Just an opinion. No. Like Jukes before, if and when Leigh get to SL, Duffy has no experience and so the inevitable overwhelm will manifest and the decisions become weird! Derek obviously has the cash and the desire, so why not just get the right coach in now and get the job done sooner rather than later. Seems he's hell-bent on frivolously spending money on players and lots of them, but not on the main man.

I personally believe Purtill would have been a better option this year, due to the SL experience, albeit as an assistant coach.

But we were it has to be said over reliant on the quality of the St.Helens young DRs in the early to mid part of the season. Despite the raw passion of the local boys, Their quality was a big contributor that propelled us up the table. No question about that

What is unquestioned is that Saints started to recall those players constantly often as late as Saturday afternoon prior to a match day. The offer of DRs from Saints were being withdrawn and their availability reached zero and that presented us as a club with a huge dillema.

Do we enter the market for our own players or do we finish the season struggling to field a full contingent of 13 players and 4 subs for most of the remainder season, as it was a real probability ?

Now you can and I have myself question the quality of the players recruited but the decision was to sign players to remain ultra competitive to continue the promising start to the season the Saints youngsters contributed massively to. However real quality players are not readily available mid season for obvious reasons.

I am also aware that you have aired historical issues with Derek over a long period of time but as for 'outside influences'. I don't think so I really do not. My understanding is Derek was as bewildered at recent team selections as the rest of us, amidst rumours of petty fall outs between the coaching staff and one or two players that has been to the detriment of the team performance in recent weeks.

On top of that I honestly think John has also been out foxed tactically on the pitch in recent weeks and that is a very dangerous trait, long term.

I fully agree with all you say there Harold.

As for John being outfoxed, you could be right. Yet, have you noticed how many times lately, we have had a poor first 40 minutes, then remedied it in the first 10 minutes of the second half? (only to fall away again!) At half time I forecast we would get back to 12-14 (we actually only managed to get to 10) and then fall away again. One other factor I would mention, is that a few of our players who were outstanding for the first two thirds of the season, fell away at the back end. They looked jaded, which is probably to be expected. I won't mention names, because that's not fair, but you probably know who I mean?

In answer to the OP ? , No

I do believe though that following to rigidly to the NRL RL handbook of 5 drives and a kick , with little inovation just isn't enough to achieve success

But overall an enjoyable season , we've finished just about where we belong I suppose , we know get to see what unfolds in the next few weeks without having our nerves shredded

Very good post Harold ! I too feel Duffy has been out coached , regularly! I’m at a loss to understand why Ridyard and particularly Mcnally are not playing? At the end of the match McNally had his arm round Duffys shoulder on the pitch, didn’t look like two guys at loggerheads!

There are some great players out there available without spending fortunes, bringing in Sau & Brown for example just upsets the camp when most of the players are being told the club has no money when re-negotiating their contracts.

Bennion & Butt at Swinton for example are decent players and won’t cost fortunes, Liam Forsyth is the best centre at the club and can’t get a game? McNally makes us tick and Ridyard creates space. Most teams play themselves into some form, we seem to dump names in like fantasy football expecting results.

Agree with this. I am also not convinced that going hybrid next season is the answer to try and gain promotion. Nevertheless, I enjoy my Sunday afternoon's on game day,so I will purchase my ST just the same.

That's the way I feel, Binosh. Brown, for instance, is a class player, but hadn't played for a year. It's asking a lot for your 'play maker' to slot into the team and make things tick, in the final four games or so - especially when you have a proven 'play maker' who has been doing that, all season. I'm afraid that was one signing that just didn't work.

No to what precisely Gubby? That John Duffy is in your opinion the man to take us forward, I believe he didn't have to coach the team very much in the early season, as I said it was a team cobbled together along with some relatively unknown Saints kids, his message purely and simply was get out there and do the best you possibly can, fast forward to the last 3rd of the season and his man management, strategy and coaching skills have to be relied and counted on and to me the evidence of the teams performances did not display anything positve coming from him plus some of his selections had the majority of those in attendance scratching their heads.

As I stated our recent history of the coaches that have been employed seems like a collection of jobs for the boy's, the club is to familiar to them, we need in my opinion to bring someone in who is a disciplinarian with no previous connection, with experience, not someone who is doing a personal "on the job training scheme" learning as he goes along, management in sport or in buisness is a black art and those who move in their career get a better all round understanding.
A guy who I served my time with in the engineering industry gave me some great advice when I was his apprentice, he told me that starting as an apprentice at the firm, you will always be looked upon as that apprentice as long as you stay there, you need to get out in the wide world and gain expierience and respect, what I am alluding to is the last 4 coaches we have employed are still that apprentice, we need the journeyman who has been there and done that, someone who has earned that respect and experience and not afraid to use it.
Derek should have learned by now that his type of coaching selection is not producing the results his other generous investments in the team warrents, if he goes down the same path again, expect nothing but the same rudderless guidence.

We have not been the same team for weeks,i.e team spirit gone through the window since the arrival of the Toronto lot and Sau.How Riddy and McNally cant get a game is beyond belief.Riddy should be on the team for his kicking alone,as proved yesterday.

Disruption in camp that is obvious. Probably more to follow.

From a totally no biased point of view I thought Leigh looked the better team, however the individual errors cost you. If you hadn't made these i think you win the game. Tactically there didn't seem much wrong but the execution was poor Kevin Brown was aweful and I'm sure whoever brought him in expected a great deal more.

oh here we come with sack the coach