We are heading into the business end of the season now and a good run of form is whats needed going into the play offs. Last week was a disaster in preparation of heading into the play offs, if we would have won and then beat cas and London and gone to wigan and competeted then we'd be bang on for a good play off run but how much has last weeks loss hit our confidence?

If jamie foster played last week, we'd have won the game, his kicking I'd worldclass and he's basically a points machine, we can't afford to miss kicks in the play offs and Jamie foster doesn't miss kicks.

I know it's a little harsh on Tommy but thats rugby league, tommy isn't on the best of form and st the moment the wouldnt be much difference in terms of play apart from Tommys defence. Jamie is a better finisher and try scorer.

I like Tommy but IMO bringing Jamie back would be best thing for the team at the moment, sure enough Jamie will drop kicks but so is Tommy.

Thoughts?

I agree that Foster's kicking could potentially make all the difference in a tight playoff game.

However I think you are wrong to say that Foster is a better finisher than Makinson. Look at some of the tries Makinson has scored this season, Leeds away, Catalans away, Huddersfield at home all good examples. He knows how to get his body in the right position to squeeze in, sometimes putting the ball down with one hand when in mid-air. Apart from Leeds away when Foster moved the ball around his back, I don't recall him scoring too many tries that made me think "wow that took some finishing."

So Foster is the better goalkicker, but Makinson is better in every single other area of the game in my opinion.

I think you're likely to see Swift get a run on the wing before Foster. he may knock a couple more kick over, but if he lets in an extra try, that negates it.

Jamie's got a chance of a run at a good club to help settle him down and rediscover his good form. He didn't always make mistakes.

Jamie foster is a try scorer, hes one of them players just scores tries, he's basically a points machine.

I think someone put the head to head stats on here and Jamie won in nearly every department.

Put it another way, if Jamie played last week, we would more or less had 3rd spot in the bag.

If Foster had made some of the mistakes that Makinson has made over recent weeks, the lynch mob would have been in full swing by now.

Agreed.

Jamie look to have gained his confidence back from his stint at hull.

I agree. On current form, I'd have Jamie Foster in ahead of Makinson anyway.

It's a ridiculous bit of ego from Rush that is preventing both Foster and Gaskell playing in the first team at Saints. It's Mr Teflon at fullback who really needs to be axed, but they'll never have the balls to do that.

Foster was awful for Hull at Wigan. Charnley scored three tries against him and Foster missed two very god try scoring opportunities.

I agree his goal kicking could be very useful in a tight game though.

Tommy been pretty poor also.

interesting thought to be had around squad depth and competition for places. A while ago we had Foster, Gardner, Meli, Makinson, Wheeler, Jones, Shenton, Swift competing for the wing and centre spots.

No we pretty much have Makinson, Meli, Jones, Shenton and Swift i.e. hardly any competition for spots and the starting 4 are pretty much guaranteed to play. Any coincidence that Makinson has under performed more significantly since Foster went to Hull?

Jamie went to Hull for a reason. Let him have some time there to work on his game in a first team squad.
If you want to put some pressure on Mak's performances, give Swift a run out this weekend.

I'd have Foster on the wing before Swift going into the play offs, he has big game experience. IIRC, Swift has 2 appearances?

Though Fosters issue is confidence for me, and I'm not sure the Saints fans would back him enough at the game for him to regain that.

Valid point, but Jamie was in a bad place when he was dropped. I'd like to see him get a bit of time at Hull to try and regain his form and confidence.

Swift would be our only real newby if we were to take him now. Maybe a couple of weeks rest for Makinson would be good for him.

I agree with both points really, I do think Makinson needs a time out, he looks shot mentally to me.

Swift is a better player than Foster. Good step, quicker & a good finisher. Foster wont play for Saints under Rush & KC. His comments last week confirmed it when he said weve gone for size or pace on the flanks this yr. Foster has neither.

I get the feeling Swift will be the one that takes the #1 shirt, rather than Makinson.
Similar to the fashion in which Jones got the centre shirt in front of Wheeler.

I'm quite happy for Jamie to stay where he is for the time being. Let him have a fresh start when Brown comes in.

I'd agree that the wing spots are wide open for debate, this is primarily down to having wingers though who are unsafe in defence. Every single one of them (bar Gardner in the last 2 years) seams to show a liability under the high ball.

So we then have to say which is the better going forwards. We have known with Meli for years that he fluffs it went it goes high in a pressure game. When Foster came in it was a breath of fresh air to see a player go up in traffic in a tight game and secure the ball. But then he got the wobbles 18 month in. Makinson again the same thing, it's been just over a year to 18 months and the wobbles have come in. Gardner had the wobbles for years but now seams to have settled that part of his game, but sadly now gets injured.

Personally I'm not too concerned with the attacking part of the game, if they can cut the errors and be dominant going for the ball, then the player who can do that would be my choice. But we also need the centres to work more in partnership on these high kicks, they don't have to knock opposition players off, but simply standing near the winger when a kick goes up, will stop the opposition having a direct run at pace on the winger who is usually rooted to the spot.

If Ade can get fit, then he would be my pick at the moment.

Has he though? What was he like against Wire? The previous week Makinson was very good indeed. The week prior to that he had an off game. Against Wigan on pretty much each occasion he was our stand out player. Foster hasn't been played in the first team since Simmons was sacked and I'm quite sure everyone knows he wasn't going to be played for the first team again this season as well. It's been obvious to fans, never mind players.

Makinson has to play with Shenton as his centre. How much of Makinson's so-called form is down to Shenton's? Shenton seems to have up and down matches.

It's clear to see that makinsons form has declined recently and his confidence is low, he's dropping kicks now and his head goes down when he makes mistakes and he's now starting to moan at the ref when he drops balls.

Briers knew he's struggling on kicks and that's why every kick nearky went his way.

Makinson has no confidence at the moment and looks spookily similar to Foster during his last games at Saints to me. He has pace, but he never, ever uses it. He doesn't get involved enough and he's never beaten a man or made a solo break. Fullback is where he should have been used, with the opportunity to use his pace to sear through the gaps that appear and from broken play and backing up.

I don't understand this support for Swift to get a shirt at present. He came in and looked just like every other Saints academy player to me. A bit of a weakling and no real pace or ability about him.

An intelligent kicking game? What's that?

As much a liability under the high ball as Meli was.

Going forwards apart from Meli they are all pretty much the same, it's the defense, particularly under the high ball that's worrying and that has very little to do with centre's and a lot to do with confidence/ability.

Ability wise they seam to hold it together for a year and then fall apart.

I have that sneaking feeling too - was very impressed with him when he played especially his running which was very strong for a young lad