watching the bulls v dragons match. HT, just came in from the garden and they were showing leon and eddie said strong rumour he was going to sign for the french next season................

It's got so much smoke it can't really be anything other than a fire now hasn't it. It's a shame as when fit he's still our best player. Without him and Graham next season looks like torture to me as we slip further behind the pace.

Unless the club has a major signing lined up. The new stadium could do with a big signing and the ones we've made aren't particularly great and certainly don't equate in talent terms to those leaving.

There was a strong rumour he was signing for Bradford at one time, wasn't there?

But even if he does go to the Dragons, that doesn't equate to a nosedive for us. We've survived all season without him. Granted, we would have done better with him but we haven't nosedived this season (yet!) so I don't see why that should be any different next season, when we will have one experienced halfback plus three less experienced ones to choose from. Injuries allowing, of course.

If the Pryce move is correct then surley with Graham, Eastmond and Pryce leaving, there must be some spare capacity in the Cap for a top class replacement. The two that we have already signed for next season cannot have taken up that much of the SC space?

Leon, on his day, is a top class performer but unless I am mistaken, its nearly 12 months since he has played a full game and so life without him has been going on for some time.

Top Class Player coming for next season,,,,Isn*t Lance Hohia<sp> coming to Saints next season?...Excellent Signing...

Personally, I'd put Lance at FB, J-Lo/Wheeler/Gaskell in the halves, Wello to second row were his tackling is still a massive asset and Soliola in the centres where he's even more effective

Wellens misses almost 25% of his tackles, I'm not sure you could carry that for a second row forward.

10 missed and 89 completed means he only misses 10%, stop making up facts lol

Quote: Saint Simon "10 missed and 89 completed means he only misses 10%, stop making up facts lol'" Lay off the cooking sherry www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011

Quote: Saint Simon "10 missed and 89 completed means he only misses 10%, stop making up facts lol'" Lay off the cooking sherry www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011

Wello's defence as Rogues has pointed out is not what it was and is worse than what you have stated.

For example in 2006 Wello completed 86% tackles missing only 19 all season while in 2005 he completed 90% of tackles missing just 22 all season

This season he is completing 81% of tackles and has already missed 20 tackles. So for me this shows a clear decline, especially when compared with his peers

Sam Tomkins, who some fans say isnt a fullback because he apprently doesnt have the defence, is currently completing 86% of tackles.
Brent Webb is completing 84 % of tackles.
Scott Grix is completing 85% of tackles

He is better than Richie Mathers though who is on 78% and Luke Patten of Salford on 76%

I'd like to see lance at fullback as he'd bring them same quality greenshields does at catalan, he returns kicks very well and puts his team on the front foot from the kick, unlike wello who is slow to pick the ball up and as he's no pace the defence are on him and we then on back foot. IMO we need to replace wello next season.

However, the Gaskell and lomax pairing has gone pretty well and they have been terrific in the halves but IMO having the two young inexperienced halfbacks will cost us games against the big clubs. They can hold the own against "lesser" opposition but against Wigan, Warrington and hudds they have struggled big time. As I've said on another thread, we either stick with them and hope 2/3 years down the line they fully develop into top halves buy thats a risk and could risk falling further behind or we sign a top quality halfback.

Gaskell has great long kicking game but at the moment goes missing for long periods of the game. Lomax also goes missing for large parts of the game with showing the odd moment of brilliance. With them two in the halves puts more and more pressure on the pack( IMO the reason we done so well is our pack) which must be fustrating for the the pack when they do all the hard work for nothing to be produced or created at the end. Wilkin, TP, roby, Sia and jammer have been outstanding.

Jon wilkin has been awesome this year. He's took a hell of alot of pressure off our young halves. I can't give wilkin enough praise fir the way he's played this year and I think we'd be lower than we already are without him.

If Leon goes and we don't sort our halfback problem out and the likes of eastmond, jammer Defo going and flannery and ade maybe going we will struggle big time.

Pryce, jammer, eastmond, flannery, ade all out and lance and laffranchi in is the way our recruitment has been for past 5 years and looks like our brand new spanking stadium will not have the the team to "grace" it as sir mac has said many many times.

I can't see Leon going as equating to us falling further behind. This season we have basically lived without him apart from 5 minutes. Next year Lomax and Gaskell will be a year further on in their development and we will have Lance who we've not had this year. Who will probably start in the halves.

The % of missed tackles does not work when you compare FB's and 2nd rowers. Once the line is broken effectively the FB is one on one with the on rushing player or players. Defending in a line exposes you much less. So I don't buy the statement that Wellens could not play 2nd row or loose. (what would stop wellens playing loose is that Royce likes a prop at loose).

Also the game ain't over yet. Top 2 are probably gone, but 3rd is still within our grasp and to an extent with in our own destiny as don't Wire also have to play huddersfield again?

Surely just on the basis of number, Lomax and Gaskell in the halves this year, compared to Lomax+1 year, Gaskell +1year and Lance in the halfs next year is actually a step forward not a step back.

Pryce on the injury bench and Pryce at Le Catalans are effectively the same thing as far as helping Saints in the halves goes.

I still think we need 1 or maybe 2 props and would definately keep Flannery in the 2nd row as our young 2nd rowers have not developed as much as we hoped this year.

I don't think think we've lived without Pryce, I think we missed him big time. He's our x factor player, the go to man, the match winner and we've needed that in the games against Wigan, hull, Warrington and hudds.

When Pryce is fit and playing he's our main attacking weapon and could well have been the difference from finishing 4/5th to finishing in the top two.

I'm not having dig at lomax or Gaskell as they have been terrific and done more than has been asked of them but IMO we've missed good hakfbCks this year and IMO is the reason we've struggled.

The season looked so much promising at the start with Kyle ( before his union saga) and Leon at halfbacks. Two quality attacking halves that can take the line on.

I'm not arguing that, I'm just arguing that Lomax and Gaskell and Lance next year is a step forward from Gaskell and Lomax this year.

Saying that Pryce leaving will knock us further back suggests he excerts some sort of mystic powers from the injury bench. You can argue we would not advance as far without him, but you can't argue that we'll have less ability in the halves next year compared to this year so far.