It's time to pull the trigger

With this season increasingly seeming a write-off I think the time has now come to make the tough decisions and call time upon careers which have long exceeded their "use by" date.

Top of the list - Francis Meli.

In twenty years when my grand-children ask me why Saints' fell into decline the word "Meli" will be synonymous. I give great credit to McManus for his achievement in realising the new stadium - but his successes in recruitment have been mixed to say the least with Meli being his most obvious blunder. Here's a guy with successive contract extensions all of which were completely undeserved. A walking-talking on-the-field comic tragedy who arrived to pick up his form from the NRL, where he had correctly been identified as a defensive liability and all-round buffoon, costing us two Grand Finals whilst playing a significant role in a third. If ever there was a motif for our transition from being a club that strived to recruit (or promote from the reserves) players of the highest standards to one where failure is repeatedly rationalised with all manner of excuses (some of which are completely ridiculous) here he is.

How many academy reserves quietly spirited away to other clubs (or drifted out of the game completely) must wonder what they might have achieved had Meli not been granted the protected status of an endangered species? It's little wonder the Aussies laugh at our game. Over here players who repeatedly detonate epic failure are defended, their continued first team presence rationalised with dubious arguments such as [i"there isn't anyone better available"[/i and ultimately offered repeated and lucrative contract extensions. In the NRL such players are quickly identified and ruthlessly shown the exit - regardless of the availability of outside replacements. In their minds it's far more damaging to continue justifying the failures of one player than taking a risk on a rookie. After all, if one player is repeatedly allowed a free blunder pass then why should the rest of the team bust a gut to limit their errors?

Watching the near debacle at Widnes it was noticeable reading the faces of Saints players when Meli predictably coughed up possession in the last ten minutes giving our opponents the opportunity to get a roll on and almost steal the game. Where once errors resulted in scowled faces, bellows of frustration and gritted teeth now Meli's butterfingers are greeted with sagging shoulders and the odd shake of the head. It's funny watching Meli's face immediately after one of his spectacular cock-ups. Invariably he checks to discover the expressions of his team-mates - presumably for some semblance of comfort. But the players are all looking the other way, biting their tongues or imagining they are on a luxury cruise down the Nile.

The time has now come to draw the curtain on this fool's career. I'll give him some credit for partially re-inventing himself as a centre last season and turning in some decent displays. But this year he's been, for the most part, a silent passenger. Overweight, unfit and forever an accident just waiting to deposit some stinking turd of a defensive blunder on us.

Next on the list - Ade Gardner. Gardner's career on the wing has - for all but arguably two seasons - hung over me like a cloud of depression so thick it has all but obliterated sunnier memories of the days when Saints could be relied upon to field exciting speedsters. It's like I know players such as Barrie Ledger, Kevin McCormack, Les Quirk, Allan Hunte, Anthony Sullivan, Darren Albert - even Sean Hoppe (who wasn't even that quick) existed and once thrilled the crowds with spectacular (and often length-of-the-field) efforts but the brain fog engendered by Gardner's dour years at the club makes recalling those (happier) times nigh-on impossible.

When criticising Gardner it's often difficult to know where to start. Most people tend to concentrate on his obvious lack of pace, which I agree is a major problem (anyone not convinced by the futility of continuing with Gardner really needs to watch his pathetic pursuit of Jordan Turner where his little two-stroke engine popped a piston) or his inconsistent hands (one minute leaping to out-jump one of the best takers of the high-ball in SL - Ryan Hall, the next making some stupid Meli-esque blunder beneath a kick). And there's the valid argument that for a guy his size he often fails to put the very same to effective use. But the biggest issue I have with Ade is - attitude, or lack thereof. I'm not saying he's incapable of giving everything for the cause. There have been games this season when he has been one of the best players on the pitch - weighing in with some of the finest form of his career. The problem is he seems to turn his determination and passion for the game on and off like a tap. I've never quite shaken the suspicion that he plays when he feels like it and I don't think it's co-incidental that the form he's shown this season comes at a time when our options on the wing have increased with the performances of one or two academy players.

