Cool. Hope you enjoy your day at Craven Park next season then.

Some real effort from Leon would probably help there Gidley can show flair given the service (and a useful outlet outside him).

I'm hoping with Soliola used at centre it give us a bit more balance and the option to go either side of the ruck as play dictates. If we give ourselves a bit more space and not rely on biff and barge in the opposition half i think we'll be far more effective in the danger zone.

Obviously a fast winger or electric full back would be a huge bonus as it provides an option we haven't had since Albert and then Lyon left. Broken field runners you would back scoring more often than not - if we made a clean break now unless its Kyle or Kyle in support there is no confidence we will actually score! Its a punishing defensive tactic too the year we had Lyon and Albert on the right kick that side the chase was always on them in a flash.

Gardner is an honest toiler but he certainly can't be classed as electric nor does he have the ability to knock a couple off in the act of scoring from close range, i know Meli is slower but with Meli it was never expected, you get exactly what it says on the fro a strong & powerful winger good close to the line (when his head is screwed on). You can be the strongest player around but if someone can catch you to tackle your ankles you are not going to score - if they can't catch you on the other hand...with pace you always have a chance.

We need to play a second rower who doesn't starve him of the ball (i.e. Flannery in the Grand Final) and a winger with pace outside him would help immensely.

Gidley is too old now. The last half of the season he disappeared.

You can say that half of the team disappeared around mid season...some many years younger than Gidley... tactics / team form / injuries / confidence can all be factors not just age.

Any centre needs at least half decent service to have a chance to create anything, even moreso in the 2009 season as there was less room to move than ever before. Chucking him slow ball 10m in field with 2 infront of him & Gardner already flat and marked would be difficult for even Big Mal to look good.

Indeed. Everyone's been keen to slate the backs (who are collectively not quick enough, admittedly), but, just as it's easy to look good behind a monster pack, it's easy for good players to look poor behind a pack that isn't going forward. Even if we don't sign another prop (which it looks like we won't) we'll still be considerably stronger up front in 2010 than we were this year, and because of that we'll see a lot more of our backline.

I think you're being a little harsh on Wheels - sure, he doesn't have that snap in his heels that eastmond does, but he does seems to have that ability to ghost through when you think there's not much on. His scoring and assist rating for the games he played this year were impressive.

He's more of a [isilky[/i player.

I still think Wheels will be the best of the bunch for us. Not saying he's a better player than, say, Eastmond (or maybe Maggennis?) but he can cover a number of positions and I think he'll be a top class player for Saints for years to come.

I can see Eastmond leaving in a couple of years and Wheeler being a Wellens type club man. He's clearly a very talented lad, hate to say it but injuries will play a big part in his career.

Having said that if you write off players with injuries, we wouldn't have watched Tommy God and Longy in the vee.

Well, erm... I disagree!

I just think in our current team we've got too many 'solid' players and not many flair players.

I agree, but I am hoping that injury isn't going to hinder his career in a Joey Hayes like fashion.

And there ends the lesson. We will just have to wait and see.

Joey Hayes, another youngster put under too much pressure to be the new Jason Robinson.