Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:32 pm  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote: More comments from Brown here: http://saintsrlfc.com/news/256 Jones due to play right centre. What's wrong with Beaumont? Anyone know?

The Yellow Giraffe wrote: More comments from Brown here: http://saintsrlfc.com/news/256 Jones due to play right centre. What's wrong with Beaumont? Anyone know?

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:33 pm  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

What's wrong with Beaumont? Anyone know?

Groin I think, but not 100% certain.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:50 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Hardaker
Hall
Moon
Jones-Bishop
Briscoe

Just to put it into perspective. Leeds are a team most people seem to think we're going to be better than. Their backline seems better than ours however. Two genuine international wingers and far better centres (Moon is the best centre in Super League). There is only really Lomax where we can hold a candle to Leeds and it's not like Hardaker is a bad player.

I think everyone agrees that the Leeds back line is an exceptional group. Hopefully the recruitment of Walsh and our forward reinforcements would swing the battle in our way.

Lomax, I wouldn't swap for anyone. Most would agree on that. He could be man of steel good.
Percival will hopefully be great, but needs time and we should let it happen naturally rather than throwing a very skinny kid in at the deep end.
Swift I a lad that think could be very, very good this coming year and Jones is a player that isn't quite appreciated fully imo
Despite your posts, I think Turner finished the season very strongly in the centre showing really good plays to get makinson over in the corner. I also don't share your derision about his defence. I am, however, similarly unimpressed by his, as you put it, gay skip and thought he was poor in his games at 6 last year. Moving him is a mistake.
Makinson is pretty good and improved last year after stuttering, but until he finds a way to unleash his pace, will never be in the running for any sort of rep honours.

Moving Turner to 6 confirms what a lot suspected, that Brown can't decide on what he wants to do from one week to the next. Looney Tunes.

Superleague's best centre, in my contraversial opinion, has just left Saints for Salford.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:52 pm  

The Yellow Giraffe wrote:

Groin I think, but not 100% certain.

Another career ender ?

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:04 pm  

It's interesting to note that Percival has bulked up significantly over the off season, he is now:

4kg lighter than Jonny Lomax
The same weight as Lance Hohaia
1kg heaver than Luke Walsh
1kg lighter than Gary Wheeler

So he's not as skinny as we think him to be anymore, admittedly he is slightly taller than the others but not by much. It could be a good year for him.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:08 pm  

Offside Monkey wrote:

I think everyone agrees that the Leeds back line is an exceptional group. Hopefully the recruitment of Walsh and our forward reinforcements would swing the battle in our way.

Lomax, I wouldn't swap for anyone. Most would agree on that. He could be man of steel good.
Percival will hopefully be great, but needs time and we should let it happen naturally rather than throwing a very skinny kid in at the deep end.
Swift I a lad that think could be very, very good this coming year and Jones is a player that isn't quite appreciated fully imo
Despite your posts, I think Turner finished the season very strongly in the centre showing really good plays to get makinson over in the corner. I also don't share your derision about his defence. I am, however, similarly unimpressed by his, as you put it, gay skip and thought he was poor in his games at 6 last year. Moving him is a mistake.
Makinson is pretty good and improved last year after stuttering, but until he finds a way to unleash his pace, will never be in the running for any sort of rep honours.

Moving Turner to 6 confirms what a lot suspected, that Brown can't decide on what he wants to do from one week to the next. Looney Tunes.

Superleague's best centre, in my contraversial opinion, has just left Saints for Salford.

Didn't makinson play for knights last year - aka rep honours I do fear he will go the way of Gardner ... But the Wigan home game has gone someway to dispel my concern.

Melis defence is too weak to be considered "best super league centre" - his tackle to missed tackle ratio is shocking! (97:30) - turner, who saddened claim is dire in defence is (465:49) roughly 3x better! Jones, who I'd call a defensive centre is (640:20). There's no doubt Meli is great in attack, but it's easy to be when you do so little defensive work!

I'm genuinely struggling to name someone who would be a standout contender for best centre ...

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:54 pm  

BackrowSaint wrote:

It's interesting to note that Percival has bulked up significantly over the off season, he is now:

4kg lighter than Jonny Lomax
The same weight as Lance Hohaia
1kg heaver than Luke Walsh
1kg lighter than Gary Wheeler

So he's not as skinny as we think him to be anymore, admittedly he is slightly taller than the others but not by much. It could be a good year for him.

I don't think his size was a problem. He could do with being bigger but I don't think it was a major concern.

Brown took him out because he was missing tackles but imo he was just being targeted as he was young and wasn't just ready at that moment in time. We know he can tackle as he was exceptional in his first few games against big clubs but like I said, he just wasn't ready at that time and Brown was correct to get him out.


With ball in hand, he was our go to back.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:43 pm  

From the St Helens Star:



He does look like he's beefed up a bit.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 4:54 pm  

Dux wrote:

From the St Helens Star:



He does look like he's beefed up a bit.

Looks good.
A raised a point a couple of years ago that the skinny/wiry kids like Foster and Gaskell, Tomkins from the other side and Roby going back a few years seem a lot more durable than the chunky lads like Eastmond, Lomax and Wheeler (all of whom were having injury periods around that time).

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Wed Jan 29, 2014 5:13 pm  

Going back to the Turner to Stand off.
I think most would say that Turner has done a good job at Centre. Far better than the much vaunted Shenton.

Now if you look at his skills as a player and the skills that Kevin Brown had when playing centre. Brown (the coach) has taken a somewhat shakey but decent centre in Kevin Brown and moulded him into a Stand Off.
If he can do that there is an arguement that he has form for taking players from one position and finding them a better one.

Even with Lomax last year he showed that he can take a player who has played one role and find a better position that matches their skill set.

I think benefit of the doubt should be given on this one as his form for moving players is good. It does worry me that in the Centre's we will be at bare bones.