It was a tongue in cheek comment by me, it will never happen but he's the sort of half back we need.

I've no doubt that Lomax and Gaskell will be great players but they've a lot to learn, especially Gaskell.


Catalans managed to find Dureax who most of us had never heard of so there maybe others out there. If it means unloading someone off the quota it will have to be done.



S57

1. Buy or develop a capable, organising boss halfback. Don't care if he's old or slow. But needs to be able to control the game and act as a brain for the team. Dureau, Finch, sort of thing.

2. Buy or develop an attacking centre. Doesn't have to be the new Newlove or Lyons, A Kallum Watkins-style big lad with pace would do.

3. Find the best fullback at the club and stick them in there to replace Wellens in all the backs moves, so we have that attacking option which every other big club have, but we don't.

The pack's fine at the moment. But it's been a long, long time since I've seen a Saints side who actually tried to score by creating space and moving the ball to the threequarters. I miss it.

I know it's not always welcome when opposition fans offer advice, but here goes anyway.

You are being let down big time by the quality of your imports. Unless Brown can get a lot more out of them or move them on, he won't do much more than he has achieved at Hudds.

some, but not all. Soliola and Laffrachi have been great, Lance average and Perry, Flanders and Meli less so

Even if I did agree (which I don't) the gap between him and whoever the next four or five is so small as to be insignificant. You're talking like he's Andy Gregory or Sean Long when he's not. He plays at a good level, possibly even good enough to make the England team, however he's not that much better than those around him. It's because he has a kicking game and that's it. Big deal. Get our coaching working on our kicking game with the people who actually have a good natural kicking ability and we've saved ourselves £x in transfer/signing on fees etc.

Btw, it's not a certain that Brough would want to come to Saints either. Oh and he was 29 in January.

It really depends on the personel that we have left at the end of the year as to what has to be done. However I'm going to go on the assumption of some retirements that may not happen.

FB: Lomax
Wing: Ade
Wing: Makinson
Centre: Wheeler
Centre: Shenton
SO: Lance
SH: Buy in ( I would like to see Gaskell as SO, with an experience SH alongside, but I think this will not happen, with Lance on a long deal)
Prop: Buy in
Hooker: Roby
Prop: Buy in
SR: TP
SR: Sia
LF: Buy in

Bench: Perry, LMS, La Franki, Flanaghan

That would be for year 1.

Year 2: Shenton and Ade to be replaced, Ade possibly from within if Foster can sort out his game. Shenton buy in or Josh Jones may have had the time to develop.

Perry to be replaced, TP to be replaced although at this point dixon maybe a good SR.


People may say that our pack is ok . But I think we are still one prop short. And given that some props are good some games and annoymous in others, then we need 2 very effective props to help give us that consitent go forward even when the chips are down.

1. Sean Long
2. Jamie Lyon
2. James Graham

He's 29, he'd be young signing for us then. We've give lance who was 29 last week a 4yr deal, we've signed Laffranchi who's 32 on a 2yr deal, we've signed perry who was 30 on a 3yr deal.

If your idea of "just coach players to kick" of it was that easy we could just coach all out young players to do whatever.

We've not got a player at the club that can do what brough does.

Gaskell, who we must remember has yet to physically mature, already possesses as great a leg strength as any halfback I've seen hammer a ball in SL. That kind of ability you just can't put a price on (think of the enormous disadvantage we had with Long who couldn't get the ball beyond 40m which meant we were giving up anywhere up to 15 yards per game on every set of six!). Yes, he does have problems directing the ball but that all comes with experience.

His short game is also very good and we pick up a lot of tries because of it. Where Lee is currently struggling is with his intermediate kicking (30 - 45 yards) but again, this is more an issue of wisdom and knowledge as opposed to innate talent.

Every rugby league pitch is different and it takes time to first identify the various eccentricities of camber and then adapt one's kicking to capitalise on such. And let us not forget that Gaskell is currently at an enormous disadvantage to other SL halves in that he doesn't have a home pitch he can make hay on because Langtree Park, for the moment, is as foreign to him as any other ground.

Again, the problem here is not ability - it's experience and coaching. Under the right tutelage and physically mature Gaskell has the talent to be as good as any halfback in SL - including Brough.

These are the options that brown has over the next 2 years. Although the Sia option will probably be decided before he gets here. In fact alot of contracts this year will need to be decided before he gets here. So the current set up will need to make those decisions or we will not have enough time come October to sign anyone as other teams will have made their move.

Paul Wellens 2012 Homegrown - may get a one year extention or may retire
Ade Gardner 2013 Homegrown - imagine would retire or be replaced by makinson or foster
Michael Shenton 2013 - Same Federation - at the moment may not get another contract if josh jones holds his own
Sia Soliola 2012 Overseas Quota Overseas trained - it's probably up to Sia
Francis Meli 2012 Exempt from quota - to retire
Josh Perry 2013 - Overseas quota Overseas trained - to retire
Tony Puletua 2013 Overseas quota Overseas trained - i'd imagine he'll retire given that he was not sure last time
Chris Flannery 2012 Exempt from quota - retired
Anthony Laffranchi - 2013 Overseas Trained (option of further year) - ?
Mark Flanagan - 2013 Same federation - ?
Paul Clough 2012 Homegrown - I'd say probably will move but not an expert
Shaun Magennis 2013 Homegrown - Again not sure if he is a keeper
Andrew Dixon 2012 Homegrown - had a few good games but is now out of favour I'll go with a 2 year extention

So we are going to lose a 2nd rower in flannery, probably meli and maybe clough.

We have alot of 2nd row cover, so can't see like for like replacements. Can't see us buying a winger, will probably fill from within.

So there will be money for a centre and maybe 2 props. But and it's a big but. Lance and Lomax are signed till 2015 so unless one of them is going to take another position such as fullback, I can't see us purchasing another halfback.

I'm a big fan of Gaskell, and I can also see the reasoning as to why we need an experienced half with a youngster too.

But the way we have recruited does not hold much hope for Gaskell as Lance and Lomax are signed to 2015 and so one would have to move to let him back in.

However Brown does move people about and had no issue pushing Brough into a well oiled side.

If you asked me my ideal future line up.

FB: Lomax
Wing: Makinson
Centre: Wheeler
Centre: New purchase or New academy player
Wing: Foster (if he can get his game back to 18 months ago) New Purchase or New Academy player
SO: Gaskell
SH: New experienced half
Prop: New prop
Hooker: Roby
Prop: New Prop
SR: Sia
SR: La Franki
LF: New signing (preferably a ball playing loose)

After this starting 13 I would want
TP to stay
Dixon
maybe megennis

The rest would need to be new recruits or academy players. But you can see this ideal world has no real place for some big money players already on the books long term.