So, has he done enough to ern an extension until the end of the season? Does anyone know if we've enquired?

I'd be delighted if we can get him to the end of the season. He has come on for the games and now looks to be a decent part in the team.

We should've enquired.....

Well, in an interview in one of the RL weeklies O'Brien says he is enjoying his spell with us and would like to stay longer so at least we know that one party is happy!

Saints have said it's in Warrington's court as to how long he stays with us. I think the basics for Warrington are that if they don't get any injuries in the halves he can stay with us. They will pull him for the play offs though, they won't leave him with us to potentially cause them problems, which is fair enough.

Thats depending you get in the play offs

Without doubt I'd try and keep him. He's not been brilliant but he a real halfback which makes the team more balanced. He knows what's expected of him and knows what he's doing.

I'd even pay a small fee to keep him until the end of the season including the play offs but Warrington won't let us have him for play offs (If we make it).

I wouldbt want him at a permanent first choice halfback tho as IMO he's few years off being a really good half.

At least it is comforting to know that we must be better off than Wigan in the half's - they've got Matty Smith, who couldn't even get in our team!

Seriously, thought he had a stormer tonight for the goons against dire. To think, we loaned him out, got him back, loaned him out again and he found new clubs.

Matty Smith is a far better player than O'Brien. Smith was always a decent player and he's maturing into the best English half back there is. (Excluding Rango)

We'd have kept Matty Smith if we didn't have Eastmond at the time. We made big errors from that point on in the halves.

As for O'Brien we should do everything we can to keep him here till the end of the season as we have no other options and Gary Wheeler can't be relied upon to stay fit. The worry will be if we do manage to keep O'Brien and we meet Warrington at any point in the Play Offs. I can't see them allowing him to play against them.

Were not as fussy in league games. We've had Mitchell, Rhys Williams, Mendika all play & score against us in games gone by whilst out on loan.
It wouldn't be right allowing a team member to play for someone else in the play offs in my mind should you play them. Imagine if we had Perry on loan and he actually carried the ball forward more than twice? Your fans would go mental

Reliably informed today (from a friend who works for Warrington Wolves) that Gareth O'Brien will be staying for longer and that Saints are interested in offering him a two year contract.

Aslong as Lomax stays fit at Number 1 then a partnership of O Brien and Walsh would work fine Imo. Split them Left and right recievers and both got decent kicking games. We would lack a running game but thats where Lomax fits in!

This would leave Wheeler in a very tricky position. It really is his last shot at playing for Saints when he comes back after his current injury. Another injury would see the end of his Saints career I reckon.

I mentioned that we needed another signing as well as Walsh. If we sign him to end our woes and then he gets injured, we're back toscratching around.

Realistically, you need 3 players to cover the 2 half back positions - taking injury into account.
So we've got Walsh. That's 1.
Wheeler is always, always injured.
Lomax should be kept at fullback.
Wello is hopefully not staying and if he is, is a poor half.
Hohaia and Swift don't really seem in the coaches plans.
Danny Yates has not been used and Dougie Charnock only once, perhaps they're deemed not ready.
Scully has not yet announced his comeback.
Wilkin - ok back up half if there someelse who knows what they're doing.

So on the above, getting GOB on a permanant deal seems a good move, but I do wonder about the likes of Charnock, Yates and Swift - are we getting (or trying to get) as much from these guys as we could be?