Trio extend contracts : Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:47 am  

SAINTS have handed four-and-a-half year contract extensions to three young and promising members of their squad. Academy products Mark Percival, Luke Thompson and Greg Richards have all put pen to paper on deals until the end of the 2018 season. Head Coach Nathan Brown said: "We're delighted to have signed up Mark, Luke and Greg. They are three good players who are continuously improving the more Super League experience they get. "Their task now is to keep their heads down, work hard and learn from the experience of playing first grade rugby league. If they do that then they can all go far in the game." Percival, 20, made his debut against Leeds in 2013 and has gone on to make 15 appearances for the Club. Lightning quick off the mark, the centre has scored six tries and kicked 12 goals, and is still improving. Teammate Luke Thompson 19-years-old and has impressed since his bow at London last season. He's a forward who can play anywhere in the pack and has represented England on their Academy Tour of Australia. The former Bold Miner has been one of Nathan Brown's most consistent performers this season too and has made 14 appearances, in total, in the Red Vee. Like Mark and Luke, Cumbrian Greg Richards also made his debut last season after performing well in the under 19s set up. Hailing from Barrow, he is an out and out prop with a big engine and played for England Under 18s at the age of 16. He also won Forward of the Year on Saints Academy's unbeaten tour of Australia in 2011. Greg, 18, has played nine times for the Saints. http://www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/4068 Great news! Now where's Greenwood

SAINTS have handed four-and-a-half year contract extensions to three young and promising members of their squad. Academy products Mark Percival, Luke Thompson and Greg Richards have all put pen to paper on deals until the end of the 2018 season. Head Coach Nathan Brown said: "We're delighted to have signed up Mark, Luke and Greg. They are three good players who are continuously improving the more Super League experience they get. "Their task now is to keep their heads down, work hard and learn from the experience of playing first grade rugby league. If they do that then they can all go far in the game." Percival, 20, made his debut against Leeds in 2013 and has gone on to make 15 appearances for the Club. Lightning quick off the mark, the centre has scored six tries and kicked 12 goals, and is still improving. Teammate Luke Thompson 19-years-old and has impressed since his bow at London last season. He's a forward who can play anywhere in the pack and has represented England on their Academy Tour of Australia. The former Bold Miner has been one of Nathan Brown's most consistent performers this season too and has made 14 appearances, in total, in the Red Vee. Like Mark and Luke, Cumbrian Greg Richards also made his debut last season after performing well in the under 19s set up. Hailing from Barrow, he is an out and out prop with a big engine and played for England Under 18s at the age of 16. He also won Forward of the Year on Saints Academy's unbeaten tour of Australia in 2011. Greg, 18, has played nine times for the Saints. http://www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/4068 Great news! Now where's Greenwood

Re: Trio extend contracts : Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:55 am  

& Wello

Out the 3 i'm delighted Percival has signed as he has the potential if he sorts his injurys out to play for England in the future?

Re: Trio extend contracts : Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:22 am  

Rommel wrote:

& Wello

Surely not?

Rommel wrote:

Out the 3 i'm delighted Percival has signed as he has the potential if he sorts his injurys out to play for England in the future?

Not convinced. With the ball he looked likely when he first broke into the squad, but defensively he's always been massively lacking.

Re: Trio extend contracts : Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:10 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Surely not?

Not convinced. With the ball he looked likely when he first broke into the squad, but defensively he's always been massively lacking.

When Saints were on fire in the first 7-8 games i'd have agreed with you on Wello as we were carrying him but over the last few games he's shown once again how on the field playing he can be very influential?
He can't be asking for a top wage now so what harm will another year do?

Re: Trio extend contracts : Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:15 pm  

Rommel wrote:

When Saints were on fire in the first 7-8 games i'd have agreed with you on Wello as we were carrying him but over the last few games he's shown once again how on the field playing he can be very influential?
He can't be asking for a top wage now so what harm will another year do?

Has he? I'm not convinced by that. He wasn't inspirational in the big games we've had this season. He shouldn't need to be on the field to be motivating the players.

