[urlhttp://www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/2462[/url

13. Willie Manu
3. Jordan Turner
25. Alex Walmsley

Danny Yates, Mark Percival and Dom Speakman have been promoted to the top squad from the academy.

No real surprise most keep same number and turner taking shenton and Manu flannerys

Lets hope that squad numbers don't count and u get to play less means like Gaskell walmsley jones and makinson won't play much

Full list:

(1)1. Paul Wellens
(2)2. Ade Gardner
(-)3. Jordan Turner
(-)4. Sia Soliola
(5)5. Francis Meli
(6)6. Lance Hohaia
(7)7. Jonny Lomax
(icon_cool.gif8. Josh Perry
(9)9. James Roby
(10)10. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook
(11)11. Tony Puletua
(12)12. Jon Wilkin
(-)13. Willie Manu
(14)14. Anthony Laffranchi
(15)15. Mark Flanagan
(16)16. Paul Clough
(17)17. Gary Wheeler
(1icon_cool.gif18. Shaun Magennis
(26)19. Josh Jones
(20)20. Lee Gaskell
(21)21. Thomas Makinson
(25)22. Carl Forster
(24)23. Nathan Ashe
(2icon_cool.gif24. Joe Greenwood
(-)25. Alex Walmsley
(35)26. Adam Swift
(29)27. Anthony Walker
(30)28. Jordan Hand
(-)29. Danny Yates
(-)30. Mark Percival
(-)31. Dom Speakman.

The number in brackets is last years number for comparison.

I know it doesn't matter, [ireally[/i, but Soliola being number 4 annoys me! Maybe I need to get out more...

Has Manu been given number 13 just because it was vacant or for another reason? I would have thought they would have moved Wilkin to 13, Manu to 12. Unless Wilkin wants to keep #12 as it is involved with all his testimonial events/marketing?

Looking at our squad we pick up a few injuries we will be struggling last season we was Lucky with injuries

Stay injury free, and you'll be top 3. Otherwise it could be a difficult season, especially if it's Roby that goes down.

The same could be said of the Pies, Wire and Leeds.

Without Tomkins the Pies look ordinary. Wires pack doesn't look the same without Westwood, And if Sinfield gets injured Leeds will struggle.

It's the backs were going struggle

Not really most of our backs apart from wellens makinson meli and gardner can play 1-6

Full Back
1. Paul Wellens, 26. Adam Swift, 23. Nathan Ashe,

Wing
21. Thomas Makinson, 5. Francis Meli, 2. Ade Gardner,

Centre
3. Jordan Turner, 17. Gary Wheeler, 19. Josh Jones, 30. Mark Percival,

Half Backs
6. Lance Hohaia, 7. Jonny Lomax, 20. Lee Gaskell, 29. Danny Yates

Props
10. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook,14. Anthony Laffranchi, 8. Josh Perry, 16. Paul Clough, 18. Shaun Magennis, 22. Carl Forster, 24. Joe Greenwood, 25. Alex Walmsley 27. Anthony Walker, 28. Jordan Hand,

Hookers
9. James Roby, 31. Dom Speakman.

Back Row
11. Tony Puletua, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Willie Manu, 4. Sia Soliola, 15. Mark Flanagan

Breaking the squad down by position it actually looks more balanced than other seasons. Less in the back row and more elsewhere especially prop (which is where you need depth). Hopefully Puletua and Laffranchi will get moved out wide. I would have liked to see another half back in there but apart from that it looks pretty good.

Greenwood is a second row though!!

The club views him as a prop long term. Given the number of Props we have I guess that could change.

I really dislike squad numbers , positional numbering 1-17 for me everytime

+1

I liked it when, after they first introduced squad numbers (around '95?) they would still revert to 1-13 for the cup competition IIRC.

What are Yates and Speakman like? Everyone talks about the potential Percival has, but I've not really heard much about these two.

Both have played for the England Academy. Yates from what I have seen looks like a more traditional scrum half. Seems talented but could perhaps be a bit small. Speakman was a stand off but has converted to hooker. A very sharp passer of the ball. I think he will get a run at some point to give Roby a spell.

That didn't stop Rob Burrow. We should stop this obsession with size and allow the lads talent to be tested. If he is good enough his size is irrelevant.

Edit: I was referring to the half back positions.

Hello one and all, not been around for a while sadly, but just looked at the squad list, and see a couple of comments about short for cover, what are the key positions that most would like to see cover for? and if they could who would they like to see cover them.

I suspect our buying is done for the year.. if your being hypothetical I wouldnt mind Benji Marshall to add some competition in the halves, James Graham and Sonny Bill to make sure there's no slacking in the pack, Billy Slater to push Wello and make sure he's focussed every week at fullback and just to be sure we could bring in Cam Smith to warm the bench



Welcome back btw

Welcome back

I think we have lots of cover. I guess the really issue is whether we have the quality. The pack seams fine to me, but the backs are shall we say yet to be proven.

We have lots of options for FB so no worry there, but

Centre & halfbacks, are the key areas, I'd suggest that if Brown does not get what he needs from the backs, then this will be his shopping list for 2014 season.

We can say give them time, they may come good, but a coach is looking to the next win not the next trophy 3 years down the line. I'm not one for bashing every player, but if everyone gets a fair crack this year at playing, then it will be down to those players to prove they are SL quality now, I think we have had 2 years of they are young well that will only wash for so long, even for the best loved St. Helens lads.

We don't just lack cover in the centres and halves, we lack any quality there. If jones has second season syndrome we've got problems. I don't class wheeler as he never plays.

I don't think we've got great cover for any postions, the squad is pretty small. The first 17 is pretty good and maybe good enough to win something but after that we are pretty weak.

I don't think you will find many clubs with much depth beyond their first 17. It will be the quality of the juniors which will make the difference when injuries hit.

Your edit does cover the point I was trying to make. Some players play in the halves in the second team but are able to move to other position in the first team as they are big enough. Gary Wheeler moving to centre and Swift to wing/full back are good examples. Yates looks like he could only manage scrum half.

As for Burrow he has always struggled with his size, it took him a while to get over being hit by Watmough in the WCC, eventually moving to interchange hooker. For every small player that makes it there are ten that fail due to not being physically up to it.