As I've said on a number of occasions - when Dixon & Ashurst fill out they'll be terrific players. Far better than Stankevitch & Jonkers ever were.

I hope you're right. However, around at the same time Stankevich & Jonkers came through, Gareth Price looked by far the better prospect in the reserves, but came to very little. As the song says - It goes to show you never can tell.

both look decent prospects, and hopefully they'll kick on.. you never can really judge youngsters for a year or two.. you can throw foster into that category too..

as for dixon keeping wilkin or flanno out.. i agree

Too true. Wasn't Bracek ahead of Graham at one stage, and Bannister in front of Clough?

Price lacked a bit of height and perhaps intestinal fortitude. He was great at bullying opponents in the reserves, but you can't pull that sort of stuff at SL level without being good. And Price just wasn't.

Jonkers was always a touch underpowered, even when he filled out. Stankers had a good football brain but lacked robustness in his game. Look, it's not rocket science. Both Dixon & Ashurst are big lads and whilst they aren't skittling opponents today they certainly aren't being outclassed. Somewhere within the next two years they'll have added a stone in weight and perhaps an extra inch or two in height. Instead of holding their own they'll be physically capable of taking the attack to the opposition.

I'm not sure on Bracek, but IIRC Bannister was only picked before Clough in the first team due to Clough being injured.

But Bannister actually had the skill, and ability. He took to the first team really well, and did really well at any club he was dispatched to.

He just had too many demons.

No, its not. My point was that you don't know whether Dixon's going to turn out as good as James Graham, or if Ashurst going to be the next Ste Bannister, but they need a fair chance, they've proved they can cope as squad memebers, now give them a chance to test their "intestinal fortitute" and see if they can develop further, and let them do it in peace, with bemaoning that they're not world beaters from the off.

I think you've misspelled pints at the end there

We DO know that they are - right now - and at the very least - COMPETITIVE at SL level. We also know that they will fill out by anywhere up to a stone and a half in the next eighteen to twenty-four months.

Yes. There are no guarantees in sport - but there's a good chance that "COMPETITIVE" + extra physicality = MORE competitive. And that can only be good for us.

whose production line? not yours. he only moved to the st helens teams when he was 15, after establishing himself at warrington, had he not been such an avid saints fan, he would most likely have stayed at warrington.




sorry to burst your bubble, but andy is from warrington, his dad is from salford! neither of these make him from st helens!

Although he is saints through and through, im very good friends with him as i grew up with him, playing against him whilst he was at crosfields, and with him at warrington.

as many of you have said, he is a great player, or if not yet, then he will become, hes very solid, and will give everything for the club he supports. i was speaking with him last year and asked him whether hed consider coming back to warrington, should he not start to see saints first team action, and he said he rather stick it out and fight for his place. so you can guarantee an improvement from him, if he isnt making himself a first team player already. he will do in years to come!!!

He isn't off the Saints production line because he only moved to the St.Helens teams when he was 15? That is bemusing.