While your ambitions are spot on, I feel you lack a touch of reality!

I don't like how your comparing our players with the players in the best teams in the comp. The key word here is teams, the players you are comparing Hansen with are good players in a good team. There will be players in the squad at Leeds or Saints who paper over the weaknesses of their surrounding players. That is what makes them good teams, as a unit they do not make as many mistakes etc.

How do you know that if you put (for example) JJB into our squad he would not get shown up defensively? In all honesty you don't, the fact is that to win the comp then you have to get the best out of the available players. Is abblett a world beater? Is he in a winning team?

Criticising Hansen is harsh IMO but I can see where your coming from. He was very good for us last season and has shown he knows how to run onto a ball and what amgle to run. Most of his tries come from when he does this and is provided with a decent ball close to the line like when Trent(?) gave him a great ball at Cardiff last season, Trent at Odsal 07 play offs and when Sam gave him that ball against Bradford earlier on this season so he CAN do it. Smith being on form would help him because he will give him good service. Mossop will most likely be pushing for his place next season and if he takes his chance Hansen will have to earn his way back in. As for going on about building a winning side, yes you need top class players but not in all 17 positions, Leeds have Abblett, Stains have Flannery in their back rows who aren't top class but do a job for the team.

Hansen reminds me a bit of Mike Bennett (though not as good ). Everyone thinks he's garbage, yet coaches nearly always pick him.

He's only 23, and whilst I think some of you have gone a bit overboard in the past in praise of his defensive work horse status, he does a decent job for your team and has plenty of scope to improve his game.

BL is one of the more Knowledgeable and reasoned of the Saints posters on here.

He very rarely takes the p!ss, and is someone whose opinions I for one respect.
He knows Murphy and Boston wee great players and I'll bet he never saw them play.

Thanks for your opinion Rogues. You may go now.

Just lay off the whisky, it's a bit early for it yet.

I call it as I see it and BL is in general fair, a lot more than many so called fans on here.

Isn't them plural?

It is. Well done.

Thank you.
It's always good to be correct.

What's all this to do with Tim Smith?

Not sure, ask your mate.

Too true
IMO of course..........................'"

Only on video

I am not being offensive. It is just my opinion that your suggestions that umpteen players in our sqaud are not good enough for a winning team (Hansen being one) IS rubbish. The salary cap virtually guarantees you will have what you might consider sub standard players.

Players like Hansen are fine. What we are lacking is some truly class players in key positions. Fielden was supposed to be one but isn't. We have a compromise at full back, The new hooker is a disappointment, the half back situation is not sorted out and our 13 is really a 2nd row.

In fact are making compromises or have problems in the key positions of the half backs, full back , loose forward and hooker. And we all know we need at least one top class prop.

In the era of the salary cap it is IMO possible to get those key positions sorted out but Wigan's problem is they have not. But once they are sorted out then you can't expect mega stars elsewhere in the side.

This is where Hansen comes in. With the key positions occupied by class players Hansen would be talked of in the same terms as Mick Cassidy.

It remains to be seen how the younger players will mature but Hansen can hack it on a weekly basis in SL. Last season I am pretty sure he averaged virtually exactly the same tackles per game as Lockers but missed fewer tackles, made fewer errors and gave away fewer penalties in absolute terms never mind average per game than Lockers despite playing 12 more games. He also scored 6 tries to 1 which is virtually double the average of Lockers last season. What does he have to do to prove his worth?

Or is my comparison with Lockers flawed because you don't rate Lockers either?

Dave