Lets all be honest the title sums up what happened yestersday perfectly. I went yesterday actually expecting us to get beat by such a margin and as it happened that feeling was made into reality, in honesty I thought the scoreline flattered us!!
I really don't mind us losing, it happens. But what I can't accept is a performance like what Saints put out against Wigan. Wigan are a good side, light years ahead of us at the moment but we just can't be as bad as we were made to look on Sunday. We were made to look amateurish at times with the contrast in quality between the two sides. The speed, skill and sheer will to win was so obvious to see. We look like a mid table side at the moment with the occassional standout performance and the unfortunate thing is I can't see that changing with the personel we currently have in the side.
Wellens - I was critical of Wellens early in the season for lack of pace but what worried me more was his missed tackle on Hock which led to his try. Would Hock have scored that try 3-4 years ago? No he wouldn't because Wellens wouldn't have missed the tackle. Hock ran stright at him more or less and went straight through him. I really hope it's his last year, he doesn't deserve to be in this situation for everything he has done for this club. The guy is a legend and I don't want his reputation to be tarnished by going on longer than he should.
Lomax - I really do feel sorry for this kid. I like him in the halves (seems like I'm on my own in thinking this) but I see him more of a tradional 6, a runner, support player with the skill to put people through gaps. I don't get this talk of him being a 9 or 1 because he has never played there to warrant that argument. He has played on the wing and done a resonable job in taking the high ball and he has pretty good pace, but he has never really struck me as a full back. It's just my opinion but he wasn't voted the best young player in Super League last year in the halves for no reason. He just needs help from a good 7 who can organise and take the majority of the tactical play away from him and let him play with freedom and instinct. At the moment he is doing everything on the field for the side, with no help from Hohaia and it's way to much, so as a result his performances are slightly slipping. If we do get an organiser in the halves to help him watch him flourish.
The pack - are they just scared of Wigan? No other side is as aggreesive as them in Super League. They run hard and hit harder, they dominated Saints' pack and when it gets a bit violent they exert this even further by winning the fight - Mossop saw to that!!! From minute one yesterday Saints were over powered in every collison, they had no answer and at times it felt like Saints knew this. We need aggreesive players to match Wigan because if we lose the middle of the field it has a knock on effect as we then lose Roby. When we have played Wigan this season has anyone noticed James Roby? I haven't. He has no space to work because his pack is getting beaten up. We won't beat Wigan again until this changes.
I was going to say something on Lance Hohaia but what's the point???? I will say one thing though for the future. If he does get moved positions I hope he doesn't get used at 9 because from what I see of him at acting half, his distribution is just as bad as it is in open field. Watch him when he is filling in at times. The ball gets played, he picks it up, starts to stand up right, looks at who he is passing to, then pauses and then releases the ball - he has never passed off the floor once!!
Fans - I sometimes despair with some of our fans at times. I do actually wonder sometimes if they know the rules or have any rugby knowledge. Everyone pays their money and are more than entitled to their opinion but people just scream at everything, thinking that because the opposition get a penalty then it surely must be a penalty for Saints next. We all make mistakes at times and the refferees are actually human and can't see everything and will miss things, it's part and parcel of sport. Chris Flannery could give away one of his usual obvious penalties and people scream at the ref - why not scream at Chris Flannery? I had a bloke near me yesterday - a saints fan. Screaming and foaming at the mouth at Fancis Meli for not catching a Gary Wheeler pass that was so far forward I had more chance of catching it from behind the sticks!!!!! It's just things like this that do my head in.
I'm down hearted as a Saints fan at the moment. I've missed two games all season and I'll be there at the weekend hoping for a reaction from the performance at the weekend, if not for us - the fans but for the players themselves. They need to dust themselves down, start again and realise that they are professional players for a great club and performances like that are just not acceptable.