Wello could easily do what he's doing when he's 50. Where do you draw the line? I just think if he's so good a motivator and such an inspirational person, as people claim, why not give him a coaching job and let him do that from there?

Re: Trio extend contracts : Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:22 pm  

Rommel wrote:

When Saints were on fire in the first 7-8 games i'd have agreed with you on Wello as we were carrying him but over the last few games he's shown once again how on the field playing he can be very influential?
He can't be asking for a top wage now so what harm will another year do?

I agree with you that Wello is important to us in terms of his experience and leadership. I think anyone with eyes in their head can see that. However, I'm not sure that we should be offering him a new deal on that basis. This new team of ours needs to learn how to handle the big games on their own. Someone (or more than one) needs to step up and show leadership on the field. The team cannot continue to lean on a 34 year old former fullback now utility player. The risk of offering Wello a new contract would be that the team will continue to do just that and we will never grow up, so to speak.

Re: Trio extend contracts : Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:21 am  

I wonder if had Jamie Peacock or Adrian Morley or Menzies had played for Saints had some fans been saying to get shut of them.

It seems some people write off players because they're in their mid 30's when they still have a lot to offer to the team. It's good having 1 or 2 old heads in a team. Wellens still has a lot to offer to the team as a player.

Re: Trio extend contracts : Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:35 am  

SaintsFan wrote:

I agree with you that Wello is important to us in terms of his experience and leadership. I think anyone with eyes in their head can see that. However, I'm not sure that we should be offering him a new deal on that basis. This new team of ours needs to learn how to handle the big games on their own. Someone (or more than one) needs to step up and show leadership on the field. The team cannot continue to lean on a 34 year old former fullback now utility player. The risk of offering Wello a new contract would be that the team will continue to do just that and we will never grow up, so to speak.

Like Leeds with Sinfield ? But who of our present squad could show the kind of leadership that we require?
Wilkin ? I doubt it, Roby? Lomax? The last good leader we had was Jammer and since then nobody has come anywhere near that standard. Decisions need to be made as to our future captain, who that will be your guess is as good as mine.

Re: Trio extend contracts : Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:24 am  

Twentyman wrote:

I wonder if had Jamie Peacock or Adrian Morley or Menzies had played for Saints had some fans been saying to get shut of them.

It seems some people write off players because they're in their mid 30's when they still have a lot to offer to the team. It's good having 1 or 2 old heads in a team. Wellens still has a lot to offer to the team as a player.

Wellens isn't and never was anywhere near as good as those two as players though. If Wello was 19 and performed as he does now, he wouldn't get a game and he'd be released. Wello is a savvy player and would do the odd good thing like the run off Walsh's shoulder until the cows come home, but look at his game in general, offers absolutely nothing in the pack in attack or defense. Defensively at fullback he's not good enough, twice Salford broke and strolled past him like he wasn't there. His chiming into the line wastes far too many moves as he just doesn't have the pace to threaten an organised defense. His kick returns also put the team under unnecessary pressure, through either the wingers having to cover over to the middle of the field to return it themselves or him only just managing to recover the ball before he's tackled.

Saints just need to be strong and draw a line under it before it becomes farcical. Wello isn't good enough as a player or Captain to warrant playing another season. Give him the coaching job he's apparently so suited to and let the team move on.

Re: Trio extend contracts : Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:24 am  

Saddened! wrote:

Saints just need to be strong and draw a line under it before it becomes farcical. Wello isn't good enough as a player or Captain to warrant playing another season. Give him the coaching job he's apparently so suited to and let the team move on.

But before the club do that they need to find an inspirational leader or captain first to take over the job. Wilkin looks a short term candidate for the job, but even he is a potential player to get rid by people on here.
The biggest danger is having lots of potentially good young players who look for guidance in big games where you need focus and composure and we end up with a lot of headless chickens, I would imagine this is a very big concern for Brown and McManus.
So who do you select as leader and captain to avoid the concern, instead of the mindset of getting rid of Wello and Wilkin and hoping a leader and captain will pop up from somewhere.