Travis Burns : Sun May 31, 2015 8:48 pm  

What does everyone think of him so far?

I think he's been a bit underwhelming so far but I can't help but think he's been told to play a certain way. He is constantly getting caught at the line with the ball and if he's managed to pass its that silly drop off pass.

I remember fearing playing against him as he was so dominant and his kicking game was so good. However I haven't seen that so far...I think he went missing today and Wilkin ran the show and did a good job in his absence.

I am impressed with his defending and I love his attitude. I just think he has a lot more to give in the red vee.

Re: Travis Burns : Sun May 31, 2015 8:55 pm  

He's still in his first season. So you have to cut him some slack.

I think he wants to take on the line. But I'm not sure he has the legs any more. I don't think Travis Burns goes hiding. This is the guy who played on with half his face caved in against Hull KR.

As for his kicking - I think the answer is pretty simple. At Saints his long-distance kicking is nowhere near as essential as it was at Hull KR. The main reason being there isn't usually much distance to kick into once Saints' forward pack has finished its set of five tackles.

I do know his SHORT kicking game was one of the reasons we won the match at Hull.

Re: Travis Burns : Sun May 31, 2015 9:25 pm  

Most of the season I've been impressed. When Walsh came back he seemed to change his role slightly and today he seemed something of a passenger.

However, I forgot that he had smashed his face in and so you can attribute some of the change in his play, to being cautious about the face.

Even Tommy Martyn had the odd game were he did very little..

Not his best game today, but a great buy overall for the season. It's also nice to have a halfback who can also put a shift in, when it comes to tackling.

Re: Travis Burns : Sun May 31, 2015 9:26 pm  

I like Burns he's a proper half back but struggles at times to get consistent form, he has kept us ticking over whilst everyone around him in the back line are struggling with injuries. A lot of good half back play is working your combinations but he can,t do that because he seems to have a different partner every couple of weeks and the same goes to the player outside of him.

If he had Walsh, Turner and Percival for 4 or 5 consecutive games then he could settle into a more productive role, in my opinion he is holding the team together but can,t play the fancy, entertaining stuff so perhaps he gets a bit of criticism because of the situation.

Re: Travis Burns : Sun May 31, 2015 10:02 pm  

I don't particularly rate him with the ball. He's ponderous when moving along the line and not quick or strong enough when attacking the line. I wouldn't be surprised if he was carrying a knock at the moment though as he seems to double over whenever the ball is dead as if he's in pain.

His defense is somewhat questionable as well, particularly close to the line. But he gets stuck in and we need that bravado badly as we don't have many mongrels in the team.

Would I drop him? Absolutely not. He's imperative for his attitude and approach to the game. He's a 30 year old+ Australian with no connection to the town or team. Yet he sweats blood week in week out and would run through brick walls all day for the boys, then get up and wind the bricks up. Love him.

Re: Travis Burns : Mon Jun 01, 2015 5:58 am  

Close to the line at Hull KR his kicks were deadly but we don't hardly see any with him at Saints?
Is this the coaching fault or Travis being rubbish this year?

Re: Travis Burns : Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:02 am  

I think he's been a mixed bag. Whether he is carrying a knock I'm not too sure but going forward with the ball I'm not convinced. He looks tentative with his decision making and doesn't really have the pace to break the line when he joins the line off Wilkin close to the opposition's try line. You'd like to think that with Luke Walsh out and Wilko in at 7 that he'd be taking a little bit more on with regards to kicking the ball (especially on exit coming out of our own half). Maybe that's tactical, maybe it isn't but I'd like to see him do a little bit more. He spent the majority of yesterday dropping LMS off at the line and did little else IMO; can't remember him taking the line on too much for whatever reason. It's been slightly harder for him lately I'd guess as McDonnell isn't necessarily the most threatening and Mark Percival has been out injured. You'd like to think that when Percy comes into the side our combinations will improve on that side of the field and we'll look more threatening down the right.

Positives, he's aggressive and you can't fault his commitment to the cause. He's a fighter who puts himself about and is fiercely competitive. He wants to win and you need that sort of attitude in the team at any level of the sport.

Re: Travis Burns : Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:26 am  

Tez the Saint wrote:

I think he's been a mixed bag. Whether he is carrying a knock I'm not too sure but going forward with the ball I'm not convinced. He looks tentative with his decision making and doesn't really have the pace to break the line when he joins the line off Wilkin close to the opposition's try line. You'd like to think that with Luke Walsh out and Wilko in at 7 that he'd be taking a little bit more on with regards to kicking the ball (especially on exit coming out of our own half). Maybe that's tactical, maybe it isn't but I'd like to see him do a little bit more. He spent the majority of yesterday dropping LMS off at the line and did little else IMO; can't remember him taking the line on too much for whatever reason. It's been slightly harder for him lately I'd guess as McDonnell isn't necessarily the most threatening and Mark Percival has been out injured. You'd like to think that when Percy comes into the side our combinations will improve on that side of the field and we'll look more threatening down the right.

Positives, he's aggressive and you can't fault his commitment to the cause. He's a fighter who puts himself about and is fiercely competitive. He wants to win and you need that sort of attitude in the team at any level of the sport.

His passes this year to percy have been top class when we've had Pervy actully on the field.

Re: Travis Burns : Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:32 am  

St pete wrote:

His passes this year to percy have been top class when we've had Pervy actully on the field.

Exactly. He'll make a huge difference; his lines are superb and will improve the way we attack.

Re: Travis Burns : Mon Jun 01, 2015 2:21 pm  

St pete wrote:

His passes this year to percy have been top class when we've had Pervy actully on the field.

So you know a little more about Percy than the rest of us.