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Quite simply Saints have had their heads in a bubble for 4/5 years now in thinking that KFC was a good player or actually performing. How he kept Roby out for so long has to go down as the biggest holding back of a talented player I've seen in a long time. I fully expect Roby to have a stormer next year now he can really show his worth and not have the shame of being brought off while some old cart horse comes on 2 a roaring reception but doesn't really do much apart from get injured.

On a side note it's squeaky bum time for Saints with their three biggest names all off contract. If they lose more than one of them they'll really start to slide down the table IMO as you just can't lose a chunk of talented players like that in one season. Wigan proved that a few years back.

Easy to answer: we had a dumb coach. The same dumb coach who played Meli and Lomax together on one wing: two players who had never played together and one (Lomax) who was only just back from injury. Meanwhile, a fully fit Gardner was water boy. Hopefully Royce Simmons won't be as dumb as our previous incumbent.

In reply to the question asked of Saints fans by another poster: I for one would fight tooth and nail to keep Graham, Roby and Eastmond at Saints. Hopefully Eastmond will stay fit during 2011 and if he does then he isn't injury prone, just unlucky last season. We are all waiting on that one.

So Amos played well with a new coach and there's no reason to think he wouldn't continue down this route, maybe anyone else who didn't play that well under Noble should be for the chop too?

And how can you say Hoffman is a waste of money when you haven't seen him play in the UK yet? He can't be that bad, well unless the Aus national team just let him play from time to time for no good reason.

I don't think he's saying that he's a bad player or that he's not worth the money he's on. What he's trying to say is that with Hansen, Joel, Faz, Mossop, Tuson and possibly Hock we've got plenty of strength in depth at 2nd row.

Whilst i agree we've got plenty of strength i'm more than happy for us to have a world class player in our ranks. Guys like Hansen, Joel and Faz can now see what a real world class 2nd row looks like day in day out and they've gotta try and match him or else they simply aint gonna get a game. It should take all our players onto that next level.

Smith. He has everything.

I'd have smith to but robys a good second I think saints will have a spell like we had a few yrs back when alot of top players contracts come up at once

I'll agree with you there Conroy. He's a complete player.

Correct.
Smith can kick, run and PASS accurately from dummy half, something we haven't seen in a British hooker for a while. His decision making at the ptb is superb. He also plays for 80 minutes, which allows a better substitutes bench.

I would not have any of them, they lack something, they lack everything it takes to play for The Champions.

Whoa, that's a big call.

I think those three players are Saints' greatest strengths, partcularly Roby and Graham.

In that respect, Saints must be a little bit worried. With rumours about Eastmond going to RU and t'other two going to Aus ... they'd be badly weakened if that happened, and just at the wrong time, when they were moving into the new stadium.

Love this!

No. Made of gingerbread.

It would de-ja-vous (Nigel Wright).

You're right, Roby is no McIlorum and Graham is no Fielden. That Eastmond is rubbish too.

IL would sweep all three on board if he possibly could, and rightly so. Anyone who doesn't think all three would improve Wigan is a muppet.

think the comment was tongue in cheek...ever so slightly!!!!!

We are worried about James Graham because he is seriously considering a move down under. There is nothing bar an obscure comment in the press about Roby; he's just been there for a holiday with his partner and kid. Eastmond going to RU started when his former agent fed those noises to the press back when his latest contract was negotiated. Eastmond isn't an RU player; he's built for speed and illusiveness: definitely RL traits.

But Graham, Roby, Eastmond and Pryce are all up for renegotiation at the end of next season. Whoever organised that one was a plank. Either that or they enjoyed the thought of giving the fanbase nightmares.