Do you think they're just going to try and make up for a lack of 4th senior prop with a big back row? Play Thompson 13, LMS in the 2nd row and rotate Sav and Richards at 4th prop?

Or LMS plays as 4th prop with Flanaghan Wilkin and Vea in the back row. All 3 are apparently long minutes players meaning KC can be flexible on the number of minutes any kid on the bench plays.

Not my preferred option but seems more and more likely...

I can see Lms going back to prop and us having Wilkin, Vea, flash, Thompson and Greenwood as our backrows

At Thompson's current yardage per carry you can bet he's a starting prop next season.

His lack of height is offset by good speed, footwork and most of all - the (rare) ability to sniff out gaps in the defence - rather than getting involved in the usual testosterone-fuelled swinging dick bash-a-thon.

What your describing is a tackle busting second rower though, which is the role he played at the end of last year, and should play next year. Between him, LMS and Vea we'd keep the size in the pack that gave us such an advantage in the playoffs this year. The problem is at the moment at least one of them need to be moved into the front row to compensate the lack of a 4th prop for rotation.

Thompson playing front row for us next year will be similar to Laffranchi in years past.

I'm not as worried about the pack as some. In total we have :

Amor
Walmsley
Mose
Roby
Wilkin
Vea
Thompson
Richards
LMS
Greenwood
Flanagan
Savelio
Turner (as cover)
Wellens (as cover)
Hohaia (as Roby cover)
plus any other youngsters ready to step up.

That's a lot of forwards, and in terms of quality, in my view the strongest pack in the league. They can't all play, and they won't all get injured.

If we have a weakness, it's in the threequarters. I'm very positive about the halfback pairing, which seems to me to be the best we've had since Long/Pryce. But all the very best Saints teams have had a centre who strikes fear into the opposition and gives the halves confidence to go wide : Newlove, Iro, Gibbs, Lyon, Gidley.

Percival looked as if he was really coming on last year, with a bit of beef added, but I think he has to make it this year and start to become the go-to man. Turner isn't a strike centre on his performance so far. He's the Talau to Percival's Lyon : solid but unlikely to set pulses racing when receiving the ball.

Likewise, I like our wingers. Both good lads, nothing wrong with them at all, and can find their way to the line. But let's be honest, I'd take Joe Burgess or Ryan Hall if they were on offer.

I'm not saying our threequarters are bad, at all. But our pack is the best in the league, our halves may wel turn out to be the best in the league, but our threequarters aren't, yet. That's where I'd strengthen.

I'm completely baffled by the opinion of many on the Saints pack. At full strength it steam-rollers any pack in SL (minus future additions) - not least because we possess an absolute beast of a front row which is right up there with the one Paul Anderson left.

Granted, the loss of Sia is a problem. But if Vea is half Sia's ability we'll do ok. And I haven't even mentioned several quality players (LMS and the kids) who can rotate into the 4th slot.

And if we can add another decent prop the Grand Final beckons.

You think we've got enough props that can put a good shift in? Mose and Alex need a rest after 15 mins which only leaves us with Amor who can do a good stint.

We are desperate for a prop that can do a 30 min shift and even longer if needed.

That's what I hope too - it's very hard to be a great centre if you don't get good ball from your halves.

Maybe we might see a little more from Turner too. In fact, with a relatively dominant forward pack creating space, and two proper halfbacks exploiting that space, we might even see the return of long-distance tries and exciting back-line moves. Well, we can hope anyway.

We scored a few long range tries at the start of the year when Walsh was on fire. Percy and Turner both have the speed to break the line if they get good ball.

I'd like to see Percy pin his ears back a little more when he makes a break. His first reaction is to look for the pass.

The only difference between last years' front row (which dominated every pack in SL fully fit and committed) and 2015 is Soliola's occasional stints playing a split-role between prop and SR.

The kids we have coming through should be able to patch that hole between them. And I've not included the possibility that Vea can multi-task or Saints adding another prop to the roster.

It's ridiculous to be concerned that Amor is the only player capable of doing long stretches (I'm not convinced by this argument given the performances of some of the kids this year). I mean, it's not like players of his calibre and endurance grow on trees with every SL team fielding three. One Amor is [igood enough[/i for SL!

How can anyone who witnessed the shellacking of the Catalans pack (followed by the complete nullification of Wigan's go forward) be getting jelly legs for 2015?

Crazy.

I don't want to get in another heated debate with yoû but if you think our pack was as dominate as you suggest then I want whatever your on.

Why is it every time I open a thread on this board you're marching around with a placard saying - "REPENT SINNERS: THE END IS NIGH!"?