Eastmond will be our 7 next year.

I think soliola will start season off in 2nd row with wheeler playing centre.

Exciting times ahead... pace!

now u know how salford feel about offiah he is like a pit bull wont let go until the damage is done

That will add more pace but still think we will lack pace.

Our back 3 are very slow.

I agree though it looks exciting for 2010

If lomax gets more game time, we'll have 3 players with pace. Worrying times for saints

You would say that and both just come back from injury.

Nice try auld rougue
You know as well as i do they're fairly pacey, not as fast as the young lad from leeds but fast enough, ala a young longy

IF Kyle is going then it makes the decision to let Longy go look even more inept.
The least they should have done when deciding not to offer him a 2 year deal is to get Kyle on a 4 year deal first. Then there would be no need for this thread.

I really hope Eastmond stays in Rugby League. We shouldn't be losing good young players to Union, and a way has to be found to stop the moves.

I've always advocated some form of salary cap allowances for kids brought through a clubs academy system.

Let's say for example that Eastmond has been offered £100K p.a. to play Union.
then if Saints could pay him the same but only £50K count on the cap that would help (providing they can afford it)

But another big draw for Union now is the International set up and Heineken cup, which sadly we as a game cannot compete with.

Don't think the salary cap is that much of a problem given that the RL Cap is £1,600,000 for a squad of 25 = an average of £64,000 per player and in yawnion its £2,432,176 for a squad of 40 players = an average of £60,804 per player.
Longy has said himself he was on £100 p.a. nearly 10 years ago.

The problem I think is that the RFU are losing all their best players to the French who don't have a salary cap and come for ours to compensate, perhaps by offering them very long term contracts on players we consider unproven. In addition the RFU will cough up some loot as a "signing on fee" and later an England contract if they think they have Egland potential -somehow this mysteriously stays out of the ywnion club's salary cap computation.

You are right; if they can get into the Egland set up thats where the mega money is, and perhaps this is where the temptation s for those with egos to match. They could be saying "if you get to be an England regular, you could easy earn £250K p.a. combined

Perhaps the RFL should do the same. I think its done this before hasn't it?
After the cheek of taking all the playoff receipts and "re-distributing" them to all the clubs, they owe us!

I don't believe that's the answer; if a Union team offers more than a RL team can match for one of their junior products, then the SC has nothing to do with it.

The problem is, that player would [inot[/i qualify for the SC exemption at another RL club who [icould[/i match those wages.

That's a bit of an edge case, though.

Did you have a fixation on him though?

No, I was a top Super League scrum half for a few seasons though.