The performance against Wigan tonight should have been unacceptable to Potter. The Bradford perfromance was made to look stellar as passes were once again rolled along the floor and hured into touch.

However possibly one of the most worrying factors were how many players looked shot. With Leeds osing against Salford and Quins at home, I begin to wonder how much impact the World Cup and the extra games in the play off straight has had on some of the players. The callenge cup game at Leeds hardly did both sides any favours neither.

Saints looked slow against Wigan. They were sloppy in attack and atrocious in defence and displayed the intensity of an NL1 side. It was a horrible display of intent and we looked like a side feeling its way into the season. We were as morose as a friendly match at Batley.

I really think Potter needs to blood some youngsters to give the likes of Graham, Wilkin, Wellens and all a rest. Even Tony P was involved in the WC and looked jaded tonight.

Overall we have suceeded in making two medicore sides look like world beaters. How Saints recover from 2 maulings will be important, as we look like we need a weeks rest at the moment.

I would suggest Eastmond gets a gig at 7 next week if only to give Long a rocket up the , because his passing has been quite literally of the standard of a 7 year old learning the game.

Some credit has to be given to Wigan tonight who read and snuffed out most of the Saints moves, and made Potter's comments look rather silly when you have two plane crashes waiting to happen on the wing like Meli and Gardener.

i think in all honesty, many of us, including myself, thought that after the gruelling games against leeds (twice) & wakey that Potter would throw out half a team against the pies, he didn't. after that grueller we definitely expected a shadow team against hull a few days later, he didnt. since then 1 or 2 players have missed a game but generally the majority have played in all fixtures since. i'm afraid that now it has come back and bit Potter on the backside. Some of those players( at least 5) need at the least 1 games rest

Not sure a rest is the answer as we not even halfway in yet.

We just not looking rite at the moment.

Maybe a few changes are needed and I don't mean resting players.

Maybe pryce at fullback for extra pace clearing are lines and put wellans in back row.

Maybe try roby from the off and kc on bench.

Maybe eastmond in for long or try wheeler at stand off.

It's just an idea that might freshen the team up and put few players on there toes.

Oh and I don't mean do it all in 1 game before ski pipes his remarks.

Why do people get this idea in their head. You may as well drag Phil Veivers out of retirement and stick him there for all the effect this would have.

In terms of the rest of your post, generally yes. The players such as Wilkin and Graham have been vocal in their criticism of the way the players are treated. naturally the top performers play more games at higher intensity.

Giving Wheeler, Eastmond and Lomax a go may be the way to share the workload.

Our squad is very thin so we will be at risk of burnout.

I have confidence that Lomax, Wheeler and Armstrong can mix it in SL.

Don't know why Potter did not rest some tonight when the game had gone - Graham, Pryce and Wello could have all done with some rest

In terms of speed - we have to accept that we are not that "quick" a side anymore. Only Pryce in 1-7 has any zip - Long, Gidders and Wello are slow for their position and Gardener and Meli are more like battering rams than wingers. Unfortunately, the days of us scoring long distance tries are probably limited. We do need to consider outside backs in further recruitment drives unless we have any flying junior backs

Sorry pal but I don't agree.

We need a injection of pace in that back line.

The gains of moving pryce to fullback is he will more often than not beat 1st man and get us on the front foot in attack which would help are forwards who are struggling to get out are half at moment.

Also pryce likes to drift in and out the game and long can no longer cover that anymore. Plus wello wants to play 2nd row coz he knows he lost that pace he had to beat the 1st defender.

With pryce at fullback wheeler or eastmond would play halfback which would give us even more pace and extra options in attack.

It's just a idea. It needs a injection of sumat

Eastmond had a spell at fb today when wello went in the centre if I remember correctly. Could this be the way to go?

We do seem to lack some spark at the moment. Just hope the next big game can light the fire!

The truth is (and this isn't taking a pop) what most people were saying would happen last year but didn't, at least until the GF, has all too obviously happened this. Namely that the reliance on the older backbone, coupled with a thin squad is starting to bite. You're playing players week in, week out who are simply not up to the rigeurs of constant top flight RL anymore and it's starting to show in terms of injuries and poor form in certain players that is having a knock-on (sic) effect on the rest of the squad. Someone mentioned the WC as a reason, but this doesn't excuse the likes of Longy, who didn't go and neither does it explain the good form of the likes of Leuleui, Richards and Hock at Wigan for example, or players playing in the NRL who did! Bringing the youngsters in is really the only way to go, but whether that will improve things in the short term is difficult to say.

Long definitely needs a week off, he has been awful the last few weeks. Give Eastmond a go 7, where he is more involved in the game.

Do you mean rest longy or drop him coz of his dire form?

Both.

Imo he should be dropped!

How can he need a rest when he just had 3 weeks off with a injury?

Potter should drop him and it might give him a kick up the ass he needs.

His attitude has been terrible.

How can burn out be the problem, all players have had a break after the WC, Wigan had a few players there and had them in the final so played more games than the English team. Wigan have played more games in the regular season than Saints, seems a poor excuse for Saints being well beaten.

the tide is now starting to change,

Long has been bad, yes. But so has a hell of a lot of players, including Cunningham. His passing from dummy half the last few weeks has been shocking.