They weren’t half strength. They had a team out, not half a team.
I’ll except under strength.

You can sign in can't you?
I hate the idea that their players weren't putting in the effort. If that Saints team played HKR ten times they wouldn't do much better. Saints have had it until they get their big names back ... and then it may be too late.

We've just seen it all before. Us, Cas, Catalans, Hudds. Doesn't matter if you finish top or look great week in, week out. I get that someone has to break the monotony but I just don't see it.

I think you may have to have a proper look at their 1-17 squad & then imagine the Wire team without the same.
I have no love for Saints but they are having to play players who are simply not up to standard & anyone can see that.

Salford off to a decent start 12-0 up

My Huddersfield are shocking Salford who were lackluster last weekend are cutting them to ribbons 42 0 half an hour to go...

54-0 now

Hope Giants that bad when we play them next.

Hope Hudds v Saints is sky sports main event next week - could do with a laugh.

60-10

Salford in to positive points difference now.

These are players they've signed, like Blake and Ritson. They haven't had these guys forced on them like a grubby t-shirt from the spares bin for PE; the fact they are useless players is nobody's fault except Saints's. Bringing back the lard twins, Walmsley and Hurrrell, plus Lewis Dodd, will be neither here nor there.

There is no doubt that Saints have had a terrible run with injuries but also poor discipline has meant a number of suspensions that has compounded the problem.
No matter how good our coaching staff are the "next man up" can only go so far and I think we would have struggled given a similar situation.

I think the problem for saints has been their success combined with an ageing squad.
The success means inevitable contract increases as the likes of Welsby, Dodd, Knowles, Lees etc would have had big increases for saints to keep them. Their success has made them move away from their model of if we can't afford them we let them go. So players like Luke Thompson or Bentley, Fages and Coote were let go because they had Lees, Bachelor, welsby and Dodd. It wouldn't surprise me if most of them were now on bigger contracts that the players that left. This means that there is less to go round the rest of the squad which is why you see players like Ritson. So I think the gap between the top earners and the lower paid players is bigger and so is the quality.
That is fine if all your top earners stay fit but an awful lot of them are getting on a bit.

I think we ended up in a similar situation in 2012/13 after a few challenge cup wins and a couple of grand final appearances I think we ended up with an expensive 1-13 but after that there was probably a lack of depth. I don't begrudge any player getting all the money they can because it is a tough sport but in a salary cap sport you have to manage the squad especially if it is an ageing squad.

Wigan have managed this really well when you look at the players they have let go (Gildart, Sutton, Bateman, Smithies, KPP) but they have managed to replace them. I think we have a better balance now but it probably did need the clear out under Powell. We were all questioning letting Daryl Clark go but you can't allow yourself to have too much cap tied up with a small proportion of your squad.

Add to that also some of their youngsters aren’t as good as Sky would like to make out. They could all go on to be great players but at the minute look miles off….Robertson included despite Sky gaslighting us. Our youth that has come in this season has looked physically ready whereas it’s the opposite for Saints….that has been the opposite of seasons gone by.

Lots of good points in there. If you are going to give a contract to Knowles or Lees, however, you should be pricing in the fact they will spend a third of each season out suspended.