Why? I'm entitled to my opinion and personally I don't rate Lomax. I'm allowed to think that. He's not as good as Tomkins, Hardaker or Ratchford or Escare or Evalds.

Bit harsh, I'd have him (fully fit) over Evalds and Escare - and he was on a similar level as hardaker this time last year and has it in him to reach that level again.

Like the lad, and hope he makes it back to full fitness - but that could be by a year out of the firing line - wonder if Hayne would fancy a year in England if he doesn't make the 49ers run on squad

You'd be hard pushed to be a modern RL player and not be muscular. However, I've stood next to Lomax by a shop counter, and he was a good three or four inches shorter than me (I'm 6'0"icon_wink.gif, and while clearly a bit of a gym-bunny, he wasn't particularly massive. Amor, on the other hand (also in the shop), was a big lad.

I'm not kicking Lomax - he's been incredibly unlucky. But I have to agree with Muggers that if your whole game is based around agility and acceleration, then buggering your knees doesn't leave you with much else. I'm sorry for the guy, but perhaps our experience with Wheeler suggests that it might be better to plan a replacement now, rather than piddle away a couple more years.

I have to admit, i'm not overly sold on J-Lo. He's undoubtedly a talented rugby player, but his best position is very unclear.
His positional play isn't up to full back standards, and now with even further reduced agility i really fear for his future career. I think it would be prudent to start looking for a quality FB now as i dont think he is our long term future there. I hope he proves me wrong as he seems a real pro, but i just cant see it

Before his first knee injury, he had been one of our best players consistently over few seasons.

If you ask any supporters from other teams and pretty sure they dread Lomax getting the ball as he's a real threat.

Didn,t they do a sports injury report a few years back that fatty tissue around muscle, ligaments, tendons etc provided some form of shock absorbtion.
Todays players are athletes and with very little body fat something is going to give in such a high impact game. I think it was Wilkin who also mentioned that the torsion effect on joints during the modern tackling techniques could shorten a players career.
Its not good for the game when clubs are only able to play there first choice 13 on the pitch for around a third of the season or worse.

I think we have to differentiate the Lomax who played in the halves (still very much a rookie) and the Lomax who seemed to have matured during his early successes at full back. I do agree that he was vulnerable early in his career - particularly to players who managed to get on his outside. I'm less certain that he was ever weak as a frontal defender (which is where he's likely be tested at nine).

The one thing he has in his favour is boundless enthusiasm (and, if fit, energy) - which is precisely the kind of attribute all good hookers need from the beginning. Whether his body is up to the job - I guess we'll just have to wait and see the size of the bite those two operations have taken out of his abilities.

Tragic really because he's a nice kid. Weird how these kinds of plagues rarely appear to afflict Rugby League's villains.

Does anyone know the exact extent of his injury. Has his ligaments snapped, torn,or badly sprained. Is it the anterior or cruciate that is affected?
Is it any worse than Walsh's injury?

Ligaments are more or less always worse than a break. Walsh was a bad one as he did ankle ligaments also but 9 times out of 10 you get over a break but ligaments can end you, especially if your in the latter stage of career.

I've just come back from a broken ankle which was bad but they told me im luvky it wasn't ankle ligaments Id done.


So basically in the long term Id take walsh injury over lomax but I bet walsh hurt more at the time

Like you said, he was a rookie then, and I wonder with increased experience and ability to read a game whether he could move back into the halves in the future?

I think if he played with a real scrumhalf like walsh then he'd be a great stand off, he's more of a runner and likes to take the line on but can also act as a pivot.

If you look at his halfback partners since he's been at saints, he's never played with a out and out 7 and at 18yrs that was a tough ask.

Maybe he could take the lance role of utility player If we bring in a good fullback. He can certainly play fullback and in the halves and see no reason why he couidnt cover centre and hooker.

I broke my leg, dislocated my ankle and ruptured ligaments all in one tackle and it is the ankle that has proven to be more troublesome since I've started playing again.

As you say, breaks are easier to deal with/heal and 9 times out of 10 there's no recurring problem. Ligaments on the other hand are much more vulnerable to go again though.

This is not strictly true. ACL grafts are usually more robust than the original tissue. It's the elasticity which is lost (or, sans improvements in the field of surgical grafts, used to be). Unfortunately, by strengthening the ligament you take away the "safety" mechanism of rupture when the joint is overloaded. This shock is then transferred to the surrounding structures in the knee and damage can occur at any or all these points.

I don't know what all that means but I'm guessing you don't agree.

Would Lewis Tierney not be an option on loan (or permanent). He is behind Bowen and Hampshire at present for the fullback position and behind Manfredi, Burgess and Charnley for wing. He has pace, and a good step. My only reservation with him is when running the ball out he tends to go sideways, a bit like Ash Golding at Leeds.

He played very well on the wing at Salford on Easter Monday.