How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 3:40 pm  

So this season has probably matched most peoples expectations, in terms of lack of success, if not lack of entertainment. How are we going to fare in the years to come? Am sure there are some on here who will only see doom and gloom (mentioning no names *cough* saddened) but is t really so bad?

For me, the positives are that we have a settled squad, bringing in a top player in Manu, and a couple of players in Turner and Walmesly who may do ok. Also, the new coach will hopefully sort out a few of our issues. Our young players like Lomax, Makinson and Jones will have another year under thier belts, and will continue to mature. So we should be able to at least hold our own position from this year.

However, I would say in relation to the other top teams, we are going to do ok. Wigan have continued to weaken their squad, the loss of Leulaaui, Finch, Carmont and Lima havent been replaced, as they didnt replace Hoffman last term. Warrington are looking old, their players aren't going to go on forever, and this weekend may be their best chance to win the GF. Leeds, well, difficult one to call, they are rubbish all year, and yet can get up for the big games. Are any other clubs coming out of the pile? I can't see any, Hull have been promising for years, but delivered nothing, Hudds were shocking all year, and Cats are just Cats.

So, Saints will be there or thereabouts again, as other clubs get worse, and pass us on the way down. Don't write us off for silverware next year.

Re: How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:27 pm  

We do seem to be getting stronger. I'm hoping we can win silver next year but for me we are desperate for a leader. IIRC we haven't won anything significant since Scully retired have we?

Re: How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:48 pm  

SomersetSaint wrote:

So this season has probably matched most peoples expectations, in terms of lack of success, if not lack of entertainment. How are we going to fare in the years to come? Am sure there are some on here who will only see doom and gloom (mentioning no names *cough* saddened) but is t really so bad?

For me, the positives are that we have a settled squad, bringing in a top player in Manu, and a couple of players in Turner and Walmesly who may do ok. Also, the new coach will hopefully sort out a few of our issues. Our young players like Lomax, Makinson and Jones will have another year under thier belts, and will continue to mature. So we should be able to at least hold our own position from this year.

However, I would say in relation to the other top teams, we are going to do ok. Wigan have continued to weaken their squad, the loss of Leulaaui, Finch, Carmont and Lima havent been replaced, as they didnt replace Hoffman last term. Warrington are looking old, their players aren't going to go on forever, and this weekend may be their best chance to win the GF. Leeds, well, difficult one to call, they are rubbish all year, and yet can get up for the big games. Are any other clubs coming out of the pile? I can't see any, Hull have been promising for years, but delivered nothing, Hudds were shocking all year, and Cats are just Cats.

So, Saints will be there or thereabouts again, as other clubs get worse, and pass us on the way down. Don't write us off for silverware next year.

I think you will go well. In all honesty who, possibly apart from Hull, are going to challenge the current top five? Any one of those teams on their day can beat any of the others.

My view is that there is currently no outstanding team in the competition and not many class rugby players. There will be a tendancy for teams to promote players through their junior systems over the next few years as we see a drastic reduction in overseas players. Therefore, we probably need to examine what is happening at U20s level - four semi-finalists: Warrington, Saints, Wigan and Leeds. At younger levels Wigan, Saints, Leeds and Warrington will continue to prosper - Iv'e seem some cracking games this year and their are a number of possible stars emerging. The current batch of Wigan U16s I believe will produce 4/5 future internationals with the other three clubs producing slightly less. I think that Wigan has made a significant move in Wales and I would think that 1/2 players would join the academy each year.

In summary, I don't any changes to the top 5 but perhaps a change in order.

Re: How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:34 pm  

I commented on another thread in this forum a couple of days ago saying Saints had the chance to take advantage of a vacuum at the top between 2013-15. Wigan are a decent team with one outstanding player that makes them a top side, but they are signing some pretty average players. After a couple of good years where Wigan have moved out of the Saints shadow I think they might slip back into it soon.

Warrington are going to lose Briers, Hodgson, Michael Monaghan and Morley who are four key players. We have got good players in their early and mid 20s, so we aren't going to implode, but we will have a hard job replacing them. Leeds are in the same position as us.

So with good recruitment if Nathan Brown does a good job I can see Saints winning a couple of titles or at least a couple of trophies in the next three years. I think now you have moved into the new stadium the future for Saints is going to be very good.

Re: How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:15 pm  

I think we will stay where we are now for next season if we don,t sort our half backs out. The Pack will be stronger, might lose 1 or 2 games less, at the same time Wigan and Warrington could be slightly weaker. We desperately need an inspirational leader, but would,t have a clue where we could get one of those.

Re: How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:21 pm  

Warrington will be strong once again next season. They were the team to beat this season and will be same again next season. That won't change until their old guard retire and possibly when Tony Smith decides to go aswell. They'll find it tough replacing those players and Smith.

As for us, we're slightly stronger in playing personnel next year but not massively and we're still short in key areas - strike in the three quarters and no real out an out half back besides Gaskell. We need a number 7 who will lead and direct us around the field. Put a Sean Long or Lee Briers in our team and we all of a sudden become a completely different prospect. Brown should be able to develop players better than our previous two or three coaches and I just hope he's here to stick around and see out the project, that has to be the big concern with Brown. We've not really had a quality coach since Anderson left. Potter was decent but not great and Simmons was the poorest coach we've had in a long time IMO.

Re: How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:25 pm  

Everything depends on the coach. Literally everything. We haven't had one in 4 years now and the fact that we've still been a bit of luck away from winning a few trophies in that time proves how strong our personnel basically is. A half would be nice, but if Brown can extract the best from Wheeler, Lomax and Gaskell then there's not an awful lot we'll be lacking out on the field compared to the opposition. Maggie's run at Wigan proves what a top coach can do with an average squad these days in such a mediocre league - the sky's the limit if Brown proves to finally be that top coach for us. I remain to be convinced but I think there's no reason to not be optimistic so far. And as for the opposition, Leeds and Warrington aside it's hard to see much to fear next season, and some of Leeds' and Wire's top players are approaching an age where their performances are likely to start tailing off soon. There's a lot of 'if's, but I think we can be cautiously very, very optimistic for the new season.

Re: How rosey is our future? : Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:24 pm  

What Brown did at Huddersfield was really superb, discounting the fact that they tailed away this season (after they knew he was leaving).

At St George-Illawarra though, Brown was a bit like Paul Cullen was at Warrington. He was OK, but given the resources at his disposal he underachieved. The Dragons had a lot of rep level players but never seemed to be quite there.

I still think the jury is out on Brown a bit, but the fact he did so well at Hudds, is encouraging. He was young and still the same age as some of his players when he got the Dragons job which was a huge job for someone with no coaching experience, fans hero or not. He has had to learn through his mistakes and the signs were in England that he could be emerging into a real top coach.

Re: How rosey is our future? : Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:43 am  

we wont be really good side again without a good hb partnership. Lomax has struggled with Lance this year and we need Gaskell back in the side. Hopefully brown will see this