What’s your thoughts on Lomax playing on? Surely better to get him fully sorted and ready for the back end?

The injury problems Hopoate is suffering aren’t helping Saints. If you could put him in at fullback full time and Welsby in the halves full time, then it would be a no brainer to get Lomax sorted IMO.

I don't understand the decision at all. By protecting him last week it changed our game plan and we suffered. He's a tough lad but I would guess he was at 60% of his max.

I'm wondering if and when Hopoate is fit if they will do what you suggest and decide to get the op done then. It was interesting at Woof's press confernce last week that he took responsibility for bringing Hopoate back too soon so they will definitely air on the side of caution with him now. I don't think he is a great signing at all but he has played FB in both the NRL and for Tonga so can clearly play there. Moreover he was never injury prone in the NRL so he's been a bit unlucky too with first his ribs and now hamstring.

However even if Welsby plays in the halves he still needs someone to partner him and we have no real first choice back up.

Surely Lomax's pectoral injury is only minor, I mean nobody plays with one that's torn these days. Liam Farrell suffered one in 2019 and was out for over four months. Thornley was out even longer back in 2014.

If Lomax is suffering with only a minor pectoral injury there's a massive chance he could aggravate it even further during game time, surely best to rest it now for a few weeks to see if it heals. However I'm sure the Saints medical department know what they're doing.

It’s a torn bicep not pectoral.

It’s his bicep mate. He’s ruptured it and it sounds similar to Kane Linnett. He played at the weekend as well, lasted 20 minutes and did more damage to it and has no choice but to get the op now. Maybe the Lomax one isn’t as serious but he didn’t look comfortable. Saints attack never really blows teams apart from all over the field anyway but it’s going to be clunky for as long as they need to keep protecting Lomax by shuffling things around.

I'm no medical expert but from what Woolf said, all the muscles around it are intact and strong so he has less chance of making it worse. I think there is a possibility that it will naturally reattach itself however IMO we are messing with his health here and he should get it fixed ASAP even if he is out for months.

I agree with your final point, I'm just hoping that Bell can improve this with a good run of games. He's a very good player and as I say someone that Wigan looked at very closely last year too.

Just had a conversation with someone who's just said bicep. Oops. Still a potential major injury like.

Woolf's not playing with it though!!!! It is shear madness especially with the World Cup coming up. The lad will be having painkilling injections to play, that cannot be good for his long-term health. Mr Woolf, where is your duty of care now, is what I would be asking rather than trying to justifying his actions.

Woolf is ruthless in the way Michael Maguire was. I laughed last week in the build up to the semi when Saints fans were saying Lomax must be fine if he’d been named in the squad as Woolf is so ‘honest and straight up’

He named Grace in the squad so we could all play a guessing game. They’re now admitting Grace won’t be back for another couple of weeks. We won’t get any honesty on the lack of Saints overseas players involved in the mid season international either.

I’ve no issue with how he goes about his business, he’s selfish and looks after Saints and Saints only but I did chuckle at those lines.

It's madness playing Lomax and a decision I believe they'll regret. Worse still, it's one that England's world cup hopes will suffer for. Conflict of interest from the Tongan coach anyone?

Stu, what's your opinion on Havard not getting in the Saints team ahead of Lees or LMS?

I like him. I've waxed lyrical on him on here as being the nearest thing I've seen to Luke Thompson in terms of engine, footwork etc. I think he will be NRL bound though. I'd have him before Lees and LMS in a squad.

Byrne has come on leaps and bounds for you too. I know he really suffered with Covid and struggled with it for a long time afterwards but he seems to be getting some form now.

From what I'm hearing though Harvey Hill could be even better.