I've been saying for the last few weeks that Eastmond playing regularly at 7 next season could well be the Man of Steel 2010. Wonder what odds I'll get?

I dunno. Saints are gonna be terrible next season.

I sort of agree with you there, I get the point you are making. SL is not exactly awash with top young talent that are capable of performing against NZ & Auz.

Admittedly I didn't see the All Blacks at all. But then they've always been an exception and about the only Union Nation that consistantly plays watchable rugby. (The French occasionally show some flair and are therefore built up by the Union press but equally often they resort to a dull forward dominated game).

Is it James O'Conner for the Aussies? If so I believe he's a converted fly-half with the kicking game to match (Perhaps I should have said a fullback who is [ireliant[/i on his running game is a liability - it's always going to be a useful back up but the kicking game is the no1 requirement)

Incidentally, O'Conner only played League as a Kid

To continue the tangent a little longer...

I just googled and he played league in NZ then moved to Aus and was a Parramatta Junior. He moved to the dark side at 15 but hadn't played Union at all prior to that...I guess that Yawnion junior coach just wasn't used to working with League backs

This whole 'he doesn't play for Saints' line that opposition fans come out with is like a Peter Kay joke - it's tired and old.

Ok, Ok, I give up and yield to your superior googling technique.

I must be one of the few on here who looks forward to the onset of the Super 14 (15,16?) in the new year, when I'll be able to watch high energy running rugby almost on a par with RL.
That's what allows players from either code to do well in the other code, esp the backs.

We ought to be grateful that RU in Europe is so laboured otherwise it would be an even greater threat to SL than it already is.

so is the ' the plays for saints so he is better than anyone' joke

But infinitely better than anything Saints "legend" (in his own mind) Johnny Vegas has ever done.

Famous for saying MONKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY

Perhaps if a large number of Saints fans stopped living up to the stereotype, it might not have been around long enough to grow old? Just a thought.

Incdeed.

They continually display ill founded arrogance but when you point it out its' "tired and old".

Good news all round, but he still had a long way to go, not least proving he can string a number of games together without injury.

As for comparing Eastmond to Burrow - he has a long way to go, he hasn't even played a game for Saints with Long's "7" on his back yet and Burrow had a better series against the Kiwis a couple of years back than Eastmond just has, so let's not go overboard.

Having said that, I can't imagine Burrow being as dangerous (and solid) at centre as Eastmond, Kyle just strikes me as a more naturally complete rugby player, even at this stage. We shall see, but good news he's staying. Hopefully he'll be at Saints or another RL club when his next deal expires.

On the matter of young players, are we likely to see much of Watkins this year in Smith's absence? Will he be first choice?

Rob Burrow has gone awfully quiet recently. So has McGuire. In fact Leeds are just shy te.

It's just that the rest of SL is going down the same hill slightly faster.

No.

It's just that it's the off season.

pmsl
it would be diffferent had the last 3 seasons Gf's gone the other way

Sadly not. Delany will be 1st choice right centre.

Hopefully Watkins will see plenty of time deputising for him, Senior or playing on the wing.

No bites from me for such a lame piece of bait.

He's got a point about Rob and Danny to be fair. They have gone quiet. It's what you get from a team that doesn't rely on two players to win things I suppose.

That said, I'd always prefer my players to be quiet rather than invisible, missing, one eyed and fat.

They've done nowt since playing an instrumental role in our 3rd consecutive GF win over the "mighty S" I'll give you that.

That's the beauty of the off season.