I'm hoping Lance will start from the bench too. If he comes on, he can cover different positions and could hopefully make impact later on the game when players start to tire.

Decision making improves with experience, and with senior players like Wello, Robes and Wilkin around him, he will improve in that area the more games he plays.

He has his opportunity now, and the ball is firmly in his court.

I disagree. Last year he had an opportunity as well, he did nothing wrong in the few games he played, he even secured a win for us at Widnes with his last minute goal kick but none of that was enough for Rush. Sometimes, no matter how hard a player works or how much his game improves, the coach gets in the way. Hopefully Brown will be a better coach than Rush, and with the balls to stand up to senior players who might not like being dropped/moved elsewhere as a result of Gaskell getting his chance at 6.

I think Brown made it clear by starting Gaskell at 6 and Hohaia from the bench, that Brown's willing to give Gaskell a chance.

I don,t think Gaskell made the most of the very limited opportunity he had, he needed long periods of showing the ability to control a game, but the coaching regime, game plan, communication by the experienced players didn,t fall in his favour.
Rush and KC brought stability back in the side at the expense of experimentation and development of the younger player, as we know half back options were de risked.
When you think back at most of our half backs in the early stages of there career they obviously made lots of errors but the successful ones kept their head and didn,t drift out of the game.
Gaskell when he takes the wrong option sometimes drifts out of the game, I hope Our new coach can correct this and hopefully we might see some MOM performances from Gaskell which would give his confidence an enormous boost, otherwise we could have another Lee Briers on our hands.

Good decision making is a skill that comes with age and experience. I struggle to think of any half-backs who were spot on decision makers from a very young age (Bobbie Goulding would be one). For a kid with his experience he's fine on that score (better than Long was at that age, for example).

Regarding a move to another club, wouldn't it require a transfer fee what with him being under 24 (assuming we'd be offering him a deal)?

I think he can go for free at the end of the year. Whilst I can understand the temptation to go to Wigan, I think looking at Wigan over the last 15 years should tell a cautionary tale. They are no more loyal to players than the next team. And will quickly buy in a player and boot another out if they feel there is someone better.

I would like Gaskell to stay, but I would not want an end of season decision. If he has had a fair run of games by June/ July and not signed, I would hope that Saints start looking elsewhere to buy in rather than going down the Eastmond ransom route. It does neither party any favours.

Either we pay a fair price and keep him or move on quickly.

If Wigan get Gaskell at the end of the season it would incur a fee as he is home grown, providing we have an offer on the table for him.

It will be either 15k or 25k, I can't remember which.

We'd have to offer him a better contract than he's currently on.

Which if he is playing everyweek I can't see why so wouldnt up is money

Rush preferred obviously preferred Hohia to Gaskell, and his team selection showed that. As you say, Gaskell played pretty well in the games he did take part in last season, but for one reason or another, he wasn't first choice.

NB obviously rates him, and has trusted Gaskell to be first choice 6 this season, so it's over to him to prove he is worthy of the shirt. He has the backing of the coach, somehpthing he hasn't had since 2011, so it's up to him to repay that faith over the next 9 months.

I think you'll find it was Royce Simmons that brought him over to play stand off

When did I say he didn't?

I said that Rush preferred Hohia to Gaskell, and Simmons gave him the opportunity to be first choice 6 in 2011.

Royce did but gaskell was Royce first choice six. So seemed a stupid move to sign him

I agree although at the time he was signed we had only just realised we would be without Pryce and Eastmond in 2012 so I think there was an element of panic.

However, as I have stated many times on here, when the statement was made about Hohaia it was McManus who was looking to bring over a halfback and not Simmons. Simmons just provided McManus with the names of players who might do a job there while acknowledging that (and I quote) 'there isn't much out there at present' (as indeed Wigan found last season when they tried looking to import a halfback).

Simmons didn't choose Hohaia; McManus did. Simmons recommended some names at McManus's request. That's what the interview said in the local rag back at the time the signing was made.

It was clear from 2011 (when sometimes Simmons opted for Lomaskell ahead of both Eastmond and Pryce) and from early 2012 (when Simmons opted for Gaskell at six over Hohaia, even when Hohaia wasn't covering for an injured Wello) that Simmons wanted Gaskell and Lomax in the halves. Maybe that was one reason why he got the boot? Maybe not, either.

However, regardless of all that, we now have Brown in charge and I just hope he has the balls to go with what he thinks is best and/or the freedom from managerial interference to go with what he thinks best, and I hope that such a decision involves giving Gaskell the season he should have had last year.