Just had a quick "scout" of Saints from the weekend just passed. Bradford's defense was shocking. The 1st 5 tries could and should have been stopped. The key for them though is James Roby (like we didn't already know that anyway). The Bulls marker Defense was non existent, meaning Roby could do as he pleased. He picked the ball up 57 times (making 199m), sometimes running only a metre or so, other times 10, but because he was allowed to it got Saints on the front foot and the forwards played off that. The starting forward pack, off the back of Roby, managed 755m!!! Thats 126m per player!!! They share out the work load too. If our markers work hard, we will win this game comfortably IMHO.

Saints' Left side Defense of Jones and Meli are the weak link. Both the Bulls tries came down that side after Bradford put men in motion. It put Jones and Meli all at sea and both came running in, leaving the outside open. If we work Watkins into the line with Ablett we could end up having a hell of a lot of joy down there. For comparisons sake too, Bradford's right edge made 303m against those 2, where as the left only made 118m.

I know we are a very left sided team, but I think that could play into their hands. I'd have loved to have seen Watkins lining up as a 3 on Friday.

Even with our injuries, we still look stronger in the backs. They have a beast of a pack though and their run on 6 last Sunday were;

Puletua (133m)
Roby (199m)
Laffranchi (121m)
Manu (82m)
Soliola (153m)
Flanagan (67m)

They have size and speed, but if we stop Roby before he gets out of the blocks, we kill half of their threat.

I like that post, as it's how I look at us too. Although I have to disagree on the view on Roby.

Roby has not been at his best so far this season IMO and I think our threat comes from a different area now Brown has come in. Obviously, Roby is key once we get on a roll and go up the middle but our spread of play is far more widespread than it has been for a while. Under Potter, Royce and Rush, Roby did well as we rarely used the width and he became the focal point, but now we have started to do that and I think that is why we have had a bit of a slow start, as we get used to it.

I cannot see you matching us in the forwards, but as you say the weak link is the left hand side. Jones still has a lot to work on defensively and Meli, well is Meli (although I do not think he is as bad as other Saints fans!).

If you are to beat us you need to win the floor as we have been dominant in this area (bar the Hudds game of course!) and if you play territory then there is no reason why you cannot win this game.

I'd be disappointed if we got beat, but I hope it is a closer game than last year!

Bailey ''has a chance'' of being available for the Saints game according to McDermott. If not this one then he should definately be back for the Hudds game next week.

He said BJB is ''another 4 or 5 weeks away yet''. Don't know if this meant from training or from playing.

Saints' 19 man squad announced, the team is expected to look like this.....

Jonny Lomax
Ade Gardner - Jordan Turner - Josh Jones - Francis Meli
Gary Wheeler - Jon Wilkin
Tony Puletua - James Roby - Anthony Laffranchi
Sia Soliola - Willie Manu
Mark Flanagan

LMS
Paul Clough
Joe Greenwood
Alex Walmsley

Anthony Walker and Mark Percival to drop out.

Wellens, Hohaia and Perry injured

Gaskell and Makinson not getting picked nowadays. Seems 2 of their brightest young talents can't oust second-rower Wilkin from the halves or even Gardner and Meli from the wings, and people on here complain about our young backs getting a chance (Gardner and Meli were the starting wingers in Saints 2006 GF win)

3. Kallum Watkins
4. Joel Moon
5. Ryan Hall
6. Danny McGuire
7. Rob Burrow
8. Kylie Leuluai
9. Paul McShane
10. Jamie Peacock
11. Jamie Jones-Buchanan
12. Carl Ablett
13. Kevin Sinfield (c)
14. Stevie Ward
15. Brett Delaney
16. Ryan Bailey
17. Ian Kirke
18. Chris Clarkson
19. Mitch Achurch
21. Richard Moore
25. Joe Vickery

give Richard Moore a go, just for a change. Lets see what he can do

So, you are looking at:

Lomax - Watkins
Gardner - Vickery
Turner - Ablett
Jones - Moon
Meli - Hall
Wheeler - Sinfield
Wilkin - McGuire
Puletua - Leuluai
Roby - Burrow
Laffranchi - Peacock
Soliola - Delaney
Manu - JJB
Flanagan - Ward

LMS - Bailey
Clough - Kirke
Greenwood - Clarkson
Walmsley - Achurch

Walker - McShane
Percival - Moore
​
IMO, Leeds edge it because of the Backs. It does all depend on which Leeds team turn up though. The one who want to win, or the one that look like they want to get through another regular season game.

