No.

Oh but there Is.

Gaskell was removed from the team and that is all we actually know. He was in the firing line, of that there is no doubt, and keeping him out for a few weeks would have been wise so as to calm things down a little. However, there is clearly something else going on because he has now been out for months, bar a token 10 minutes at the end of a match the other week. However, given his performances last season and the way he kept battling to the end in the GF, I doubt very much it is his ability as a rugby league player that is keeping him out of the game. I rather think it is whinging senior players and a coach that is too close to them which is doing that.

Gaskell was in the firing line for the same reason Hohaia is now and it's cause he wasn't performing! His performances last season were average and if you stick me in a Grand Final team I would battle straight to the end and break bones for the honour doesn't mean i'm good enough though does it?

Except Gaskell clearly is.

Man of the match performances in knock out play off rugby against Wigan.

Would you do that?

Ah a smart .. Highlight the place I said I would be better than Gaskell and could do it? Gaskell is obviously a better player than me, a fan, just incase you needed that pointing out. He is not good enough for Saints and time will prove that he is not the next big thing.

He was performing but he was getting stick from the fans because the whole team was out of synch. However, you keep on thinking he was a dud if it suits you. His performances last season were very good for a newbie in an extremely tough position when he had no experienced halfback partner to guide him and an ever-changing team around him (due to injuries). He deserved better treatment than he has received this season and given that Hohaia is an international with tons of experience any comparison to him is worthless.

Well I think Anderson playing him at hooker in the game, despite Hodgson pulling out for the exiles, after stating that he would have picked Lance at FB, if hodgson was not playing, just goes to show that coaches of all types just do not know what to do with him.

Yes the teams performances at the Start of the season did not help, but Gaskell had a few stinky games to. But other than that, I agree he did stuff right too where as Lance just does not do anything.

By that measure if Gaskell had spent his time just filling a hole in the line rather than trying to be productive, he would not have got the flack.

Personally I'd rather my half backs try some plays than just fill a shirt. If it don't come off at least you have made the opposition scramble to defend something.

I would rather see our halfbacks losing posession and making mistakes while being creative when nothing else is on but in Gaskell's case I can't think of anything except from that chip in the grand final. Don't get me wrong I hope he turns out world class but I just can't see it. The problem I see is the opposite to Lance who hardly ever takes the line on and looks lazy is Gaskell backs himself far too much and takes the line on leaving a huge overlap outwide and he does it in most games and a few times in the Grand Final. I hope this is something he can grow out of doing but he certainly isn't ready to take the 6 shirt no matter how much fans scream for his return to the team.

Back on topic though Lance looked better at 9 than he does at 6 but Roby has that covered and Makinson should take full back next year leaving Lance without a position. IMO he is too experienced to leave out of the team and obviously is a class player.

Exactly.

I, like others on here, was advocating he was taken out of the firing line for a few games when we went pearshaped at the start of the season. But only a few games. Clearly something else is going on at the club and the line that has now been trotted out by Rush and Tommy Martin (an almost word for word repeat) and doesn't wash with anyone. To state that a player who played two thirds of a season including knock out games, sometimes really tough games and a Grand Final is 'learning his trade' in the u20s is garbage. After being in a GF, a player is going to learn zip in the u20s.

Then you need to watch a full season of games to remind yourself. You are showing your ignorance.

Bring back Tommy God then.

Lance should earn his place just like everyone else.

I have watched the games. Instead of going round in circles while you imagine what Gaskell did and think he is a world class player wrongly ejected from the team upload some video's of Gaskell and these performances you speak of.

And exactly when did I say Gaskell was a world class player? The only apparent world class player at halfback is Hohaia and so far Gaskell made a much better job of the position than he is doing!

Gaskell is a young player who showed lots of promise last season. He scored tries, assisted in tries, rescued imminent disasters, showed speed of thought and a bit of pace in his legs, as the season progressed he began to organise more, he worked well with Lomax and he even managed a drop goal, something I don't see Hohaia doing in a month of Sundays. The kicking game has largely been taken off Hohaia and he is actually practising with Tommy Martin. So we are teaching a world cup winning Kiwi how to play at halfback while our very own product who was so impressive so often last season is wasting away in the u20s. Good effort there Saints.