It was basically centre to opposite wing. Initially Lomax went on the wing, which would have been fine had he not been hobbling badly. His appearance on the right wing was pretty quick following Shenton's exit, and signalled the deathknell to our hopes. The only other option Royce had was putting Wheeler on the wing. That was a risk too given that he's hardly played at first grade in months, isn't a winger and it was on HIS opposite side too. Meli should have put on his best game. He's a very experienced player and he's also supposed to be a recognised winger. So the task should not have been too much for him. But as ever it was.

Although it didn't save the day, alas, the rationale behind the back on the bench was well and truly justified on Saturday. Had we not had to stick Meli next to a misfiring Soliola with a penalty machine in Moore and a limping Lomax bringing up the right edge, we had the best chance of winning a GF since 2006. Fooking tragic it is.

Congratulations on answering the wrong question. I thought I was talking about Wheeler and Armstrong. Two kids who [ialready[/i have a good deal of experience. Wheeler was likely to play a considerable amount of game time anyway.

Perceived wisdom says throwing inexperienced kids at the first team is doomed to failure. But perceived wisdom is very often wrong. Human beings are highly complex organisms - physically and mentally. No one can predict with certainty whether player X (provided he is good enough to be a candidate) is likely to make it or not.



You suggested the team that competed the preceding Grand Final might just make the playoffs? Round of applause, Mystic Meg.

Expect him to take two backs on the bench next year

Errr, no.... I predicted we had as good a chance of making the final and winning the whole darn thing as anyone else did - not just that we'd make the playoffs smarty trousers... Now who's answering the wrong question

Of just put one on there who might actually contribute. Leon or Armstrong should have been on there. Or Chris Flannery, who was apparently fit.

Fully agree with this...

Although hopefully the introduction of Laffranchi, Hohaia, Flanagan and Perry (if he decides to play this season) will provide this injection and a bit more aggression (Perry & Laffranchi especially)

With the outgoings of Graham, Pryce, Eastmond, Ashurst, Moore, Armstrong we should have room on the cap to bring another face in should somebody become available and with another year under the belts of Foster, Makinson, Lomax, Gaskell, Magennis we should be more experienced and prepared next year (in theory)

This is hardly some feat of genius. It's not like we're competing in the NRL where just about any team is a GF candidate. Given that there were only 4 or possibly 5 teams in with a shout and the fact that the top two often do not contest the final our chances of making it were excellent.

Sorry but you're not having this one matey - after the Wire and Harlequins defeats EVERYONE on both this site and the inbred-infested alternative insisted we were utterly c**p, massively inferior to both Wigan and Warrington in every single possible way and would have no chance of getting to O/T, or even avoiding defeat against either of them at any stage of the season by less than 30 points. Some uber numpties were even mocking our chances of a playoff place for chrissakes.... I however was a lone voice of reason way back then arguing at the time that we would be better than Wigan and about as good as Wire come the playoffs once the injured/out of sorts players returned and found form and the young 'uns got some more experience under their belt (my predictions were actually if anything conservative in that we still reached O/T and should have won the final even with many of those absentees missing throughout). I was loudly mocked and had numerous sloped foreheads furrowed and knuckles scraped along the ground in my direction for saying so by all and sundry. I was right and they were wrong. Ha, etc.

Were you predicting a more than likely O/T appearance immediately after the Harlequins defeat as I was on certain Saints-themed discussion sites, hmmmm? I think not...

I'm sure there were plenty of people who were writing off Saints' chances. But EVERYONE here and on Redvee? No. And you've no evidence to support your claim.



Do yourself a favour and get your head out of the clouds.

[i"Lone voice of reason". [/iI mean, do you REALLY believe this nonsense. Talk about delusions of grandeur.

The only posts I recall making when Saints were at their lowest point were in relation to Eastmond and the necessity of removing him from the equation before team spirit collapsed completely. But even at this time given the strength in Saints' squad we were extremely unlikely to finish below fourth or possibly fifth. No matter how bad things got the majority of SL clubs were in a far worse position due to the lack of available talent in SL. Which meant we were always in with a shout of the final - especially if the injury situation cleared up toward the back end of the season.

Whatever... You and me and whoever else might have had the sense and intellect to know all that way back then, but noone but me was posting it at the time, certainly not on the kneejerk knuckle-draggers' site. All I know is I received an overwhelming torrent of personal abuse and ridicule for arguing that we would be at least the equal of anyone come the playoffs. I also got similar treatment on there at about the same time for suggesting that the whole league campaign was a pointless waste of time, results were all meaningless and final league position offered precious little advantage to any of the top 3 or 4 finishing sides at all... And to think I for some reason hung around with those lowlifes for another 4 months before I came on here instead - I just look back and laugh at it all now...