I would like to see Gaskell on the bench a bit more just to take the pressure off him. It might be a gamble but perhaps Eastmond should start at 7 the next couple of games until Pryce starts back.
Gaskell will be a better player next season for the experience he has gained this season.

whats eastmond done to be pick before gaskell and like i said earlyer when leon back i think they is a very strong chance it will be gaskell and pryce in the half backs and lomax in the centre with meli back on the wing

To be fair given that Monas had a good 20 metre running head start it wouldn't have mattered if Wello had turned quicker, even the fastest full back wouldn't have caught Monas from a standing start from that distance out.

No, no, no. That's all wrong. Paul Wellens has to be able to beat everyone to the ball, no matter where they are on the pitch, how much of a headstart they have and what the ball is doing at the time.

Might be too optimistic but really would have liked to see the appearance of the "old Eastmond" with him at taking onthe line. The past few games he has come around a bit but is stuck out on the fringes.
If it's not too be, I should imagine in the next couple of weeks Lomax will stay at 7 with Pryce in at his usual 6. Gaskell not to get a start, but maybe add some variety from the bench.
So which would be the better option to finish the season with the chance of success. The "old" Eastmond/Pryce or the new Lomax/Gaskell combination.

Actually, having just watched the match back on TV I take everything I said back about everyone in every thread on the match, except Meli.

Our goal line defence was pretty poor but other than that and the dropped ball, we were so damn close to beating Warrington it was unreal. No worries about the rest of the season where they are concerned so long as we bring that degree of intensity to the game and remember to keep hold of/catch the ball.

I hope you don't fit carpets for a living.

I fail to see where people are seeing the Eastmond can offer more to the team than Gaskell. Eastmond has been well pretty annonymous since getting a few sub games, not saying he's played badly, but hardly offered alot either.

It seams a couple of losses and a scapegoat is needed.

A scapegoat is nearly as welcome as a solution to a problem.

Seen many a half back have kicks charged down and not get the heave ho for it.

Anyone remember Tommy God get the ball stolen, by Alfie and a try resulted.

Funny there was no call for his head after that match.

Gaskell had a couple of lapses of concentration which exploded in his hands. But aside from this I thought he played pretty well. His distribution was way better than Eastmond's.

Exactly. Gaskell is far from the finished product, but he still had good touches during the game and still gave Wire things to defend and think about. He does some good work making an extra man in attack, and with another year he will improve his positional sense in the defensive line.

Nothing, it's not about picking Eastmond, it's about resting Gaskell. He's a young kid who could have his confidence dented. I'm just suggesting managing his introduction to first team duties a bit, kind of like Smith did with Myler at Warrington. He dropped/rested him for pretty much all the big games, including the cup final I seem to remember.

Thing is would resting him, improve the team. Leon and Wheeler are not ready, Moore or Wilkin would be an option, but that would weaken the pack.

So yeh we could play Eastmond, but I just fear going back to the early round. If he does not perform how long will the fans give him in a game before they get on his back? I'm not saying is dead certain but do we want to risk it.

Kyle hasn't done badly since he was brought back in. His defensive effort is good and he's still a fantastically talented player.

Yeh not badly, but he's not been in the middle so has not had the focus of Gaskell or Lomax. In the end Royce will decide that in Training, but I would be surprised not to see Gaskell start next week.

Presumably that is why it is always Gaskell who goes off for the last 10 to 15 minutes. It isn't ideal but without Wheeler and Pryce we don't have a lot of choice.


He did. Myler didn't like it but when interviewed said he thought Smith didn't think he was ready. Is Gaskell ready for the big games? Well, who knows, but the last two games sure will have knocked the edges off! Taught him a lot I should think, in a very short space of time.

That's why I want Royce to give him a couple of games in the middle, with Gaskell on the bench. If there is a chance of Eastmond turning in one of those explosive performances it might be worth the risk. There is too much pressure on young Gaskell to perform for 60+ mins in a match. Lomax is OK he has the right temperament to handle the pressure a bit more.

Strange thing is I think the biggest damage, concerning Eastmond, caused this year to Saints will be that he will not want to go back there after he struggles at rugby union (which I think he will as not be suited to any position or physicallity of the breakdown). I can see him coming to Warrington in 2013 as Briers' replacement.

we wont want eastmond back gaskell and lomax will be both better then him

Aye. Joining James Graham, Tony Puletua and Jon Wilkin no doubt!

Up so late on a Sunday before a schoolday; I'm disgusted.

I don't think that's true. Although he's another troll, PY is right on this occasion. It's very hard to see how Kyle can ever consider a return to Saints given the unbelievable way the fans and the club behaved.

It hurts to say it but I hope he suceeds in Union. If he doesn't, it won't be us he returns to and there is a world class scrum half in there.

You can see right now that he doesn't enjoy playing for Saints, i bet he wishes there wasn't this 'big injury crisis'* so that he could just sulk in the background

[size=50*Sad ones weekly bleatings[/size

Yep had nothing to do with him or his agent, it's all the club and the fans fault.

Nothing to do with his appauling opening to the season, his disinterest in playing and the general messing about and touting himself to anyone possible.






If he goes to Union I doubt he'll be back in a year. They have a fairly long contract with him and Farrell took the best part of a year before he even played a game. For the first year he'll probably spend it on the wing, touching the ball 2 or 3 times in a game , apart from receiving the ball from kicks. He would have to be the worst ever to make a mess of that.

If he does come back no doubt he will come back with high expectations of being a wonder and someone will shell alot of coin for him, but he will have played union so will have lost 50% of his game, pretty similar to Harris and Lee Smith. Both wonders when they left, just about average when they returned.

Nah his kicking alone should secure his union future, they can leave him on the wing scratching his nuts, whistle goes, out comes the tee 2 points here, 3 points there, job done.

Come off it. He's been dire. If we were talking about some middle-of-the-road scrum half I'd be tempted to agree. Instead we're discussing a player who twelve months ago was arguably the hottest property in SL turning in performances that aren't good enough to dislodge a pair of rookies. And it's not like he has injury to fall back on as an excuse. He's fully fit!