Here's me thinking Nathan had signed Gaz as a prop, (but hey, you never Know!!)

Hohaia won't be playing, so it will be O'Brien and Wilkin in the halves against Huddersfield on Monday night.

As I said over on Redvee, I think it's a good move by the club. Obviously we have been lacking in go forward this season, but the Half-Back situation has been a huge issue without a doubt, and has been for a while. In O'Brien we have a Half-Back capable of leading the side around the park, and his kicking game is good. It's not an ideal sitaution I know, but the deal can be extended if both Saints and Warrington are happy with the sitaution.

Credit to Nathan Brown - he has seen the main issues at the club and had done something about them. With James Roby back now, and Jonny Lomax hopefully in the side for the Bradford game, things are starting to look brighter again. As I say, O'Brien's loan deal can be extended if both clubs are content, and again, credit to Saints and Nathan Brown for doing something about it. That applies for both the O'Brien signing, and Luke Walsh.

Not being funny Tez but you don't need to be on the pay at Saints holding a managers position to be able to see you needed cover due to injuries. I think O'Brien will do well for you and he can move a team forward. He showed at Widnes that he can do it.
Looking forward to watching the Game on Monday to see our future playing in th halfs & hooker roles for Saints and Hudds.

As usual I haven't read all 11 pages of this thread but thought I'd chuck my thoughts in anyway so apologies if this has already been said (or turns out to be nonsense). There's a few things that bother me about signing this guy for a month;

1. why would Warrington lend us a player that they thought would improve our league position?
2. given that they have lent us this player that suggests that they don't see us as any sort of threat
3. it also suggests they don't think he's anywhere near good enough to get into their team
4. if he does turn out to be good they'll want him straight back

I see it as a very strange decision personally, what message does it send out to younger players in any of the clubs junior sides Under 16's & Academy? I agree very much with what Harry Pinner says!

If I was a saints fan....I'd be asking the same questions.

Should be O'Brien and Wilkin on monday for me.

Okay

The benefits for Warrington would be that a player of theirs is veiwed as having potential. Since they have his position in the first team filled, he's not getting to play (due to them being strong in that area), but perhaps they deem him playing in the u19s or championship as too easy for him. They want him to step up in order to develop, but at the same time don't want to reshuffle thier team when they're going quite well. Whilst he can't get in their team right now, they may see him as a viable solution for the future, once Hodgeson and Briers have retired, so want to develop himas best they can for that time.
I don't think there's another club in the league that has such impressive depth in the pivot positions.

So that's points 1-3. As for point 4, assuming they don't suffer any injures and that they specify he can't play against Wire, why would they call him back? if he's playing well, then he'll imrpove and be a better player for them in the future.

Don't forget that the guy is only 21 and has had less experience at first team level than Gaskell and probably Wheeler in the halfback role given his injury record! We've not loaned a fully fledged halfback here. He is going to need help and support from our senior players. I would imagine that Brown will be asking the minimum from him and he's going to be under pressure to perform given our league standing and inability to win matches.

I'm feeling sorry for the guy really!

I don't think this point is really relevant as they have loaned a player to Hudds and Hudds are above them in the league so clearly they don't view that as an influential factor.

i think the idea long term, will probably be ratch at 1, gob at 6, and myler at 7, thats how its seemed or at least the impression we were given last year when we signed ratch.

GOB is a pretty good kid, in the opportunities he's had in our first team, he's been pretty impressive, he was a good foil for briers last year, doing the chasing onto kicks and things, but he does need a stint as 'the guy' running a team, its been said he's not as vocal as he could be, so thats part of his development he's working on.

Whats the rest of your team like, in terms of strong characters? anyone that you would expect to ignore a younger, newer voice?

A month gives us time to bring Roby and Lomax back, we know recruitment in the halves has been poor, the signing of Hohaia hasn't worked and probably won't. Have we been hamstrung by finances whilst the stadium was being built? Possibly, we seem to have lost a lot of money in the period at Widnes, it'll be interesting to see what happens going forward now that situation has finished.

To be honest, one of the things we lack is vocal leaders. There's people like Robes & Sia who lead by example, but since Graham left, there's no one barking at the troops.

Wellens, I guess, can be vocal, but he look's more like a bit of a whinger; waving his arms at the ref.

Should fit in well at Saints then. Nobody is vocal.

It says we dont intend on players who arnt ready in the first team. You think many 16 year olds could play at scrum half in the first team for half a season? Scott Moore was the last of that age to get first team Rugby iirc but he was a bit of a freak physically.

That dead horse you constantly flog HAS GONE TO SALFORD FOREVER !!! get over it .

Wello annoys the hell out of me when he does his windmill impression and starts moaning at the ref , it's not being a role model, it's not achieving anything positive and it's not leadership


Scrum halves should always be noisy bossy sods ala Longy,Goulding and Murphy hopefully Walsh will be

Sense is not allowed!

And mentally by all accounts...

I don't know much about o'brien or Walsh, but there are mumblings that saints are trying to get o'brien permanently. Could they make a half back combo? Aren't they both 7s? And both similar in having a kicking game? I guess whatever happens will be infinitely better than our current situation and at least give us cover for rhe inevitable injuries.

Saints with a kicking game, wash your mouth out

Don't worry, our coaches will force then to play with their boots on the wrong feet as a developmebt opportunity. They will soon lose all their ability when try pull on the red vee. Bugger, I'm turning into saddened.

O'brien will be a 6 his kicking is good and he is getting there with his organizing etc but still young and a lot to learn

So why wasn't he given more game time when Briers was out?

Because Ratch is a perfect replacement. We need to send Gareth out to lesser clubs with a view to helping both them and him to develop

.
P.S What's it got to do with you anyway?