Welcome back TYG, what did you think about the GF? (If you have already posted elsewhere I apologise).

The thing that struck me about Robertson was how positively he reacted when he did make mistakes. It never seemed to drive him into his shell, and I get the impression his mental attitude is great, so i have high hopes for him as a future international. But I agree, a sensible amount of game time for his development will be crucial.

Regarding Knowles, I think the difference in the team's performance when he was available and when he was out was really noticeable, so I can see why Wellens would do everything he can to keep him. Lees may be harder to keep and would be a loss, as I rate him very highly as well, but I think he is more replaceable. He's a real coaches' player. I can recall lots of fans questioning how much he really brings, but you can see that Wellens and Wane both really rate him. He's just really consistent and has a fantastic engine.

This will be a huge season for Wellens, but I still think he can make a success of things. I'm not sure what represents a minimum acceptable season for Saints this year? Do they have to win a trophy, or would making a final playing better rugby and showing progress be enough? Not sure. I don't personally see them as challenging for the absolute top this coming year, but equally, I don't see them doing a Leeds and dropping out of the play-offs altogether. As with almost everyone, a lot will depend on fitness and form of key players and new signings.

The coaching situation needs sorting. Briers has a year longer on his contract than Wellens. Is that so if Wellens starts badly next season, Briers steps in? Who knows.

The big issue though is the Recruitment for 2026. There could be a lot of players leaving in 2025 and a lot of cap space available. Hurrell, Paasi, Mbye, Sironen maybe Bell. Then there's the likes of Davies, Ritson, Bennison. That's not even the worst case scenario of Lees or Knowles leaving. Or both.

However the coach for 2026 will want input and if its not Wellens then they will need to know who it is early in 2025. If it is Wellens again then they are putting faith in him but again it may only be another 1 year deal depending how we go this season. If they offer him 2 or 3 years and we flop spectacularly then we are in dire straits.

The decision as to who the coach is for 2026 needs to be a good one.

I think Saints will finish in the top 4 but there are clearly a lot of question marks going forward. A big one is the future of Paul Wellens but ultimately the stars of the squad have aged and it will take time to replace them. Roby, LMS and Makinson have all gone whilst Lomax, Walmsley, Paasi and Hurrell are approaching the end. Clark, Sironen, Percival, Batchelor and Bell all in their 30s. If Lees and/or Knowles go as well it would be a nightmare. There are some promising players coming through but likely 2-3 years away from potentially being able to lead a title winning squad.

Other concerns are the lack of a specialist kicker and how injury prone the squad has been over the last couple of years.

Tristan Sailor has to be a success for them and I actually hope that he is one - Super League needs more stars and he definitely seems to have some X factor.

On a side note it's interesting to see how all of the big stars are back training at the majority of SL clubs but it looks like ours will only be back after Christmas. Completely understandable given the number of games we played but I think it also shows a level of trust in the squad to keep themselves fit outside of the club. Giving the likes of French and Field some extra time back home has definitely been a smart strategy.

Thinking of recruiting players is pretty scary stuff at the minute and gets scarier by the year. The quality just isn't coming over from the NRL anymore and as it gets bigger, the more we're going to be left with the likes of Waqa Blake. You'll get the odd diamond, who is on the edge of the NRL coming in but it seems to becoming the case now where imports with any sort of profile are older than we've ever seen (JWH and Rapana) , are unknown or there isn't much about them. I look at Saints signing Sironen 3 years ago and that signing won't happen anymore IMO. He'd played 130 NRL games, County Origin etc and there will be enough teams in the comp to offer that profile of player a good deal. You look to lesser profile players like Ellis and Field, who were fringe NRL players and even they will be tough to get and if you do, it may just be for a year or so (if they do well) before they head back.

Saints and Wigan with their academies will be in the best place to ride that but you wouldn't want to be having to do too much recruitment each year.

Saints need to retain Knowles and Lees because finding federation trained players will no be easy however, they will need to pay them handsomely and that will restrict what can be spent elsewhere.