Wello can be captain but he can't start at full back next year. Big mistake if he does.

This

and like Carlos says theres no room for sentimentality in sport. I'll be very disappointed but not surprised if he's our No1 next year

He could Captain the team from second row or even the bench. Being club captain does not mean you have to start every match.

He may have said that, but that was before Lomax showed his ability in the halfs.
Just because he's a big name signing doesn't mean he gets everything his own way, he still has to deserve the shirt everyweek.
However, from what's been said about his fielding of kicks, it sounds like we'd be better having lomax at #1 and lance in the halfs with Leon/Gaskell.
If Leon stays, then given his current form I'd find it hard to justify Wello's inclusion in the 1st choice 17.

Yes, I know. I said that!


I don't know where you get the idea from that this will be either his attitude or our intention.


Well, I gather that. But then, lots of people are writing Wello off anyway, mainly because he isn't Billy Slater.

Have you ever had an argument in an empty room?

My point is that whilst some things may have been said on his initial signing, things change, in life and in sport especially and Saints as a club will change they're plans accordingly. I'm sure Lance, as a proffesional player would appreciate that and hope that he would give his all no matter what role we asked of him.

What I can't get my head around is this thinking that the likes of Slater, Hodgson, Tomkins etc playing as an attacking fullback is some sort of new idea.

Just from a Wigan pov Martyn Ryan, David Bolton, Colin Tyrer, Shaun Edwards, George Fairbairn, Jason Robinson, Kris Radlinski etc have all been very good attacking fullbacks. (all with superb pace and capable of scoring from anywhere on the pitch)

You can't compare the way Edwards, Robinson or The Ginger Doormat played to the way the Australian full backs have developed because the attacking game isn't just about coming into the line and being an extra man. It's the way Minichiello attacked the ball when it was in flight that was revolutionary. He was catching the ball on the front foot which is something that nobody has done over here since I've been watching the game. Sometimes players over here occasionally did/have done it but it's usually been due to a poor kick rather than exceptional positioning and bravado. Robinson was just a great kick returner when he got the ball in his hand whilst Edwards and the other guy were just great support players. Edwards at full back is a bit of a red herring anyway because he was hardly there during his peak years and was pretty insignificant when he started his career there.

For me Captain has to be one of the first names on the team sheet and assured of his place week in week out. Realistically you need your captain influencing the game on the pitch both through his own play and how he interacts with teammates.

In my opinion Wellens is not safe in his selection for next season despite how great a player he has been over the years. I would therefore have given the captaincy to Roby.

He's a great guy, but there comes a time to clearly see that the game has changed and a more attacking style of full back is now the way to go, even if their defence is poor. We won't have that!

Who'd have thought 3 months ago that we'd be on here, clamouring for a club legend to be dropped for Kyle Eastmond?

What a fickle mistress sport is.

Or maybe we are just very practical in St Helens and used to reforming characters.

Maybe. Personally, if we can get Leon and Clough back for the rest of the season and Eastmond plays full back, I think we can really challenge for trophies.

Paul Wellens is still a good club player, and has been a fantastic full back, I dont get all this "he's crap" "drop him" that I read on here sometimes, he's still always in the right place, pops up with tries and puts his body on the line. Okay he may have lost his pace but he's clever enough to make up for that.

I don't think any sensible Saints fan thinks he is crap. Far from it. What we have seen however, is the likes of Tomkins and Hodgson returning the ball at pace and creating a better attacking platform for the forwards to be on. Tomkins is probably making an average of 10 metres more than Wello on a kick return and is leaving Wigan on the front foot when beginning their attacks. Eastmond is capable of this and possibly more due to him being so elusive.

Eastmond doesn't have 1% of Tomkins' bravery though, and bravery is absolutely massive for a full back.

I have visions of Eastmond bottling falling on a loose ball in a big game and costing us.

I echo these sentiments, but am willing to put faith in Kyle in the hopes that he wants to go out from Saints with a bang, rather than the whimper that was prevailing earlier in the season.

Lomax has the bavery you crave, which adds to the case for him being our future #1.

Wello won't play this Sunday.

You might be. I'm not. I think we will be defensively very vulnerable on our line on Sunday.

We have been all season even with Wello perhaps because we've not been able to get up the field as well as we used to. Having pace at the back should help us to negate Rovers' usually excellent kicking game.

Having eastmond at fullback means we will almost certain start our set at least 20 meters higher up the field then having wello there. That IMO has been a area we started to struggle on as we rely on our forwards to do the hard yards to clear our line then expect a wonder kick by Gaskell to get us in their half.

Having eastmond at fullback also means we maybe a target for high balls and also suspect on his defence. I don't think eastmond or any other fullback in tue world would have stopped vaccuri (sp) against Catalan at the weekend.

I think we with kyles recent good run of form that he should stay at fullback and wello will have to fight for his spot back.

Todays reporter states that Wellens is fit for the challenge cup game. Looks like he will possibly be playing.

Well that's in contrast to what I've been told. Interesting.

It's simple for me the best should play.

So if Wellens form picks up then sure he should get the position back. I'm more practical that dogmatic. The issue was until Eastmond played FB, I had not seen anyone who was either up to Wellens standard or who offered something different.

Wellens
Makinson
Shenton
Meli
Foster
Hohaia
Lomax
Perry
Roby
Puletua
Soliola
Laffranchi
Wilkin

Clough
LMS
Moore/Flanagan/flannery
Gaskell/wheeler

This still looks a very good team for next year.

Although

Hohaia
Makinson
Shenton
Meli
Foster
Pryce
Lomax

For the backs would be even better!