It's still early to tell, as you say, but he is a year younger than Lomax and Wheeler. I imagine noone will be happier than Pete if he beats Robes and Tomkins to MOS next year

Put him in against Thurston Mac!

Id love Gaskell to become the best player in the world. It's strange that someone like McClennan thinks 2 good games makes him bette than Leon pryce, he must have short memory.

It's great seeing Gaskell playing with so much confidence and taking the line on , something pryce hasn't done for long time.

Pryce at his best is better than Gaskell. However we havent seen Pryce at his best for the last 16 months due to injury.

I personally think Gaskell is potentially the most creative player we have had at the club since Tommy Martyn.
For someone so young he reads the game really well.
He has a lot to learn though. However if he keeps progressing at his current rate, then he will be a really really good player in two years time. By then he will be bigger, stronger, faster, and have far more big game experience, yet be only 22 years old.

Put it this way at 20 years old Sam Tomkins hadnt played a first team game for Wigan and look how he has progressed.

Other clubs must be really envious at the production line of half back talent we have coming through at Saints.

The thing is, if Saints can do it then why cant other clubs? Its not like we are a big city, but we are developing local kids into really good players. It just shows the talent is out there.

I think it's a tough call for Royce who'll play in the halves next year.

Gaskell is an [ioutstanding[/i prospect. Easily one of the best I've seen at the club. There is an effortless fluidity about his movement and he glides across the pitch (very reminiscent of a young Darren Lockyer). He has good hands, a genuine rugby brain and a kicking game which is beyond his years. He is nowhere near physically developed and yet he is threatening to break the line regularly whilst sharing a telepathic understanding with Lomax. When he fleshes out he will trash opposing defences.

That said, I'm not absolutely convinced that the stand-off position gives him the freedom his talent demands. If he fills out and gains an extra half a yard as expected I would be tempted to experiment with him at fullback. It's a hunch but I think Gaskell injecting himself into the backline as he chooses could be a lethal proposition.

No. He's got the ability to control the game as a half back and we would negate that by playing him at full back. Even if he puts half a yard of pace on he'll still be too slow for full back.

He is reputedly the second fastest player in Saints first team squad.

He can play fullback very well and has done so many times in the under 20's, however personally I would play Lomax in that position, as not only is Lomax quick, but he has fantastic agility and strength.

Yet we have Wello there giving another great performance and proving that if your quick in thought you dont need to be a flyer on the pitch.Also Gaskel isnt slow at all.

We've had this discussion all season long and that is not true.

Lance is starting in the NRL grand final.

Where is he playing?

I see no issue with Lance coming in at half back. Gaskell had a rest this year when leon came back and has looked even better for it than before when he was playing week in and week out.

Those defensive errors seam to have left him. He is hitting the lines really well and linking on both sides of the pitch. Thats two holes that people said he had in his game toned up in one season.

As for slow. I really think people confuse things. He is a tall lad therefore his legs dont need to go rapidly to cover the same ground. If you look at sprinters they are not using and explosive running style except at the start as it shortens your stride.

The difference is fast over distance and acceleration from a standing start. Anyone who saw his break yesterday cannot call him slow he was on tomkins in seconds. Just good fb play and lack of experience meant he took the wrong option. For me he could have kept the ball and not passed but he needed to stay close to the man to keep the fb in two minds turning the opposite way left the cover defence with just one man to go for.

There are plently of births for a half back. Loose forward. hooker. fb. Lance can offer support and experience to the two lads in any of these roles and lets not forget we do get injuries.

Just watching the replay and Gaskell was certainly fast when he sprinted through lol.

He played Hooker.