St Helens would love to sign superstars like Iain Thornley, 2 Aussies who can’t even get a game in the bush leagues and a winger from the championship that no ones ever heard of so don’t be too harsh
St Helens would love to sign superstars like Iain Thornley, 2 Aussies who can’t even get a game in the bush leagues and a winger from the championship that no ones ever heard of so don’t be too harsh
surely your on the wrong forum?? Try the Facebook pages that's where all the chavs hang out these days . You'd fit right in
St Helens would love to sign superstars like Iain Thornley, 2 Aussies who can’t even get a game in the bush leagues and a winger from the championship that no ones ever heard of so don’t be too harsh
Which is why Curry James, I said I was not comparing them to ours. I don't get this mass fanfare that saints are letting proven winners leave and replacing them with players who have a lot to prove. Saints do have form with Aussies flopping. Signing 3 of them is a huge gamble for 'champions' whereas we have to chance our arm and do something. None of us are overjoyed with what we have done in the market but if yours don't work out then all your big earners will be locked into long deals.
Which is why Curry James, I said I was not comparing them to ours. I don't get this mass fanfare that saints are letting proven winners leave and replacing them with players who have a lot to prove. Saints do have form with Aussies flopping. Signing 3 of them is a huge gamble for 'champions' whereas we have to chance our arm and do something. None of us are overjoyed with what we have done in the market but if yours don't work out then all your big earners will be locked into long deals.
Whilst I totally accept that all signings are a risk, there’s a big difference in the level of risk between signing internationals and first graders and fringe NRL/ reserve graders. Lussick has played (and performed in the UK before, got to finals and backed it up with NRL performances, he is probably as safe a signing as you could get. Sironen is a regular at a top4 club and a like for like replacement for Thompson who was generally considered a flop, so really the only direction is up. Hopoate is probably “highest risk”, given Bulldogs have been awful, but has international honours, worked with our coach before and has the niche of covering fullback if our kids crash and burn. Naiqama is really starting to show his age with numerous dodgy defensive decisions and not being as effective in attack (which has led to us being back to being quite lopsided in our attack this year).
Our two risks next year is how do the kids step up to replace Coote and Fages, which on the first 5 games the answer is effortlessly though obviously doing it for a full season is a very different ask, and who replaces Bentley. We could happily have Mata’utia (who after a slow start is starting to become a really big weapon on the left edge) and Batchelor, whose really stood up in Bentleys absence this year - if Sironen, Bell (as rumoured) or Foster, Wingfield or Sambou manage to hit a decent SL level, we’re in a good place.
Our risk signing is Hurrell but that’s a luxury we have this year with the kids stepping up.
Also, we have a pretty decent history of moving our deadwood on early, Joel Thompson is retiring a year early, Paulo was released to Toulouse with a year left on his contract, Ryan Morgan played his last year in London etc
Wire_91 wrote:its your first final in about 8 years and now you ravin and rantin about it F**k off, and ill be going old trafford tomoz cheering on the saints and ill be writing on this forum givin you loads of shi* when your drying you eyes and the wire fan will be here handing out the tissues in the thousands, thats if you do take that many fans cause now it looks like its your fans who have jumped on the band wagon now your in a final, this time last year there was only 1000 people in the jjb and now its fillin up cause youve won the league hahaha proper true supporters you are
St Helens would love to sign superstars like Iain Thornley, 2 Aussies who can’t even get a game in the bush leagues and a winger from the championship that no ones ever heard of so don’t be too harsh
He wouldn't head over to SL, so it's a no on that front. But IF he did, KR wouldn't sign him anyway. It would be too easy to sign an established and highly experienced prop from the NRL.
TonyM19 wrote:
Marty Tapau? Probably just his agent talking things up, but would be a great signing for a club with deep pockets
He wouldn't head over to SL, so it's a no on that front. But IF he did, KR wouldn't sign him anyway. It would be too easy to sign an established and highly experienced prop from the NRL.
Whilst I totally accept that all signings are a risk, there’s a big difference in the level of risk between signing internationals and first graders and fringe NRL/ reserve graders.
Depends how you look at the risk overall. First team regulars/international equals big wages, whereas fringe players more than likely equals low wages, so you may say you’re more likely to get top performers but if you don’t, you’re paying a big wage for the privilege. We’re clearly cutting our cloth in comparison to Saints but I’d say the signings we’ve made are less risky in a way because there’s no way these guys can be coming in on big contracts, eating up cap space. I don’t quite buy the line from our fans forum that there is only 73k of cap space left tbh given the outs to ins but it is what it is.
A player I think sums up the risk you take throwing big money around is Leeds with Zane Tetevano. He’s meant to be on marquee money and when he’s played he’s been ok but he’s been banned as often as he’s been available. He’s clearly on more money than the Saints signings but the point stands that getting more established players doesn’t always equate to getting better players and taking less risk. I think we’re trying to look for the next Tetevano/Hopoate/Ma’u (established players and internationals) but by getting them at an age were they’re desperate for a chance and have development still in them. It’s cheaper, it’s no sure thing but I wouldn’t say it’s more risky.