Wouldn't surprise me. One thing I can never fault is his commitment to the cause. I feel bad about criticising him, I really do.

I do too but he had a poor game today. A lot of the team had poor games today! It was just one of those games.

I just hope it wasn't our coach who decided that we should try to play summer rugby in winter conditions. If it was, then we could be in for a tough ride for the rest of the season!

The game has changed. Pacy attacking fullbacks are the vogue. That's just the way it is.

Wellens has a future in the back row. There is a particular job of work to do getting
the right side attack moving. He would be perfect for that. Also his defence and an
80 minute engine would be plusses.

It is irritating when every thread on fullbacks turns into a "you are knocking
wellens" thread against anybody who raises a question.

Wellens is longtime favourite of mine and is much more deserving of legend status
and respect than any other SL Saint including Cunningham and Sculthorpe.

However the aussie fb model (Slater, Hodgson et all) is the future and that is that.

Spot on!

with Wello moving to 13.'"

Maybe second row but he'll not play at 13. Royce will go with either TP, laffranchi, magennis or clough.

I've never seen wello drop balls like he has this season. His positional play is also the worst I've seen from wello.

As for next year, I'd go with lance at fullback, Pryce at stand off, lomax at scrumhalf and laffranchi/TP at loose.

So the spine of my team next year would be lance, Pryce, lomax, roby and TP/laffranchi.

I'd give wello a chance in the backrow but if it don't work out then he'd just have to go. He's been a great player and he's saints thru and thru but all players move on and it looks like wello is on his way out on current form.

I think our best loose forward is Wilkin.I would give him the No 13 jersey next season.

This post will please saintsfan

The 13 postion is now being used as a extra prop. Most Aussies do it now and Royce likes it also.

Next year laffranchi will play at loose but will act as extra prop, as TP does now. I expect TP and laffranchi in interchange in the 13 postion next year with magennis and clough as back up for that role.

The days of ball playing 13s are looking to be a thing of the past now.

Pointless as like Pete's said Royce wants the loose position filled by a 3rd prop (at least to start with). If we were playing with a more traditional ball playing LF then I'd agree it should be Wilkin with Moore (assuming he sticks around) as his backup/rotation

It's interesting to see just how Jon wilkin is playing this year in the second row. He's made no secret of the fact he likes playing 13 but he's playing the best rugby he's played in years.

Jon wilkin IMO has been awesome over the last month or so. He's got that aggression back and seems to have found his attacking flair as he's making good clean breaks.

IMO he's the best backrow in super league at this present time.

Simmons says on the Saints site that both Wello and Robes were playing busted , so I would expect that means carrying an injury , he didnt look right when he was playing, but to suggest he is past it , is ridiculous

It appears as though Wilkin is playing a loose forward role, whatever the numbers on the player's backs. At most scrums, Roby or Moore will be at the back of the scrum, yesterday TP was at hooker. For me, Wilkin should continue to play the #13 role, whatever the team sheet says.

b

It isn't that ridiculous, look at his stats for the year. His game has always been based on solidity in defence rather than attack and the decent down that slippery slope that started a few years back is gathering pace.

Once he's as inconsistent as someone like Webb defensively, what does he offer? Our problem is when to get rid of him. Do we lose him a year early or a year late and what hurts the team more?

Do you think that is because the Aussies expect the 1 to be more of a focal point of attack?

Wellens has said that this year he's been expected to play more as a third half back than he has in the past. A good attacking full back can cause more havoc than a ball handling loose against increasingly tight defences.