IMO we are a worse side without him.

The lance at halfback is another strange risk by saints for next year. He's not played in the halves for long long time and is seen as a good fullback.

Lance is a runner, he takes the line on and not a ball player. We need a ball player to control the game for us.

Our recruitment policy is utter shocking and has been for the last five or so years!

I'm sure Lance said on his interview with Saints that he has been playing fullback for two years? Before that he was playing at stand off, which is the position he has played in for most of his career. I watched the Warriors in the Full Time programme on Sky on Thursday and Lance let in two tries due to fluffing bombs. He scored a try as well, but he has the rep of being unreliable under bombs. But man has he got some acceleration about him! He just fires off the spot. Fabulous. I'm hoping that he settles in ok over here as I'm looking forward to seeing him zap around the pitch for us.

I don't think his appointment was strange at all. Halfbacks, especially scrum halves, are thin on the ground. Available ones more so. We needed experience in the halves and he has it. He also has the added value of having played in other roles, giving us flexibility when injuries strike. He wouldn't have been considered had Eastmond decided to stay.

I was under the impression he's played fullback much long than the last two year but I remember him first coming thru and was a halfback, he was tipped as the next big thing along with moto Tony.

I think Leon and lance would go well in halves but not so sure about lomax and lance.

But not worse than we have been this year, as he has not played.

And were fighting to make the top four for the first time in god knows how long and failed to best a top side yet.

Not beating Bradford and Warrington were all to do with our inability to hold on to the ball and not the absence of Leon Pryce. We would still be competing for one of the top four spots had our players remembered their basic skills (as opposed to fighting to retain fourth spot). Alas, we are now in a battle with the Dragons for fourth place. It's up to the players to practice catch and pass, preferably in the showers or something so that they re-learn the skill in the wet!

I've been very reluctant to join this band wagon, but on Friday Wellens looked shot to bits.
Maybe its because he's carrying knocks, but he looks a shadow of his former self, he's letting balls bouce, he's hobbling around the pitch, his body language is that of someone who can't keep up, he seemed to be taking a break on the wing from every scrum.... .... ....
If he is carrying knocks, then for Christ's sake give him a week (or two) off and let him recover so he can play at his best at the end of the season. If he's not carrying knocks, then I'm afraid we need a new guy lining up at #1 next year.

Nathan Ashe?

Maybe, or perhaps when Shenton returns we can reshuffle to use one of Foster or Makinson? Or perhaps Eastmond?

I just don't see the arguement for going into another season without investing properly in the playing squad. How can they expect to compete with the top teams if they continually fail to match the incomings and outgoings.

Look at Warrington. They match their ins with their outs. They have far more 'star' players than we do, yet them sigining youth players to new deals doesn't mean they have to cut several senior players to make room. They are either managing their salary cap brilliantly or we're overpaying the youth players.

I always figured (hoped) that when the club states we're spending our limit,
its actually a self imposed limit and the SC. If they managed to offer Jammer "The biggest deal in the history of the club" to make him stay, we must have some room (unless they just gave it ALL to Laffranchi instead)?

Or they have marquee players funded in a similar way to how Scully was for you guys?

Which was? None of the Warrington players have advertising contracts with third parties like Scully's with Gilette than I know of.

He's also very strong for a small man. A search with his name on a well known video website will come up with him smashing Petero Civoniceva, all 18 stone of him.