Are you suggesting that if you had the chance to sign either Kylie, Bailey or Fozzard you would have said Fozzard?

I said they look very similar, because they do, and did not want to get into a stats battle but what about 5 times more off-loads, twice as many tackle busts, less errors and two more tries!

Admit it they are similar and I would even agree that Fozzards are slight;y better than Kylies, but is that FAR more work? I think not!

I dissagree,whilst fozzard may be on longer and make more metres kylie' impact is harder for the opposition to recover from,just watch last years GF or other times they have met.
Fozzard is a battered old war-horse who's time at the top has been and gone!

Aye.

Fozzy was a cracking prop. Always rated him. Was sorry we let him go when we did.

Going back to Saints might re-juvinate him but to me he looked like a player going a season too long.

Bailey



Kylie is an impact prop and not what we need, we need a workhorse - our impact comes from Maurie, TP and Roby. We need someone to take some workload off Graham, Fozzard will do this better than KL would.

Is he a better prop than KL? Depends what you're after - for what we need at the moment, yes he is.

Saints are in a real mess, whereas we are only getting stronger next season they seem to be going the other way

You would rather have a prop past his best rather than one with some years in front of him and who could still forfill his potential?

He's in good form at the moment and i wouldn't swop him for that neanderthal you've just re-signed.
Like you say we'll see next year but with the likse of cunningham,gidley and now fozzard that's an older looking team you'll be putting out next year.

What score was the reserve match your lot played against us? It would suggest your statement is far from correct.

Not a bad player to have in the squad if used correctly.

Still doesn't make him better than all the Leeds props bar Peacock though. In fact, I'd prefer all our current props to him - especially if Bailey continues to play the way he did against HKR.

Is SL been swapped for the reserve teams next year?

So we should expect Jon Wilkin to start a campaign for major trophies to be handed out to reserve team victories fairly soon then.

And replacing Long with Eastmond and Gilmour with a 23 year old Kiwi international . . . .

Lets face it - he's coming in to bolster the squad and to be an experienced prop to take the load of Graham. We're not expecting him to rip SL to shreds, we just need more size and numbers in the forwards.

IIRC Bailey flattened Fozzard on Friday.

He's a seasoned pro, 99% of the time will give his all. But this signing as said before is abit desperate, although he will do the job required. Saint's cant have that much in the kitty tbh.

I hear Thackray is available as well.

No, although it would be nice if he did



My main thrust is that people who are not in the know at Saints are making silly comments about signing Fozz.

Sure - he is getting on, but the guy is a solid pro and a good dressing room influence. It is just what the younger players need at Saints. People are making all sorts of daft comments about an ageing Saints team, but there have been several debuts this season and the likes of Wheeler, Eastmond and Dixon look really promising.

Look at the reserve match against Leeds - it was not just the result the stood out for me. It was the fact that a GB academy player (Johnson) and one of the comp's top tryscorers (Gaskell) were on the bench.

That is some strength. Obviously some of that side may end up plying their trade at Swinton, Hunslet etc, but there are several talents that Fozzard is there to protect.

There are not many teams around who can boast the talents of Eastmond, Wheeler, Lomax, Dixon, Gaskell, Frodsham, etc who will all be the year older and benefit in the same way people argue Cunningham and Gidley will be longer in the tooth.

This isn't forgetting Magennis who Keiron Purtill believes is the best of the bunch but has sadly been long term injured.

Whether these kids can have the same impact as Long, Scully and Cunningham is the $64,000 question

Saints may have this years best academy, with an exciting future but this does not distract from the fact Saints are signing a player past his best, no sorry unfair on Fozzard that, in the Autumn of his career whom they let go not 12 months ago, then post silly comments like they would rather have him above all the Leeds props bar Peacock.

One thing to bear in mind there is salary cap.

If we signed Thackary I'd jump off Runcorn Bridge...

Fair point, but that was not in the equation when some of the Saints fans, not you BTW, were been asked who they would rather have.

Jamie Peacock is a back rower, don't you know

Sounds great.

Remind me, why did you let him go in the first place the other year? Was he not all those things then?

4 reasons:

1) We had Cayless, we don't now.
2) He wanted a 2 year deal and policy dictates we only offer 12m contracts to the older players (Fozzy, Gidley, Long, KC etc)
3) He will be on less money than HKR were offering him last year
4) Speculative one along the lines of 3) - there are rumours that HKR are releasing him a year early due to cap constraints and are contributing a proportion of his salary

Well that's really going to help their salary cap constraints isn't it?