Our recruitment in the past has been good, but we are starting to see now the effects of bad recruitment. What did we win last year? This year hasn't exactly started promising has it? We are starting to see a decline as our experienced players who have been great servants are entering decline, and because we have not recruited well enough this has meant we are being left with a stale squad who looks tired and mostly over the hill. We do have some promising youngsters coming through which are a breath of fresh air, however there are still too many cheap options in the squad now which is holding us back, if they were adequately replaced we would not be having the problems we are currently experiencing.

Both sides of this debate will apply to different players. Sure a lot of players will come over here purely for the buck even if it is for a low standard club. But some players will actually come over here and want to enjoy themselves. Danny Buderus is a perfect example. To me he looks like a player that has not just come over to the UK for the cash, he comes across as a player that desperately wants to win trophy's. I can't see him signing for a team like Crusaders thats for sure. There will be players out there that have sacrificed 10% of the wage to be at a higher club.

Such a shame we didn't keep Diskin around to earn another winner's medal for him then.

Trophy's what?

Our crowds were on the rise for years prior to our move to Widnes, actually. Last season we had an average of 11,500. We'll be hit badly this year but that should right itself next.

We haven't spent big, incidentally. We've been shedding players like nobody's business for the last four seasons. In 2009 and 2010 we recruited just one player in each season: Tony Puletua and then Sol Soliola (who was out injured for the whole of his first season). This season we recruited LMS, Perry and Shenton but we thought we had our halves sorted in Pryce and Eastmond. We would not have bought Hohaia if Eastmond had opted to stay. But we had to let a number of players go to fund Eastmond.

We have won plenty, thanks. Just not in the last two years. We've still managed to reach Grand Finals and finish in the top two (for six consecutive years) so things haven't been that bad.

Hohaia has been recruited for his utility value as well as his ability to play in the halves, where we are now short of staff. We may need to purchase a prop forward also, having dispatched of three last season to fund Eastmond (unfortunate). But other than that I can't see us buying any other players for next season.

If Widnes/Crusaders offered £5k-10k more per year than Saints, I reckon a top drawer player would still sign for Saints.

Cash is one thing, chance to play at OT/Wembley etc comes into the mix in a big way I reckon, as would looking back on your career CV and seeing a big English RL club on there as opposed to Crusaders or Quins.

The in's an outs at Saints next year will depend on how we go keeping Puletua and Graham.

We may need 1 prop or it could be 2. Our Academy props have been sold to other teams.

But I see from the lists on the first page that Peacock maybe up for grabs. Now there would be a coup if we could get our hands on him.

Sinfields 2009 GF speech was full of lies then.

Sinfields GF speech was spot on. But he wasn't talking about the overseas players, or the ones bought in like Senior and Peacock either.

He was talking about the homegrown academy produced. But I think you already knew that.

Thought he was a full back ?

I reckon he'll play at 6/7 in 2012 to support Lomax/Gaskell, then switch to 1 in 2013 after Wellens' contract ends (assuming Lomax is to continue at 6/7 rather than 1 in the long term).

He's a great signing for Saints.

Agree with all of the above and potentially could be very good for saints.

I think money does play a big part of moving over here but don't think it is the be all and end all for all players

I agree, it's a mixture of several factors. Depends on the player, how old he is, what he's already achieved, if he has mates at a club already or had mates who have said "it's a great club" or "it's a terrible club" etc. These are still young guys (yes, I now think 30 year olds are basically children) and a good time (not getting trashed every week - well on the pitch anyway) will potentially come into play. But money is a big, big chunk of that consideration also.
The original point was made that Leeds would be unattractive because "we won't be challengeing for trophies". I think only our own supporters think we won't continue to be a force in SL permenantly with the way the club is set up and the way the salary system now works. Our own supporters would see the Mick Potter experiment (or how to take Saints to two potless years) as a cunning rebuilding excercise, I'm sure in Saint Helens there were more pessamistic appraisals. We now have the prospect - although it's still only a prospect - of two trophyless seasons of our own. The difference is? [sizewe won three GF's in a row prior to winning nothing last year.[/size
We have some players to move on and some players coming through - particularly in the backs. We also seem to have a new coach to find for next year (and it's only April!!!!). I don't think for one minute that if Leeds go out and recruit aggressively there would be any issues that wouldn't affect any other club. I think we are an attractive employer, if anything too loyal to some players.

Oh yes!

It is Royce Simmons who is doing the rebuilding.