Sadly but truly that is the difference between SL & NRL, would you (or the Storm fans) be saying that about their next game? If it were a regular season game for them rather than probably another pre-season game.

Exactly. We classed the game Friday night as a fast paced game compared to the SL. There were 274 play of the balls in our game. The day after in the Dragons/rabbitohs trial game there were 278. When the season comes round it steps up more. When the Playoffs come round it gets even faster. The difference is, our playoffs are a similar speed to what their preseason is like. Until we get a smaller league with the player pool we have, we won't be able to get anywhere near their intensity.

Keep that coming over the season, it'll make for interesting reading.

Sadly they aren't readily available here as they are on the Aussie stat sites. Ill do a ptb count myself on Friday just for comparisons sake though.

Always the life and soul of the party eh Johnny?

Not sure what other options he has tbh

There is now a coach park directly behind the North stand at Langtree park, so you have about 100 metres to walk too and from the East terrace.

If the coach park gets full. Then coaches queue up along Mcmanus drive post match, which means you will have about 30 metres to walk.


I hope this doesnt tax your athletic ability too much

I'm really looking forward to Friday night, the problem is I've said that every time we've played at Saints in recent years and come away majorly disappointed. I don't know if the players are just paying lip service when they talk about a "massive improvement" during the regular season, but for me it better look like starting on Friday night when I've once more shelled out and dedicated time and effort to follow the lads. Saints have injury problems like us, I'd expect a full blooded, mentally switched on performance should take us closer to the 2 points than in previous seasons.

Just had a quick "scout" of Saints from the weekend just passed. Bradford's defense was shocking. The 1st 5 tries could and should have been stopped. The key for them though is James Roby (like we didn't already know that anyway). The Bulls marker Defense was non existent, meaning Roby could do as he pleased. He picked the ball up 57 times (making 199m), sometimes running only a metre or so, other times 10, but because he was allowed to it got Saints on the front foot and the forwards played off that. The starting forward pack, off the back of Roby, managed 755m!!! Thats 126m per player!!! They share out the work load too. If our markers work hard, we will win this game comfortably IMHO.

Saints' Left side Defense of Jones and Meli are the weak link. Both the Bulls tries came down that side after Bradford put men in motion. It put Jones and Meli all at sea and both came running in, leaving the outside open. If we work Watkins into the line with Ablett we could end up having a hell of a lot of joy down there. For comparisons sake too, Bradford's right edge made 303m against those 2, where as the left only made 118m.

I know we are a very left sided team, but I think that could play into their hands. I'd have loved to have seen Watkins lining up as a 3 on Friday.

Even with our injuries, we still look stronger in the backs. They have a beast of a pack though and their run on 6 last Sunday were;

Puletua (133m)
Roby (199m)
Laffranchi (121m)
Manu (82m)
Soliola (153m)
Flanagan (67m)

They have size and speed, but if we stop Roby before he gets out of the blocks, we kill half of their threat.

I like that post, as it's how I look at us too. Although I have to disagree on the view on Roby.

Roby has not been at his best so far this season IMO and I think our threat comes from a different area now Brown has come in. Obviously, Roby is key once we get on a roll and go up the middle but our spread of play is far more widespread than it has been for a while. Under Potter, Royce and Rush, Roby did well as we rarely used the width and he became the focal point, but now we have started to do that and I think that is why we have had a bit of a slow start, as we get used to it.

I cannot see you matching us in the forwards, but as you say the weak link is the left hand side. Jones still has a lot to work on defensively and Meli, well is Meli (although I do not think he is as bad as other Saints fans!).

If you are to beat us you need to win the floor as we have been dominant in this area (bar the Hudds game of course!) and if you play territory then there is no reason why you cannot win this game.

I'd be disappointed if we got beat, but I hope it is a closer game than last year!

Bailey ''has a chance'' of being available for the Saints game according to McDermott. If not this one then he should definately be back for the Hudds game next week.

He said BJB is ''another 4 or 5 weeks away yet''. Don't know if this meant from training or from playing.

Saints' 19 man squad announced, the team is expected to look like this.....

Jonny Lomax
Ade Gardner - Jordan Turner - Josh Jones - Francis Meli
Gary Wheeler - Jon Wilkin
Tony Puletua - James Roby - Anthony Laffranchi
Sia Soliola - Willie Manu
Mark Flanagan

LMS
Paul Clough
Joe Greenwood
Alex Walmsley

Anthony Walker and Mark Percival to drop out.

Wellens, Hohaia and Perry injured

Gaskell and Makinson not getting picked nowadays. Seems 2 of their brightest young talents can't oust second-rower Wilkin from the halves or even Gardner and Meli from the wings, and people on here complain about our young backs getting a chance (Gardner and Meli were the starting wingers in Saints 2006 GF win)