Wello should deffo stay at full back for another season, he can "read" the oppositions play quicker than any other full back. If you want someone safe as houses at the back you pick Wello. If you think a full back needs to run the ball back quicker then you pick someone else.

Still the best British fullback.

However there are a few youngsters who are snapping at his heals.

Ask the question in 2 years and the answer may be yes his time at FB is up

I can see two players possibly competing for FB spot Gaskell and Lomax, though Gaskell may end up at centre.

I still believe that despite the fact that Wellens is way past his best, he's still probably the best British full-back in the game. Says a lot about the British game really.

Don't think he is the best british fullback any more but he is solid. He might not be the quickest but he doesn't need to be because he reads play so well. Barring a bad injury he still has a few seasons left, whether with you or elsewhere.

If he's still at 1 at the end of 2 years we've gone wrong somewhere. Mistakes were creeping into his game last year, he may well read a game well, but that only covers so far and it's no longer covering his physical lack of pace like it once did. He doesn't return the ball far enough and he doesn't consistently beat the first man anymore.

He's been an excellent player for us, and may well offer a hell of a lot to young players coming through, but as a top class full back he's finished now.

Between Wellens and our two error-prone wingers we're giving up twenty yards per set of six to the opposition. That just isn't sustainable.

You lot have such low expectations though. So Wellens doesn't make many mistakes and is solid defensively? So bloody what. The team is as tight as a nut anyway, we need to make the side more dangerous and expansive.

Wello didn't have a great season, he struggled a lot of the time, it just wasn't as noticable as the whole team was turgid and he doesn't drop the ball. That is the sole thing Saints fans look to in order to rate players, how often they knock on.

I can't believe some of you want to wait for 2 years to think about replacing him. He's not what he once was.

Well how do I say this

I may be a visionary, missionary, pain the arriss to most on here.

But I will take great delight in saying


















I TOLD YOU SO

And years ago.

You said years ago that Wellens would still be the best British full back even when 30 and way passed his best? Yes, you visionary!

Except he is nothing like.

And I never said it.

Yes, you told us so, years ago, when you were wrong.

And there's a strong argument that you're still wrong.

Here's a bold suggestion: one day, Sam Tomkins will get old, lose his pace and retire. REMEMBER I TOLD YOU SO.

Wellens finished last season very strongly, being one of our better players throughout the play off, IIRC.

Centre? If you had the choice between a slow but experienced full back and a slow and inexperienced centre, isn't the choice obvious. Especially when Wheeler looked good in the centre last year and we've got Soliola knocking about.

There is a good argument for examining our overall lack of pace, although Easmond backing up in the middle this season may make people less concerned with that, but Wellens wouldn't necessarily be the first I looked at <cough>gardner<cough>.

Where has his support play gone? A few years ago you could guarantee he would be on the shoulder of every half break. Now a days he is no where to be seen!

To support a half break you need a half break.

To be fair, he was our second top try scorer last season.

However, I feel the initial poster is right and Wellens is no longer an ideal choice at full back.

It's very much a Phil Veivers type scenario. Veivers had been our best player for a number of years and was walking away with Player of the Year Awards. However, it got to a point when his ability to read the game and take the high ball was not really covering for his lack of pace like it used to. In the end, he ended up playing at centre, stand off, second row and loose forward and continued to do a bloody good job.

The game has changed a lot over the last three or four years and there is every need for pace at full back now rather than reliability. As it happens, we could do with some pace in the centres so I don't see what he would offer there either.

He has been a magnificent full back for us but he is only a good one now. Two years is too long for him to be our No.1 and, this year, we need to be looking at different options in the full back role and different positions for Wellens.

Wello to centre, Leon to full back, and Wheeler to stand off?

The BIG difference is that Tomkins has it to lose.
Wellens never did.

There must have been some terrible players around when Wello won MOS, Lance Todd, Harry Sunderland, PPOY and numerous Britain and England caps.

I wonder if any other full back in the modren era could match all that?

And Tomkins isn't as fast as a young Long, so he must be rubbish.

At this point it would be great to get rid of the two wingers since they have offered us neither pace nor reliability over the last season (bar a few matches for Meli, ruined by his abysmal display at Old Trafford). Wellens for me can happily stay at fullback for another season, perhaps with one of our young guys being bloodied in the position (I'd say Lomax but he drops too many balls so he would need to address that before I'd be confident of him in that position). However, I'd be very glad not to see either of our wingers again but instead two pacey, reliable players to take on their jobs (young guys will do).

How many games have we seen Lomax play full back? There was the Wakey game, any others? Do you mean high balls, or just balls in general?

I wouldn't mind seeing Lomax on the wing this year getting up to speed, with him playing a few games at full back. I'm not sure that Wellens will be able to move to centre, I'd prefer to see Wheeler there myself.

I've always thought he may make a move to loose, he's a strong runner, a good tackler and has good hands, but I think the pack may be too strong for him to move into in the next few years. We've got a pretty strong back row, strong players in reserve and with good kids to come in behind them.

Whilst Eastmond will add pace, he won't be able to use it to return the ball, which has cost us dearly in the last two GF. I think this international series has shown us that Sinfield has a fairly average long kicking game. When you put a decent and pacey backline under them, they are returned with interest, put our slow backline there and Leeds are gaining metres per match that they otherwise wouldn't.

I think Wellens will start the season first choice, whether he should still be guaranteed that position by the end of the season is another matter.

I don't mean when he played fullback (which I think was only at Wakey?) but rather when he has played at all. I seem to remember the only game he didn't drop the ball was the one at Wakey (although I'm struggling to remember that far back - we've played an awful lot of dull rugby since those heady days!). He does seem to have a bit of a tendancy to drop the ball although that may just be beginners nerves. Hopefully he will be more secure in that regard next season as he has talent and a bit of pace. I rather like the idea of seeing him on the wing again as he was quite good there (barring dropping the ball!).

The answer is no mate, but don't expect Rogues to give any credit to Wellens.

He'll be back here with his woeful Mick Cassidy comparison. They're both just good clubmen, you know. Never stood out or won any individual awards...yep pretty average careers really. Just lucky to be in a good team. No Man of Steels, Lance Todds, Harry Sunderlands, PPOYs, no MOTM awards at international level....nothing flashy at all. Just 2 solid plodders going through the motions.