I have been reading the comments on the last 8 pages.

I think this would/could be a stroke of genius be Mr.Brown. Think about the balance of the team, in particular the backs:-

1. Lomax
2. Makinson
3. Percival
4. Jones
5. Swift
6. Turner
7. Walsh

(Use Hiho as utility bench player)

Young with pace and power, plus our new forwards makes me feel very optimistic for the New Season. We have strengthened everyone else is either the same or weaker.

Come on you Saints for 2014.

I`m looking forward to attending the Auckland 9s Mid Feb, has that had much advertising in the UK or is it even televised?

That's a very young back line!!! It's also really good to see 5 homegrown players making it up (if only we had kept any of the halfbacks we produce!)

If that's how we see the longterm line up of our squad, then turner needs to find a new place to fit in the team (it's not like he's a dinosaur!), if that's at 6 then it kills 2 birds with 1 stone - brown appears very good at developing halfbacks so let's wait and see, I just hope everyone is given time to adjust!

Lomax
Makinson Percival Jones Swift
Turner Walsh
Amor Roby Laffranchi
Wilkin Manu
LMS

Hohaia Soliola Masoe Walmsley

Looks good to me!

Joking aside, I thought Wheeler was going to be staking his claim to 6 this year. He seems to be on the outer in this plan. That is a shame for him, as I've heard so many good things about his talent for so long, but have never seen him play enough games to form a view on him.

I don't think anyone doubts his talents, but even me as an eternal optimist is losing faith in the ability of his body to take it.
I hope (I've said this for about 4 yrs) that he proves us all wrong and has a wow of a season , injury free!

I would think the plan is being formed as such, because his injury record is against him. If he manages to play a lot more games this year, I'm sure we'll see him at 6 at some point.

Hardaker
Hall
Moon
Jones-Bishop
Briscoe

Just to put it into perspective. Leeds are a team most people seem to think we're going to be better than. Their backline seems better than ours however. Two genuine international wingers and far better centres (Moon is the best centre in Super League). There is only really Lomax where we can hold a candle to Leeds and it's not like Hardaker is a bad player.

More comments from Brown here: saintsrlfc.com/news/256 Jones due to play right centre.

More comments from Brown here: saintsrlfc.com/news/256 Jones due to play right centre.

You've missed out Watkins who is potentially the best of the lot. Lomax is your only outside back with any proven quality and he's not been in his position for long at all.

I agree up to a point. I think I'd compare Swift or Makinson reasonably with Briscoe, who I've always seen as competent and solid, rather than a match-winner. But apart from that, I agree that Leeds are stronger in the centres and on Hall's wing.

However I do think our pack is now stronger - on paper - than the Leeds pack, and that should compensate by giving their lads less space to work in.

And who knows, maybe Percival will step out on to the field having shot up to 6'2 and filled out to 15 stone.

So you don't think Swift proved his qualities last year? He did enough to have Cronulla sniffing around.

Percival has definitely bulked up a bit (perhaps not 15stone!) but has done so without losing any of his pace. If he gets an extended run like turner to 6 implies, he'd be my (early) shout for young player of the year - another saints lad who seems to have all the potential in the world.

I don't think many people doubt Leeds back line saddened, the question mark will be how much time and space the rest of the team can give them, if a platform is laid by the forward and the distribution is good they'll go great, otherwise they will struggle (paraphrased from several quotes I've read on the Leeds board)

Otherwise, we lost by a point in one of the matches of the year last year, and we seem to have improved more so who knows



Out of the top 5 it can really go in any order