Andrew Dixon signed for Salford

rlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/news/article/480/8238633/andrew-dixon-joins-salfordrl

With him and Jamie Foster off the books yesterday, does this mean that we have room under the cap for another signing?

Was just asking on the Foster thread about Dixon. If it was necessary to release him to stay under the cap then fair enough, but I'm a bit disappointed in this, I think he's performed far better in the first team than Magennis who is the same age.

I liked Dixon, a quick mobile back rower, I think his chances would have been limited next season though.

He has the makings of a quality player. Reminds me of Lee Gilmour. He runs quality lines and you can't coach that, you've either got it or you've not. Going to Salford will most likely mean he doesn't kick on and develop, but it's another player I'd have rather kept to be honest.

Yeah, but at least we have space now for another undersized, slow back rower.

I think the Dixon move had been accounted for months ago hadn't it???

He was off contract at the end of 2012, so his cap money was already spent before today.

I liked him he had some good games early on, but with Sia, TP, Manu, Wilkin, Flanaghan all ahead of him that puts him as 6th choice and frankly for the money he deserves there is no point paying good money to a 6th choice player, better to leave that option for a younger cheaper player. A 6th choice back rower is only going to average a handful of games each year and most of those will be from the bench.

It seemed to be common knowledge but I held out a bit of hope for as long as it wasn't official. There is a lot of cover there but I would hope TP is used exclusively as a prop next year.

They shouldn't have been though (that of course is assuming they would have been, which now we will never know). At the start of 2012 he was one of our best players and I never figured out why he was dropped. But then again, I never figured out why a coach with the supposed reputation of bringing through our young players basically dropped almost all our young players.

Actually, I did figure it out. I came to the conclusion that he's a naff coach but a good systems man, which presumably is why he is now general manager rather than coach.

That and he is Eamonn's poodle, of course.

The results of his actions were woeful werent they, from what 10th to 3rd? Rush took the pressure off those kids and the immediate results worked so he stuck with it. You're gripe with individuals and obsession with others with a disregard for some fact and some comon sense is unreal

I can see where SaintsFan is coming from here. Yep, we managed to get out of our rut and move up to 3rd, but at what cost to the possible development of the young players? Gaskell has effectively missed a season of development now, Foster was used as a scapegoat and bombed out, and it looks like Dixon has been discarded as well.

The one that rankles most is Gaskell, you have to ask yourself that if Gaskell was at any other SL side, particularly any other of the 'big clubs', would he have been treated like he was here under Rush?

Was Gaskell going to play stand off this year under Royce ?

The answer is no.

Really? Because he was playing stand off when Royce got the sack.

We've been thru this before. I can't be bothered looking for the links again but Royce is on record stating lance will be stand off and lance is on record saying he's been brought in to play stand off.

You was even backing him to be a good stand off.

He only played stand off the year before due to pryce being injured.

Er, when were we in 10th? The 7th game into the season? So what? A season is more than 7 games long. Royce might have got us to 2nd for all you know.

We didn't make it to a CC semi final for the first time in 12 years; we didn't make it to the GF for the first time in 7 years; we got to third by the skin of our teeth and for the first time in 20 years no players from Saints played for the international side (not even the Knights). And to top it off we played the worst rugby those of an older generation than me have ever seen us play. So yes, the results of Eamonn's actions were woeful. He managed to bore the fans to death and still not win a GF.

Royce is also on record saying McManus asked him for feedback on available halfbacks, Royce said there weren't many around but he thought Hohaia could do a job for us. Royce is also on record saying that Hohaia is a good utility player. However, regardless of what Royce said, you cannot change the actual FACT that he was playing Gaskell at standoff when he (Royce) got sacked.


I back everyone to begin with. Despite some stupid people's claims to the contrary, however, I also change my mind when the evidence shows to the contrary. I changed my mind as the season went on because Hohaia does not look to me like a halfback. However, Gaskell does and like so many other fans I wanted to see him back and playing on a weekly basis. He complemented Lomax well.


At first, yes, but towards the end of the season Royce dropped Pryce in favour of Gaskell.