I disagree...I thought SMD complimented our team quite well. He is safe under high ball, has good support play & has a better defensive game than both Quinlan and Lomax. He is not what you would class as a "spectacular" full back but he was good enough for us imo.

Lomax is a tricky one...I agree he is a quality player, but you cant rely on anybody who has suffered 2 ACL injuries in 2 seasons. There is no guarantee his pace/stepping abilities will be the same again which would limit his attacking play, and also will need time to regain confidence after such long layoffs for the past 2 seasons. I think a bit of time in U23's (assuming clubs can still play a few over-age players) at a lower intensity to build him back up & ease him back into playing may be a better option to start with.

As for Peyroux, I am still hoping we can bring in another centre. I have only seen a limited amount of him, but from bits I have seen he looks very good when used in back row and has a strong running game but his defence is a bit suspect and could be exposed if used in the centres. Will give him BOTD until he plays but not overly convinced he is the answer to our lack of a centre.

As for Owens, you would assume with SMD & Lomax already established as full backs, and Tommy & Swifty both having good seasons on wing last year he would be starting as a cover player which would put Dawson further down the pecking order (and potentially spell the end of his time with us). Cant fault Dawson's effort he has always tried hard, but on ability Owens in for him would be a massive upgrade

Looks a good player to me, we have lacked alternatives in our back 3. Swift is prone to a poor spell so having an alternative on the wing is always good. Investing in young players is never bad, some may not make it but that is no reason to stop trying.

The new format has resulted in Widnes buying in experience to avoid the middle 8's and relegation. It would seem we are benefiting from it.

I 'think' he's OOC at the end of next season so it will be interesting to see where he ends up.

If you search 'St Helens Widnes 2013' in a well known video hosting website of your choice, you'll find highlights of the game in which Widnes thrashed us at home. Owens scored two in that game - the first one (about 01:30 on the video) shows that he has a bit of pace and power.

Neither does Mark Percival...does that mean we should get rid of him?

is time up for Lomax?

Quote: St pete "SMD wasn't good enough before his very serious injury and I highly Doubt he's going to improve after a very serious injury. I'd have lomax at fullback any day of the week ahead of SMD. We have missed his attack so much it's unreal. He scared the life out of teams on the edges and at times in attack it was the Jonny Lomax show. He's safe on kicks and good in defence. SMD is a upgrade on Quinlan but he's still nowhere good enough for a top 5 team in super league. I'm pretty sure peyroux will be centre'" St Pete Lomax now has a hip injury, i posted this yesterday before the news about Owens. Check the date stamps. I think its make or break in 2016 for Lomax. Widnes fans saying his best position is FB, i think we need to read between the lines on this one viewtopic.php?f=18&t=589695&start=40 www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/34656587

Quote: St pete "SMD wasn't good enough before his very serious injury and I highly Doubt he's going to improve after a very serious injury. I'd have lomax at fullback any day of the week ahead of SMD. We have missed his attack so much it's unreal. He scared the life out of teams on the edges and at times in attack it was the Jonny Lomax show. He's safe on kicks and good in defence. SMD is a upgrade on Quinlan but he's still nowhere good enough for a top 5 team in super league. I'm pretty sure peyroux will be centre'" St Pete Lomax now has a hip injury, i posted this yesterday before the news about Owens. Check the date stamps. I think its make or break in 2016 for Lomax. Widnes fans saying his best position is FB, i think we need to read between the lines on this one viewtopic.php?f=18&t=589695&start=40 www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/34656587

He's be at Wigan for little while yet I think

I remember going and us getting towelled.
From memory, is was just one of those awful games that we had under Nathan Brown when we looke d like we'd never played a game together before.

As part of his loan agreement to Cas his Wigan contract has been extended until 2018, with the last year being an option in Wigans favour.

Oki doki - make sense. I think next season will be a key one for him.

Not a cat in hells chance he'll get a game at Cas. Cas are arguably better stocked in terms of both quality and depth than Wigan in the positions he plays.

It's an absolute mystery to me why Wigan don't play Hampshire, Williams and Tomkins in the key positions next year. I'm not sure what Smith offers them at all.

Because playing two 21 year old halfbacks together has never worked at top level as Saints found out a few years back.

a) He'll play at Cas and is a far better prospect than anything else they have. He was always going to struggle at Wigan next year with Tomkins' return so a year in a side where he can have a lot of impact will do him the world of good and boost his confidence. He'll benefit from working with Daryl Powell too.

b) Because 6 & 7 are too key a position to risk. I suspect Smith may move on after 2016 and if Hampshire does well next year they have a great set of options. Good planning.