Sounds like classic Nosey parker - a guess.

We are desparate for a couple of top class signings to augment our youth.

We need the level of intent when we signed Newlove and Sculthorpe.

Someone was saying look at the pies support when relegation was a possibility.

They acted and went out and bought fielden. He didnt bring his Bradford form BUT it showed intent.

If you are a player with a choice of clubs were back in the pack now.

Make a statement Saints.

Wigan brought in Fielden, Dobson and Noble - effectively buying their way out of a relegation spot. Salary cap is more closely are monitored in real time now so that level of buying power isn't possible. I don't think the is a quick fix answer, it just remains to be seen whether Brown wants to stick it out for the long haul and has the necessary strategic nouse to rebuild the squad.

Beggars cant be choosers. Saints seem to be beggars at the moment. We lose the right to say that he is good and he is bad when we dont have any in the first place. He has ups and downs like any good halfback but i and many others are crying out for a kicking game and he seems to have one much better than any of the current crop.

I trust he is being thoroughly scouted/discussed and the final decision should come down to Brown giving the yes or no.

I'm a fan of the idea of aquiring a "proper half" from the championship, of whom a few names have been mentioned. It is worth noting though, that its core skills that need to be analysed as much (or moreso) than star quality.

There's a scrum half who ripped it up at Leigh now plying his trade for Cas in a fairly anonymous fashion (according to their fans). There is a step up to be made, what we need to ensure is that if we get a man with the skills needed, we put him in a position that he can use them - meaning our forwards need to pull their finger out.

There is no 100% certainty with any player NRL or SL.

Sia came as a centre (still wears 4) played 1 or 2 games there but has been fantastic at 2nd row.

Perry came as a SOO prop, outstanding signing, pah it terms of value for money.

Lyon had retired from RL and was playing for a minor side in the outback.

Sean Long came with a bad rep.

Chris Joynt where did that outstanding buy come from? Was it Oldham at the time?

You can go for a dead cert and buy a nag, you could get a trouble maker who will settle and become a legend.

In the end so long as there is some effort in the recruitment I'm not going to critise. Shenton just did not work for us. Lance and Laffranchi where wrong buys, we did not need another FB or 2nd rower. And we certainly did not need them to play prop and halfback.

Those two fall on the club, perry and Shenton are just down to luck.

Shenton was silly by the club IMO. He's playing very well for Cas again and was for us until his injury in the Grand Final. He's a far better player than Turner and I think Brown could have got the best out of him.

I don't think you can say with much conviction that Shenton is far better than Turner. They are probably the same standard of player, but Turner is a bit younger with a lot more pace and will probably not be on as much as Shenton was.

Therefore, a good deal for the club IMO.

I can say what I want

Shenton is better than Turner. Better defensively, better with the ball, a better natural centre. There I said it.

Re signing players from the championship to fill the halves.

I would be very wary of such a thing as in general there is a reason why they are lower division halves, and thats because they are not that good.

Jamie Ellis is a fine example. The ex Saints looked a superstar in the championship scoring 34 trys in 32 games for Leigh.

He was promptly signed by Hull and managed 10 games before being shipped out to Castleford were he has been pretty anonymous.

Interesting to note The Chiefs comments that Walsh plays on the right. This is the side of the pitch that Lomax vacated.
Having a genuine right sided player is something we have lacked, and its why in recent years i think our play has had a tendency to be moved to the left. Getting a more balanced left/right backline combination would make us far more threatening.

I have a mate who lives in oz. he's a bulldogs fan. I asked him about Walsh. He said he's one of the better players in a poor team. He's your average scrum half in the NRL. Nothing special and not rubbish.

It sure was! One of the best signings in the history of the club... Boy could we do with a player like Joynt at the present time. Calming influence, actions speak larger that words attitude. Great player and a great bloke.