Agree re Briers, it was very noticeable his influence in his short time at Wigan, and his time in Oz will only have helped is development as a coach

O Carroll has gone under the radar with me but i think the noises of disappointment that have come out of Bradford in the last week or so are telling, so looks like another promising signing as assistant coach

re props i'd posted on the Leeds forum a few weeks back as they were rumoured to be interested in Liam Byrne. I'd said at the time, with Leeds and yourselves potentially looking for props, it would be interesting to see who either of you signed, and it the market would become slightly inflated. I know we laughed at ourselves last year signing a prop / week, but its proven to have been good business this year and enabled us to maintain intensity for the full 80 minutes

If Murphy regains his fitness I think he will be a good signing. Feldt has always been a class winger however, for me, the jury is out on Sailor. I know he has not played many games in the NRL and given he is 26 years old that is a surprise but on the few times I have seen him he has blown hot and cold. Offensively he seems fine but defensively, and under the high ball, he has been vulnerable. Whether Saints can push for silverware depends on how their forwards perform. Will they recover from injury and find their previous form or will age be against them. Certainly, as proved in the playoff match at Wire they are capable of competing with the best in a one off match but can that form be sustained over the season? It would appear to me that, Saints have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to forward planning. They need a centre and that can only be Hurrell or a non-federation player as there is no one available in SL who fits the bill. That means, unless more non-federation players are released then they will have to find some home grown talent to replace Matautia who, in my view, was outstanding for Saints. Maybe there will be swan songs for Lomax, Paasi, Walmsley & Co. But given their injury records, form and age it may be too much of an ask. Briers and O’Carroll will definitely bring something different to the party and that will be of benefit to some of the young players coming through the ranks. I’ve a funny feeling that they may well be relying on Robertson, Whitby, Stephens and Vaughan to step up. Regarding player investment I expect that Saints will spend up to the salary cap (circa £2.1m) but it will be interesting to see how far beyond that amount they are willing to go. It looks, from an outsider looking in, that they may be trying to cut their cloth. 2025 promises to be an interesting year for our friends over Billinge Hill.

Saints have given new contracts to Davies and Bennison. They have signed a winger in his mid 30s and another who has been injured for 2 years. Not learning are they? They will bomb out again next season.

Saints' winger signings are fine but they're clearly missing a centre and their key forwards are ageing. Also - who's going to kick the ball for them now Dodd has gone? I don't think Lomax has ever really excelled in that area.

Certainly feels like more signings are needed but it's difficult to get anything done so late, with quota spots in short supply. Multiple clubs seem like they'd still like to do business.

We'll just have to sit here, with our completed squad, that has cover in all areas and polish our trophies for a few months