problem is that we have Perry and Hohaia probably taking up 15% of the salary cap space between them. Perry is here for another 12 months, and Hohaia another 3 so unless either of those leave then we are stuck with the generally average squad we have now.

I would guess that the money spent on Shenton and Flannery has been given to Turner and Manu

anyone else who leaves, Foster, Dixon, Gaskell etc....will be on such low wages that there isn't the quality of player available to replace them with that will improve the squad substantially.

Heard Dixon already signed for Salford

I think it will be

1 wellens
2 Gardner
3 turner
4 Jones
5 meli
6 gaskell
7 lomax
8 Perry
9 roby
10 laffranchi
11 manu
12 sia
13 Wilkin
14 lance
15 tony p
16 lms
17 clough
18 wheeler
19 magennis
20 makinson
21 foster
22 forster
23 Greenwood
24 ashe

Next year is going to be an interesting one. We need 3 things before we'll be ready to compete with Wire and Wigan:

1) A half back who can organise a game and kick a ball. He doesn't have to be flash. Just someone who can do the kind of job Paul Deacon did for Wigan in 2010.

2) A vicious forward. One who frightens people.

3) A threequarter with pace and footwork.

The likelihood of us getting all three is close to zero. Unless we can cut loose one of our current non-fed players we may well not get any one of them. If we can't get 1) then Gaskell has to play in the halves. He's far from the finished article, but at least he can kick. As for 2), who knows? Maybe Alex Walmsley fits the bill. It seems that Jordan Turner is the club's answer to 3). Hull fans are extremely dismissive of him, but I'll reserve judgement until he's had fair crack of the whip in the red vee.

Is there any news on us signing young prop forward Alex Walmsley.

Leeds are now in the hunt.

Looks like a Griffin/Hill scenario

Saints cant lose out on potentially another gem!

Walmsley is in the bag but will be loaned back to Batley next year.

Was with Gary Hetherington last Friday at Restaurant Bar and Grill in Leeds City Centre.

So we have blown it again! Great stuff

What did he have?

We have a left centre,a natural in josh jones in fact he is the first we've had since talau. we need an experienced halfback to get him some quality bal ....

Fair point about Josh Jones! And as I said before a experienced organiser at half back is a must. What some people fail to understand is that this squad needs change and wont be a instant fix under Nathan Brown in year 1 of his tenure. It will probably take him the full 3 years to get us anywhere near to winning Challenge Cup Finals nevermind Grand Finals.

Why on earth would we do that? He's already 21 isn't he? Which would mean he was 23 with absolutely no Super League experience when he returned. Seems a rather silly way to do things.

So is
Not replacing your left centre for 4 years.
Buying diddy men to play prop.
Giving your starlets new contracts and send them to another club or back to the physio table.
Buying a utility player with no kicking game to play at 6.
To drop your only HB with a kicking game.
To keep a pedestrian FB at FB.
To believe that a back up hooker is your star scrum half.
To keep retaining journeymen on the basis that nothing better is out there.
Giving 4 year contracts to post testimonial butty shop owners and international utility players.

Welcome to the Saints recruitment and retention strategy.