Oh yeah, I don't mean because he was poor, but he couldn't get the chances due to other front row players (although I think he was tauted as back row at first).
Looking back, releasing Fozzard, Hargreaves, Emmit and Johnson all at the same time may have been careless, although this has merely added to the frustration of injuries to senior players, as well as Forster and then the further derailment of the great white hope, Gaz Frodsham. To be honest, I think we should give Frodsham one last roll of his dice before his contract is up.

I've just noted that Ben Davies is OOC at Wigan. The lads at Widnes we're very comlimentary about the time he spent there.

If that was the case he'd still be at Saints Id have thought.

Your correct he was tearing it up in the Championship last year. Great footwork for a prop as well as being pacy, with a great work ethic and highly aggressive. All the things you want to see any prop, let alone a youngster.

Unfortunately he broke his hand at the beginning of this season, and after a reasonable absence he's suffered to replicate last years form. He looks to have put a bit of chub on as well which won't be helping his cause.

A few Wigan's fans would be happy to see him leave. However I'd like to see him kept at Wigan. I think he's shown some good signs when ever I've seen him play. I think it's just a case as it is with all youngsters but particularly young props that he needs to improve his consistency. Plus Wigan need to give him time to develop.

We are defo 100% a specialist prop short next year. We will go with perry and lms as starting props with either TP or laffranchi as the prop/loose role. TP, laffranchi, perry, lms and clough are good players but IMO we need a good, big hard prop.

Clough and laffranchi are backrows by trade and TP ain't really your tough no nonsense prop that will battle his way down the middle.

It's a shame we ain't got a quota spot as west tigers prop Bruce Gibbs would be a revelation in super league.

If you only needed 17 players for a season, I'd be very happy with these. The problem is that as soon as one of those get injured, we all of a sudden look extremely short of weight.
One prop - doesn't have to be a world beater, just solid and heavy - would be a real tonic at the moment. Paul Johnson would be a good target, assuming he didn't take the knock when he left - surely he could be tempted back to play amongst his old team mates, shiny new stadium, first team oppotunities? That's taking for granted that Wakey are shafted as far as SL goes.

PJ was let go for a reason, surely the powers that be have seen something in some of the U20/18. I could imagine that some of those will be getting the opportunity next season. Id rather see us using these kids then bring back a player we released a season before because he was deemed not good enough.

He wouldn't be in the fist choice Saints XVII, he most certainly is at Cas. Being a top 2 prop at a weaker team is worth more to the wallet than being 6th choice at a big club.

It's easy to blame the club for not keeping Emmitt, but in all honesty he's made the right move - more rugby and most probably a fair bit more cash. There was little that Saints could realistically offer him that would make staying at Saints a better career move than leaving for Cas.

Your probably right, I'm just getting giddy. Johnson's obviously worked hard, but his stats don't show anything out of the ordinary in terms of go forward, unlike Emmit.

Wigan have signed Ben Cross until the end of the season. www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... _1_3568321

Wigan have signed Ben Cross until the end of the season. www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... _1_3568321

We've run at least two props light all season (Fielden and O'Carroll)

Prescotts done a hamstring and Coleys playing on knees that are worse than mine. The games we have struggled this season have been when we have had only three available props, so I guess it's a good short term signing.

Fileden I believe is still four to six weeks away from playing, however hopefully O'Carroll will get a game in the U20's this Saturday, but will he survive it?

What did Feilden do?
For all the talk over the years that he's "burnt out", i seem to remember him having a pretty good injury record.

Knee injury.
And you are correct I think he has only missed about ten games through injury in his time at Wigan prior to this season.

He should have been "good to go" about three weeks back but overdid it in training, trying to push himself a little too much.

He'd have had a lot of game time this season.
IMO he's gone for a short term gain,not a career progression.
I also think Saints could have done more to keep him.

He didn't know that when he made his decision. At the start of the year if you'd asked me our team and bench I'd have said:

Perry
Roby
Graham
Soliola
Flannery
Wilkin

LMS
TP
Clough
Moore

Emmitt wouldn't have got a look in. With Royce playing a back on the bench, even less so.

He made a brave decision, and it's turned out to be the right one for him. Hanging around waiting for injuries and being dropped for big games is no match for playing a leading role as far as career progression is concerned IMO.

He's made a great fist of being a front line prop at Cas and he's got the game time and plaudits that he probably felt he could achieve given the opportunity. That opportunity was unlikely to be with Saints but for injuries.