If we are to regain our previous form we can no longer tolerate players picking the games they want to perform in. It undermines the competitive spirit required to prevail over determined opponents. The harsh truth is that playing to the height of his potential Gardner remains a slow winger who presents little difficulties to an organised defence outside of five yards from the corner flag. Sullivan, Hunte, Quirk et al. all had games where their performances slipped. Nevertheless, even on a bad day our opponents knew that one slip could result in the ball firmly placed back over their line.

Vis a vis full back - this is a decision that we should have taken five years ago. I remember advocating experimentation with Ian Hardman at full-back and being laughed at by the usual crop of narrow-minded serial offenders that inhabit this board because Wellens' cruel lack of pace was showing signs of being exposed. The issue of whether Hardman would have been suitable for that role (in hindsight - clearly not) is incidental - the point is that Wellens, whilst being one of our most valuable assets, was paradoxically becoming the tip of the arrowhead in terms of our opponents' attacking strategy.

At that time Wellens still had the ability to beat the first defender and make yards. But if you could prevent Wellens from beating the first man ...

No team in SL understood the implications of the above better than Leeds. Smith cleverly devised a strategy (employed by most clubs these days) which mercilessly exposed this weakness resulting in anywhere up to fifteen yards advantage per set of six on tackle zero. Our first Grand Final defeat against Leeds was the wake-up call - for all the positives Wello brought to the table his lack of pace at the very highest level was a liability - there to be taken advantage of. We should have taken the decision there and then. But, no - fans were falling over themselves to claim the game was a one-off with Super Wello's form a certainty to return.

As the saying goes - [i"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results."[/i

No doubt Leeds' simply couldn't believe their luck when Saints chose to hand them their attacking strategy on two further GF occasions!

So far Shenton has done little to justify expectations - not to mention achieve the levels of potential projected around the time of his transfer. His first season was largely forgettable. When signing players from other clubs you expect that - at the very least - they will repeat the kind of form they showed in former colours. I'd go further and say at any club with title aspirations they should damned well [iimprove[/i (an absolute must when we are talking about youngsters). The coterie of Shenton defenders can bluster all they like but the truth remains that even prior to his injury Shenton's form was of such a mundane variety I doubt whether we would have looked twice at him had he shown the same in a Cas shirt in the run up to us signing him. I'm willing to give the kid time to get over what was a pretty serious injury - but there must be [isome[/i game-to-game improvement - no matter how gradual. Right now - after playing several consecutive matches - he seems no more effective than he did on his first game back from injury. We simply cannot allow this to continue. If he isn't fit to play, or his head isn't quite right - put him on the bench, or send him back to the juniors where he can build confidence in a less pressurised environment.

Wheeler? At the very beginning of the season I said this is a make-or-break year for Gary Wheeler. For years I've stuck by this kid and defended him against the accusation that he is injury prone and unreliable. Like seemingly all Saints youngsters he was pilloried for not being able to stand up to the rigours of SL despite the fact that he wasn't mature physically and could be giving away anywhere up to two or three stones vs his direct opponent each game. But Gary is now past the point of maturity and he's as ready as he will ever be so that excuse is no longer applicable. So far this season his form has hardly matched the patience fans have exercised with him and once again injuries are taking their toll. Moreover, there remains the nagging question of where best to position him? Is he a centre? Is he BIG enough to be a centre? I mean, one doesn't need the physique of Mal Meninga to be useful - but pitched against some of SL's better sides Gary does look a touch on the short side. Some claim he should be given a role at stand-off - but I really don't see anything in his game that Lee Gaskell doesn't already bring to the table - and more besides. The reality here is that we have now reached the point where Gary Wheeler's future must be decided quickly. Either he demonstrates outstanding form in our remaining games this season or we call time on his career. I simply cannot go through another season wondering whether Wheeler will play or not next game.

I'll add some other points later but for now that's it.