FWIW too, Over the last 3 years the scores between the 2 have been:

24/04/10 - St Helens 41-20 Leeds - SL (11,04icon_cool.gif
03/07/10 - Leeds 28-24 St Helens - SL (17,200)
07/08/10 - Leeds 32-28 St Helens - CCSF (15,265 - Huddersfield)

19/03/11 - Leeds 16-30 St Helens - SL (16,034)
03/06/11 - St Helens 42-16 Leeds - SL (9,062 - Widnes)
08/10/11 - St Helens 16-32 Leeds - SLGF (69,107 - Old Trafford)

25/03/12 - St Helens 46-6 Leeds - SL (15,199)
21/05/12 - Leeds 18-31 St Helens - SL (15,343 - Monday Night)

In that time, 8 games have been played. 6 in the SL, 1 in the Challenge Cup and 1 in the Grand Final.

In SL, Saints have won 5, Leeds Have won 1. Saints have also scored 214 points (36 ppg) where Leeds have only scored 104 (17)

If recent history tells us anything, it is that St Helens could be on for a big win in this game.

Add to that, Leeds haven't won at St Helens since a 14-10 win at Knowsley Road on March 28th, 2008. That is coming up on 5 years (1,798 days) now.

All Leeds need to do is aim for our left edge. We're as weak as water on that side, although Gardner isn't exactly brilliant either.

Hopefully it will be a good game but if you do target our left edge then I can see it being a good game for you only!

Hope Bails clobbers Wilkin again, if he plays.

I hope the changing room cameras are turned off for him.

Bless.

hope it rains

Wilkin at halfback was a bit of a surprise for everyone last week, even if we did know before the game.

However, it was one of those moves that just worked. It put players into positions were for the first time in many years we looked to have a balanced side, with people playing to their strengths.

Lomax had no organising to do.
Wilkin was doing less tackling and giving away less penalties and not having to kick from the 2nd row position gave him more time and space.
Wheeler did ok and backed up well on any breaks.
Flanaghan just tackled and tackled but without the penalties that Wilkin is prone to.
Manu and Sia in the 2nd row gave equal threat either side.

It just worked.

Meli will be the target for Leeds, but winning the forward battle will be the key to getting within range to target Meli. I was very impressed by our tackling last week and if we had held the ball better in the 2nd half we would have scored more.

I seem to remember Wilkin playing half back a few years ago when you knocked us out of the cup at Headingley, he played well that day too, it may have just been as cover for Long/Pryce that day?

Moore will play:

Moore playing suggests to me that Peacock will be having the week off.

achurch & macca to miss out

Depends I imagine on Bailey being fit to play, otherwise you're looking at a 4 prop squad of Leuluai, Kirke, Moore, Achurch........that worries me!

Rumour is young mark Percival to get a start at centre this weekend.

Looks the goods in the youth team but a big test whether it be ablett or moon. Excited to see how he goes.

Coach admits Moore played well against Salford. Did he think Kirke and Achurch went better and therefore selected them ahead of him?

Perhaps our esteemed coach is inadvertently? admitting he does have his favourites regardless of performance

macca plays, achurch & bailey to miss out

I'm guessing that by achurch's latest tweet that he's not playing - twitter.com/#!/MitchAchurch/stat ... 5951267840

I'm guessing that by achurch's latest tweet that he's not playing - twitter.com/#!/MitchAchurch/stat ... 5951267840

I know it was his first game back. I wouldn't have gone to the extreme to say he played well. I thought he did ok in his first run out.

I think Moore has been under used in his time at Leeds. He brings an offloading game to the forwards and can add impact from the bench. For whatever reason Mac doesn't seem to have much faith in him in the games that count. While he only seems capable of short stints that is all Griffin was asked to do in the main part last season. I hope he gets an extended run in the side to at least give him the chance to see if he can command a place in a top side.