something we need a centre and a halfback and most prob a prop.

I think the difference on Saturday was, they only needed few chances and they took them, we was camped out on wigans line for 30 mins in the first half and didn't look like scoring.

Meli is doing ok but he's not a centre and is just relying on his strength, the is nothing skillfull about him and he's no chance of creating anything unless he's in their 20 meter. He lacks pace and can be a liability in defense.

I was in the east stand just yards from where we scored our tries and if you don't think he was skillful in his part in them there is no hope to change your opinion on him.

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:26 am  

saint at wire wrote:

I was in the east stand just yards from where we scored our tries and if you don't think he was skillful in his part in them there is no hope to change your opinion on him.

He can be extremely good at drawing in defenders and releasing the ball with just enough space and just the right timing to release Jamie the sparrow down the left hand side. When those two click near the line they are terrific. It's just such a pity it took until the last 15 minutes for them to click. We could have run riot down that edge with more composure.

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:59 am  

saint at wire wrote:

I was in the east stand just yards from where we scored our tries and if you don't think he was skillful in his part in them there is no hope to change your opinion on him.

Yes and I've seen his awful throw it anywhere passes which are totally embarrassing.

Unless we get in there 20 meter, Meli is not useful at all. He will never be a player to score long range try. He's a good finisher and has done ok but he's never a real centre.

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:37 am  

On my goodness.

The Chair Maker wrote:

Lets look at our 3qtrs then

Shenton England international centre - in the absence of anyone any good. He's OK but he's not good enough and is not international standard.
Meli former NZ winger, and NRL winger of the year, and also current exiles winger. FORMER is the operative word. Past it though to be fair he shows occasional flashes of brilliance. His cockups let him down, though.
Foster emerging England Winger - says who? He's OK, he can kick a ball and is quick. What else does he offer?
Makinson England academy captain. - You know as well as I do that there is one hell of a gulf between academy and Super League. He's a long way to go yet.
Gardner England and GB international Wing - and was badly shown up as both. Gardner has never, EVER done anything other than fall over try lines unopposed. I've NEVER seen him beat a man, and he was playing outside of Matt Gidley. I'd score tries outside of Matt Gidley.

No pace or ability in that line up.

Re: I've said it before and I'll say it again..... : Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:15 pm  

So Shenton is not good enough, basically translates to there is no England centre good enough for Saints.
Meli is not good enough basically translates to there is not a SL centre outside of Carmont from Wigan good enough for Saints.
Foster has no pace, and can't beat a man, yet when he got his hatrick against Catalan's he seamed to beat a few of them for pace.

Makinson well the jury is out, but it is his first year.
Wellens, well there is much agreement on that.

So what is being said is that our 4 players on the wing and centre, must be brought in from NRL, with the exception of Carmont.

Are we living in cloud cookoo land. You can only have 5 overseas under normal rules anymore.

It's just not going to happen, the days of busting the salary cap and packing your squad with kolpak NRL players are gone. If you want to replace any of the above 4 it needs to be done within Saints or other SL clubs.

So unless we are suggesting that the Saints board can buy the wigan backs, this is all completely pointless. Meli has one more year at that point depending on whether some others like Soliola stays we may get a chance to get an NRL centre, but it will not be a top player, it will be someone on a pension or someone struggling to get in. The NRL already beats us hands down money wise and this gap will only increase. We have to make our own or buy from other clubs.

Anyone got any credible suggestions better than what we already have???