Wrong choice of appointment in the first place.

I can remember when the appointment was announced and the Hull fans were saying, top bloke, yes, will run marathons for you, but head coach? No.

Eamonn was trying to emulate Wigan by taking an NRL assistant coach and hoping he would do the magic over here. Dont want to sound ageist but, there was a reason why Madge was no 2 at the most successful club in the NRL by his mid thirties. And also a reason why Royce was not a head coach in the NRL by his fifties.

At least Eamonn has had the balls to admit his error and tried to rectify it.
KFC I don't think is the answer, too much too soon, could do more damage than good and could take him years to recover ala Betts at Wigan.

What you need now is an old hand to steady the ship in these troubled times

Wayne Bennett must be total crap then!

he wasnt making a living from rugby league his whole life

What?

You keep saying there were props available. So far you haven't listed a single viable candidate. And I shall restate an obvious point - a club's "best player" is BY DEFINITION extraordinarily difficult to replace. There are only two or three props in the world capable of doing Graham's job. NONE were available.

You describe Laffranchi as "average". Yet he has played for both NSW and Australia and has consistently been regarded as one of the top back row forwards in the NRL. I mean, you're making yourself look utterly stupid.



Did you miss the bit about saving players for the playoffs?



Were you complaining when David Fairleigh was picked at prop for Saints? And since when was it unusual for a back row to gravitate toward the front? Since when was it unusual for a full-back to play in the halves? A full-back who, I might add, has represented New Zealand in the halves.



How many good props have Saints produced in the last twenty five years? When I said "good" I mean a player with the wherewithal to cement a long-term career at the club (say five or six years in the first team).

Lauaki and Dudson are second rowers by trade. People would have levelled the same complaint they are now about converting second rowers.

Like I said, ten NRL props switched clubs last year.

I ain't listed any?

Blair, Gibbs, kite, king, hill, dudson, Luke bailey, griffin along with tye other NRL props that was available.

We've got clough, laffranchci, TP all converted from the backrow with only perry and LMS as props by trade.

Also, Leeds, Widnes, Wigan, hull, hull kr, Wakefield, bradford all signed a couple of props on.

David ferrioul was also off contract

Dudson isn't, out and out prop but he hasn't played for us yet this season. You thinking of Flower perhaps?

They were available. But this doesn't mean they were available to us. The NRL knows the value of a good prop. Which is why such very, very rarely come to the UK. I mean, sure - there was a time when we could offer significantly higher wages and this did attract some. But given the amount of lolly swilling around in the NRL these days (not to mention unfavourable exchange rates coming to the UK) we can no longer compete for all but one or two.

Some of the above names go beyond wishful thinking. Of the remainder you are forgetting those who see no good reason for signing with Saints. If I were a player looking for a SL club Leeds, Warrington and Wigan seem to offer better prospects.



Since when did it become impossible for back row forwards to migrate to the front?

Have you forgotten that Kevin Ward, Andy Platt, Jamie Peacock and David Fairleigh - four of the greatest props in the last thirty years - ALL moved up from the second row?

And Graham.

I reckon Laffranchi has been our best prop so far this year, admittedly, none of them have been particulalrly good, but even so, he has done ok. Perry is an out and out prop, and he has failed dismally so far.

Anyone who thinks TP and Clough are anything but props is on a different planet to me.