Er, I didn't. I was saying that it wasn't the ref who was the problem, as you would know if you read the first sentence of my post.

I see you are using the penalty count 1 in your favour to say we got the calls from the ref again.


Are you just ignoring the penalties you got which gave you field position to score????

Don't forget back then you were too busy breaking the salary cap anyway.

I really didn't think it was obstruction, for me it was a fair try, the unfortunate thing is the amount that get disallowed wrongly over the season.

Lomax at Bradford being a recent case.

It's difficult to say if it is or isnt I suppose (being as the rules seem to change every year) but it seems funny that whenever we get Ian Smith he 'interprets' them in whatever way most disadvantages Saints.

In my simple view of 'obstruction' though the question is simple, was Meli obstructed from making a challenge and in my view he was.

Id like to see Saints make the 8th though to be honest. Reckon they'd offer more than what, say, Salford would offer.

Having just watched the match back, I would agree with you. But it was Smith as VR and there was no way he was going to give us anything. He's probably still seeing Daniel Anderson in his dreams.

Correct it wasn't. Monaghan actually released Foster and his momentum took him over the touch line.

No, it wasn't. Monaghan was clever. He played the ref. I think Foster learned a valuable lesson there.

Even though foster wasn't happy with friday"s result,latest news from st'helens suggests he's made up with his new car after winning the crossbar challenge.

I just think Saints are still a little behind the other 3 clubs in team development, following their disjointed start to the season. Hopefully we can get everything in order for the playoffs.

Regarding refs/VR decisions:
I decided a while ago that (in order not to drive myself bonkers) the only time you can critcise an official call is if there is 100% no reason or excuse that the decision went against us (ie this season Hardaker's try at Headingly following a massive forward pass, or Bradford having an extra tackle at Odsal). However, it is hard to swallow when you compare the Lomax no try from Odsal with the Wire try from friday (even other supporters must understand us feeling a little hard done to, if you compare these).

We had a bad start and perhaps the comeback took too much out of us to then close it down. We didn't get the bounce of the ball on a couple of occasions, perhaps, but we let some silly mistakes ruin a lot of good work - eastomnd's excellent long kick which he followed up with a high tackle, or us getting a scrum in their terriory and Lomax knocking on in the first play. As the wet conditions continued, we seemed to loose to many balls, when we should have closed things down. Our pack had got to grips with Wire and I thought I could see the old crazy wolf team emerging, desperate to throw those panicy offloads, but they regained their composure (much thanks to the reintroduction of Monoghan) and came back.

I was sorry to see the re-emergence of Jammer's temper tantrum in the first 15 minutes. I thought (hoped) we'd seen the last of that sort of thing.

In answer to Rogues question. I can't talk surely about wages, but LMS is a much more impressive player than Hargreaves. Who was an able squad member, bot you'd never want him as anything more than a 4th choice prop (at a top half table club). Louis's had queit days (the wigan game), but sometimes you'd see Bryn against big packs and think that he wasn't quite up to it physically. LMS showed some decent go forward in the face of the biggest team around on Friday, although I think he takes a few strides to get his strength up, rather than being able to drive in the tackle like Perry, Clough or Graham.

I'm waiting for the announcement of signing Chris Hill or another prop, as I think we really need another squad member in this position. Although Laffranchi has been vaunted as a prop for next year, I see him playing the role as our 3rd prop (which is everyone elses loose forward). As soon as we get an injury in this group of players, our pack looks light.

I read somewhere that LMSs metres per carry is second only to Tony Puletua out of the top 25 metre makers in Super League. Some 1.5 metres more than Ginger Graham.

He's made a fine start, just needs to add some ego and chest beating intimidating to his game. I thought he was great at the weekend. Everyone bleats on about Morley, but look at the first hit Morley put in and what it actually did to LMS, then look who LMS runs the ball at the next few times he's running it up away from the line or following kick offs, Morley.

Agreed. I do think he struggles when the defence is up on him quick and he can't get a head of steam up. I think that more static side of his strength will naturally develop as he gets older, although a neither Jammer or Perry are that quick on the floor, so perhaps he should concentrate on being our more Dynamic prop.