If you're looking for me to be entirely serious.... Buderus would always be my FIRST name on the team sheet.

He'd make a terrible full-back.
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I said Carl Ablett always reminded me of Paul Medley.

Whether that is interpreted as a positive or a negative is a matter of personal choice.

I really expect you lot to kick on now you have a decent squad to pick from - injuries cost you in the cup and play-offs last season and I think Wire/Wigan fans got a little ahead of themselves when winning trophies with Saints/Leeds decimated in key positions.

We'll also see how good a coach BM is now, as a reasonably fit Leeds squad should be doing things in this league, regardless of the fact a few are a bit long in the tooth. There's a huge amount of quality in that Leeds side.

Here's hoping we can join you with a decent squad soon enough, close to making a very handy 13 out of our injuries at the mo:

1. Wellens
2. ?
3. Wheeler
4. Eastmond
5. Makinson
6. Gaskell
7. Lomax
8. Perry
9. Moore
10. Clough
11. Flannery
12. ?
13. Pryce

Given some good health, Leeds and Saints will take some beating come the business end IMO.

That didn't stop Willie Oulton making a career out of it.

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Paul Medley ? In looks or performance ? Medley was a long range swift runner..... Ablett is more like the " bionic barrel " with the same grace but more pace.

And you think that will be decent in defence? Where have you been all season.



Delaney is a centre for this year at least.

I know! I mean Watkins has only made, what, 4 or 5 try saving tackles?! Pffffft!

The wide players defensive structure breaks up when the inside players are all over the place due to playing out of position. If you want to stunt the development of the most exciting prospect to come out of our youth set up since Danny McGuire though then good for you. Im sure once we get BJB and Watkins back though Delaney wont have a place in the backs.

Sorry to all patting themselves so heartily on the back but as handy as Ablett is he will never be as good as Ellis.
G1 I agree that Delaney does in the second row what he has always done at centre. Good lines, good leg drive, strong front on tackling. The thing is, that these are qualites that suit a second rower very well. A centre needs footwork and the rugby brain and handling skill to be able to put a winder in space. Sadly Delaney has neither and whoever plays outside him when at centre is a virtual passenger. He is an absolute carthorse at centre, but carthorses tend to make decent backrowers.

It seems almost every team has an abundance of 2nd rowers these days, they really do seem to grow on tree's!

Tree's what ?

How old is Ablett again...25?
Ellis is 30, made his GB debut at 22/23 and was in the SL dream team at 27.

Tick Tock Carl.

Joel Tomkins, the only back rower that will get as good as or near to Ellis.

.

Joel Tompkins???

Can you honestly see that happening cos i cant?

I would pick Watkins at LC with either Delaney or Ablett at RC, but can you see that pairing happening this season?

It's got more chance that any combination including Wa=#FF0000ktins. I'll be calling Wa=#FF0000tkins Wa=#FF0000ktins myself from now on though, I quite like it.




You may laugh but not only is it a pretty decent shout (IMO) but he (Tomkins) actually exists.

I never said he was as good as Ellis. He was our ready made replacement for Ellis. He's a very different player to Ellis. Whilst he hasn't reached the heights Ellis did (yet) he does posses certain attributes that are better than Ellis.

Joel Tompkins has some talent but Gaz Ellis he ain't. Tompkins is a thug and you could never describe one of our finest backrowers as being a thug.

He has a temper but that doesn't make him a thug.

Joel is a top quality second rower but I don't see any similarities with Ellis's style of play.

Absolutely agree, as painful as it is to admit, ive thought all season that if Saints ever get the chance to pick from strength they should be the strongest team this year. You were streets ahead of Wigan the other day until injuries (and the resulting inability to interchange) took their toll.

As for our lot, I still think theres chance we may have an influence on the trophies, but still far from convinced McDermott is the man for.the job - have you heard some of his Cantona-esque post match comments!?! And to keep reasonably on-thread I think Delaney & Ablett should be 2nd row, with Lauitiiti or Hauraki as interchange. Leave the penalty machine headless chicken that is JJB out to graze - far too much sentiment in his selection (in my opinion)

Hell of a player. Far quicker than Ellis. Will probably play most of his career at centre, which seems to suit him better.

Joel Tomkins is to Gareth Ellis what Kallum Watkins is to Mal Meninga

If at the end of his career Joel Tomkins is talked of as on the same level as Ellis I will eat my hat, your hat, and travel the world to eat all the hats at a hat making convention on every continent. Including Antarctica.

Tomkins is a decent second rower, runs good lines and runs hard and fast, doesnt have the workrate, doesnt have the technique of Ellis, doesnt have the brain, and is prone to complete idiocy.

Ellis when he left, and if he were to come back would be comfortably the best 2nd rower in the comp. Im not even convinced Tomkins is even the 2nd best 2nd rower at Wigan.

If there is a 2nd rower who can reach the heights of Ellis playing in SL today, it would more likely be Liam Farrell. Id also say that Chris Clarkson is ahead at this stage of the curve Tomkins set and could easily go on to be a better player.

Another useful G1 input. Ive huge respect for JJB and all he has achieved in blue & amber but maybe its time to accept that someone who cant pass, isnt that quick, gives away stupid (sometimes critical) penalties and is prone to regular handling errors cant continually be selected because he's a lovely lad and always tries his best.

Maybe so Smokey. Reckon Tompkins will score twice as many tries as Ellis.

Ellis was/is a strong runner, and a strong tackler, and fairly consistent. He had a bad habit of jumping out of the line (especially bad in his last season at Leeds) and seemed magnetically attracted to tacklers rather than gaps. Lets not pretend he's was some kind of god.

I thought he was picked because he'll make 35+ tackles and take 20+ carries, rather than being a nice lad who tries hard.