Standout player for Saints in the U20 game at Orrell this year.

I've heard good things and he looks like a big boy, which is a nice thing when our last three young backrowers have been reletively weedy.

(IMO) If Hand, Walker and Forster are all half decent, then either one of them needs to get over to Leigh, or Magennis needs to get to a lower SL club (i talking loan deals, here).

We had five overseas players last season, which was a Meli too many for me as it was. I'd be happy to see a full English breakfast to be honest. If we can do without foreign input all the better. Sad that we've increased our number, especially after all the blather put out by our chairman.

Thought Brotherton may have been given a number?

Ok I see it this way.

Its a very flexible squad. Most positions have at least one player who can rotate into that position.

However we do seam a little light prop wise. Its all well and good saying the academy props are good. But if we refuse to rotate them into the squad on a regular basis. We will be working with a proxy squad rather than the numbers quoted.

I've no problem not spending the cap and not replacing smelly. If there is no one quality available then use what you have.

Couple of things this year. Will we keep sia? If not does that mean he does not want to stay or are we looking longer term for an aussie centre.

Will Wheeler make the step up stay fit and take the centre spot for his own.

Will we play two none kicking half backs lomax and lance.

Will Wellens hold FB or will makinson get a run there.

Will any of our young props step up to fill that missing prop role

I told you at the time when McManus was banging on about our youth and how many English players we have was all a one big excuse to hide the fact we ain't signed the standard of players he'd promised to grace our new stadium.

As I said at the time, don't get sucked in to all that crap. We've gone with youth and sub standard overseas because we are skint.

Which players would you have signed instead of the ones we have in Laffranchi and Hohaia?

I've got absolutely no complaints with Laffranchi and Hohaia. We need Laffranchi as our own young props have only just been promoted to the first team and we need Hohaia's skill and experience to support Lomax. I knew we were going to go up to 7 foreign players but seeing it in black and white leaves me feeling disappointed.

Specifically though I'm disappointed Meli hasn't been relegated to the squad. Makinson is a centre/fullback who just got better and better on the wing. He should be in the starting 13, not Meli. Flannery likewise should be further down the pecking order. We should be promoting our young talents like Leeds have done. But we haven't and so I feel disappointed.

I will get over it!

I wouldnt read much into the squad numbers. Most have kept there numbers anyway.

Sia has kept 4 jersey but he'll be in the second row, flannery has kept his 13 jersey but won't start there etc

I'd be very disappointed if makinson don't start the season in the starting 13.

This is how I think we will start the season

1 wellens
2 gardner
3 shenton
4 meli
5 foster
6 lance
7 lomax
8 perry
9 roby
10 tony p
11 wilkin
12 sia
13 la frank
14 gaskell
15 lms
16 clough
17 flannery

Flanagan will be on bench before flannery.

Personally if you are going to play a back on the bench, I think Wheeler will get the nod over Gaskell ashe covers more spots more adequately.

I'd prefer the triangle of Lomax, Lance and Gaskell to be on the pitch at the start, therefore negating the need for the back on the bench, that way you can stack the bench with 3 props and a 2nd rower during the season. ie LMS, Clough, young prop, Flanaghan.

If we are going to drip feed the young props into this team proper, doing it with 2 other props on the field to start with will help no end.

I think we have a very flexible squad but we need to vary it up each week to give the young props the game time they will need if they are called on later in the season to fill in fulltime.

Shadows, that all sounds way too sensible.

Gaskell will get the bench spit infront of wheeler.

Gaskell will be in the seventeen for is kicking game plus I cant see lance and loma going together as a good half back pairing they both have the same game