I concede that you're generally a good poster but in this instance you're way off the mark. He made 2 game busting runs in what was a very tight match, something that no other player from either side was able to manage and that includes players of the quality of Roby, Richards, Tomkins etc. That's why he got nominations for top 3 MOM. That's before you get to his intercept, great work bringing the ball out and generally good defence. One instance where he was (perhaps) caught out of position does not a bad match make. He was excellent yesterday, as he has been for much of the season. His 19 (?) tries many, if not most, made by great work from himself are testimony to that!

As for 'weak link' in defence, you couldn't be more wrong. Deacon is the weak link. Even his most ardent admirers for what he does for this team (and I include myself in that) wouldn't argue with that. Charnley is unfortunate in that he defends on the same right hand side as Deacs and alongside a centre with little experience in that position. If you wish to use the King example as evidence that he is a weak defender then the same can be said for practically every player King has played opposite throughout his career. In fact, the same can be levelled back at King himself as I've seen him run over and past as if he wasn't there on occassion. Doesn't make him a bad defender. Every player has that at times during their career...more so when they are first coming into the game.

I think his defence is the only thing that is stopping him from being in contention for an Four Nations place. Briers embarrased him in the first game at the DW. Truely devastating attacking player though.

I remember the same arguments going round about Ainscough when he was here. "Poor under the high ball" after King outjumped him a couple of times, "should hold his wing and trust the player inside him" after he got beaten in 2 on 1 situations after a poor slide inside him.

They were mostly unjust criticisms of him as well.

As has been said already, poor reads and overcommittment inside will create overlaps out wide, and most wingers, no matter how good they are, cannot cover them without the attacking centre making a bad read. On the occasions that the inside defenders held their line, the outside coped admirably all day.

Agree about Goulding, he should be Charnleys centre IMO but for him being injured.

How about swapping Deacon and Finch when defending. Left side of defence could carry deacon . Right side would be Hansen,Finch, JT and Charnley. Finch is very good at marshalling the troops. Deacon seems to get sucked in which in turn sucks JT in leaving Josh out numbered.

Its fine, its just a little chink in a our steely defence, nothing needs to be changed at all this season

JT is not a centre. Charnley needs to stick to his wing.

Apart from that our right side is watertight.......

Would it be worth testing a partnership of

Sam
Roberts
Charnley
Carmont
Richards

in the next two games? With JT back in the back row

Charnley has been a revelation on the wing, why move him? It makes sense to let him hold down that position. For all the criticism Tomkins is getting, Saints attacked the right hand side defence time and time again and yet only scored twice. One of those tries definitely had nothing to do with any of the fringe defenders and another perhaps was but was also a bit of excellent skill from Meli.
The reason Saints were able to attack the right hand side so much was due to perhaps one or two harsh calls by the ref, some silly penalties conceded and a lack of field position early on. If players don't make too many mistakes or give away penalties that allow the right hand side to be targeted repeatedly then it's not a massive issue, as it's not really any weaker than the defence of many other teams.

I hope Im wrong but I cant see Amos Roberts playing for the first team ever again.

He was training with O'Carroll yesterday afternoon, it tends to be the long term injured training at this time Hock(before his return) and Feilden (before pec injury) were on the afternoon shift as well.