Pre season. Bullock outshone Clark in every way. I’m not against Clark but what I am against is players who evidently deserve to be in first and to be brutally honest I feel our pack is weaker when it should have been stronger.

As always, quite happy to sit here on Saturday morning and rescind any remarks should I be proved wrong.

Sometimes there’s a tactical need for that; quick PTB, markers all over the place and defensive line not set. It opens up spaces for and players to exploit.

Equally there’s a tactical need for the old fashioned approach (and FWIW as a retired battered prop forward, I very much prefer seeing the props run in in as hard as possible skittling defenders); make ground up the field, good kick pin the attack in their 30mtrs, hurt them and knock the enthusiasm out of them.

Thompson, Lees, LMS and Walmsley were very effective at switching between the 2 last season and a huge reason why Saints were as successful as they were.

'"

Or break salary cap so you don't go down
It’s either the refs fault or Wigan’s fault with you cas lot isn’t it
So it was you putting Bats in the pies. All makes sense now.

I think we need the team to have played 4-5 games before we can start questioning team selections. With the exception of George Burgess in the 21 man squad, even more so if he gets in the 17 which I don't think he will.

Despite Cas injuries its never easy over there and looking forward to a tasty battle.

Just to clarify my post, I'm not criticising Clark's inclusion. I actually thought he played well in the reserves without doing anything eye-catching. As a workhorse prop he actually looked like the prop Clubb should be. I'm only critical of his inclusion in preference to Bullock who did everything Clark did and more besides and also outshone him in the Leeds friendly. There is nothing on the face of it to suggest Clark played himself into contention over Bullock who seems the more natural metre maker and has the more natural offloading game, both being things we could currently use, especially if we're to play the brand of rugby Lam has continually promised. Whatever the reasons (and I'm sure he must have them) it looks from the outside that Lam is shooting himself in the foot. Obviously that is not allowing for anything we don't know about.

For my own part I'd like to have seen Bullock in for Burgess and Clark in for Clubb. That said, I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong and that Clubb raises his game in the manner he (all too) occasionally does.

show me the proof? You guys were caught red handed.

My gripe with Bullocks omission from purely a playing perspective is down to two things really-

1-He outplayed all our props in his two pre season games (not just Clark and Clubb)

2-The side is crying out for a prop who chews up the metres. Saints start with two and we don’t have any in the current side. I’d have thought Saints and Salford in the play offs would’ve changed the safety first approach to our forward selections.

It has to be off the field issues with Bullock because nothing else makes sense.

Yeah but that doesn’t matter because its not Wigan. They also would have stayed up if they had beat Wakefield but they didn’t. In all honesty its best thing that happened with Cas as they came back better and are now as strong as ever. Which is great for the game.

George Burgess is selected in spite of not being fit and got a obvious injury while Bullock who has had two good games in the Testimonial and Reserve games is dropped from the first team squad.

Unless he got a injury in training, the lad must be gutted!

To be fair though with the Bullock situation. If he keeps being late for training (as suggested, i don't know for a fact) then i think it's right. It sets a precedent within the squad. Shaun Wane was a big advocate of punishing players who were late for training and he had the respect of everybody. I think it's a good thing, and good for Lam for showing he is no pushover.

Lam must have his reasons, but they'd better be good ones

Because we got whacked in the forwards by Warrington, and if we get whacked again by Cas - and this time don't have the advantage of opposition indiscipline to see us through - the question will be asked.

These are the kinds of decisions that coaches live and die by, and as far as I'm aware, Lam only has one year left on his contract.