So let me get this right, our coach is an idiot, but we are a well-drilled & organised side?

If only all coaches were so idiotic!

I think its more to do with complications from his broken jaw why he isn't playing, keiran purtill their assistant coach said last week long has nerve damage in his face which means he can't close his eye and it's causing him serious discomfort ( maybe why he was wearing the posh spice shades at the semi

A good win, you have a good chance I reckon.

I'll give you Macka, but Fisher was ill all week, hence the reason he missed out.

Trained Thurs & Saturday and was 18th man yesterday.



Galea & Fox were also under the weather earlier in the week.

Has been looking back to his best the last couple of weeks imo too.

Who exactly were saints missing,

Cunningham replaced by roby who was man of steel last year.
Long and Eastmond (only one can be claimed as missing as both wouldn;t have played.
Cayliss who has only played about 4 games in 2 years.
Fa'asavalu (sp).

So realistically they were still a pretty strong team out there and a team that will look very much like the saints team for next year.

Just look at who [iwas[/i playing for Saints...


Wellens
Gardner
Gidley
Gilmour
Meli
Pryce
Ellis
Graham
Roby
Puletua
Wilkin
Flannery
Dixon

Replacements: Hargreaves, Clough, Ashurst, Wheeler.

Certain players highlighted for obvious reasons...

my point exactly eastmond in for ellis, fa'asavalu for dixon and thisis pretty much saints starting line up for 2010.

Only four players there who under normal circumstances probably wouldn't play. Hardly an injury crisis is it??

Oh....cheers for that mate.Its a bummer to be truthful,as I don`t like to see any player from any team injured.

I appreciate your inclination to extract the Michael. It's what I'd do if the situation was reversed. Banter and all that.

However, we weren't just missing four players. We were missing our first choice hooker and scrum half and our second choice hooker (Lomax) and scrum half (Eastmond), not to mention two of our props (leaving just the one, with second rowers acting as props). The scrum half on the pitch was playing only his second match at first grade level and, bless him, he's been on the losing side on both counts in spite of doing nothing wrong himself (so his confidence may be screwed!). You might have noticed that we lacked organisation on the pitch. That's what happens when you're down to a scrum half who has only two matches to his name (and an impact hooker who is great on the impact but not so hot on the organisation).

You try playing a game with that mix in your team, bearing in mind all the changing around that has to be done. IMO it's a wonder you didn't put a cricket score on us. And we've been dealing with worse than this for the last two months so we're basically all knackered and much in need of that week off being out of the Challenge Cup will give us.