Sending him out on loan to someone like Cas, London, Widnes, etc would probably do him good. Rhys Williams has just joined Cas from Warrington for a month, maybe Foster could join Cas afterwards. It would be a test of whether he wants to fight or not.

Meli = alleged international, too many years on the clock, routinely lets us down in the big games esp grand finals (the last one for which I will never forgive him), is lazy and is a defensive liability usually when we most need him to be a rock.

Foster = not an international, one full season and a bit on the clock, a goal kicking legend (who kicked a penalty from halfway in the last grand final and didn't let us down), looks for work and until the early part of this season while physically at a disadvantage worked hard in defence.

Nah, I can't see why I would make 'excuses' for Foster but not Meli!

Foster should be using his time out to concentrate on putting on some beef. An extra stone would make a big difference to his game. At the moment he's too light to be of any use returning kicks or bringing the ball out of dummy half. These are massively important aspects of the modern game, especially if you rely as heavily on quick play the balls as we do. His lack of size means he also gets bullied in defence. IMO the reason his confidence is shot is because he knows he isn't physically competitive. A season out of the limelight working on his physique would do him no harm at all, and could see him return as a different player next year, possibly even at centre.

I don't know why people say this kind of thing. Have you not heard of genetics? He may well have been working hard on his physique for all we know but the lad has the genes he has and he could spend all day and night working out with very little to show for it if that's what's been given to him by his predecessors.

Well if that's the case then he will never be good enough to command a regular spot at a top club.

But I don't think it's necessarily true. Obviously he's never going to be massive, but there's no reason why he couldn't add a stone.

Foster is a paid pro, he's paid to play rugby as is Meli, he should have no excuse about the silly mistakes that cost us games just like Meli.

Jamie foster has played in big games, Jamie foster has played in two grand finals, Jamie foster was in the knights squad.

He's no excuse for dropping kicks on a regular basis. If in your view it's down to his age that's the reasoning for him being dropped, then rush made the right choice as he's obviously not ready.

Its simply the ascendency of Jones and Makinson, the latter now a proven kicker is keeping Foster out of selection, Foster may well be an improved player now but he will not be considered at the moment.
It may well as already mentioned be better for him if he goes out on loan, the problem is his only attribute to a superleague team will be of goal kicking nature.
Rugby Force =. Mass x Accelaration x Technique, Jamie Foster needs to work on all of these as he does not excel in any of these parameters. He needs to re focus and receive better coaching.
My problem is, is our club good enough to coach our younger players to that next level of class, that includes Lomax, Makinson, Jones , Swift, Ashe etc. with the right mental atitude.

You clearly must watch a different team to me as there is no way on the face of this earth you could possibly be watching Saints... You simply haven't got a ****ing clue and are just the kind of one-eyed kneejerk Saints fan that makes me want to weep...

It's because she's a one-eyed fool with ludicrous pre-packaged opinions that will not change ever no matter what happens. There are depressingly many, many of them about. Don't let it get you down.

Foster did his job of filling tge wing berth and kicking goals for a couple of years. He hasn't made tge step up needed to become a top player, which is a shame, but part of tge natural selection process of being a pro sportsman, very few do make it. He'll do ok in tge championship and if he shines at a club like Leigh may earn another crack at super league with a Salford or wakey. Ship him out and move on.

She certainly not getting me, it's amusing really



We all know Meli has/made mistakes in the past and I'm sure he will again in the future but at the moment he's doing on ok and certainly shouldn't be dropped based on the fact hes leaving as she posted.

Meli and foster are both paid rugby league players and should be tested the same if they make mistake. It's not like foster hadn't got any experience.

Jamie Foster is a one trick pony at the moment and although he does show a good team spirit, that's not enough. He is a grade A goal kicker, but his defence is only so so, his offence is the same. SL is not grid-iron a top player must have more than one attribute and though a top goal kicker can win you a tight game, he must have more to offer a side.
If he put more thought into improving the rest of his game and less in trying to look more like Dave Beckham, then he could be a half decent player, till then, Rush should leave him where he is.





Rock 'n' Roll.

It's simple, really. Meli has the shirt and should keep it until:

a) his current performances fall to a level that don't justify his selection and there's someone waiting in the wings (pardon the pun) who offers more, or;
b) someone is performing so outstandingly in the reserves to the point where they are impossible to ignore.

Neither applies currently.

Are you being deliberately obtuse???

My post said that he needs to decide - the tweets about him kicking goals in the park with his grandad were hardly about first team games. With regard to the Wilkin comments - fair enough HOWEVER JW has been a regular first teamer for 10 years, has delivered consistently for that time and is probably one of the first names on the team sheet. He does bang on about his other interests but to be fair he is approaching a time where he needs to think about what he does after - Jamie IF HE WANTS IT has 12-15 years ahead of him, he hasnt made it yet and he needs to decide what he wants to do about it. His call I have no view as to what the right career is for him - but if it is RL at this stage in his career he need to focus.

No one disputes the wisdom of giving Foster time to work on his game in the reserves. He'd clearly lost form and allowing him to continue and have his confidence irrevocably destroyed was senseless.

But for a player to lose form he must have [ipossessed it in the first place[/i. And Foster had put in a very useful stint for the club demonstrating not only the fact that he can kick. Yes, he is not the quickest player in the world and he has yet to physically mature. But this didn't prevent him from showing that he is a very useful finisher with good hands and excellent awareness close to the corner flag. His try-scoring record clearly does not suggest first team football is beyond him.

Since Foster's demotion other youngsters have staked their claims and done well. But since none of them have played an unbroken stretch it is false to suggest there haven't been opportunities to bring him back. Besides, sticking exclusively with Swift or Jones or whomever else runs the risk of creating precisely the same problem we made with Foster - putting too much responsibility on their shoulders too early.

If the club wants rid of Foster - fine. Make an announcement and draw a line under his career here and now. But if he's still part of our plans he won't get any better playing for months in the reserves. Ditto Gaskell, whose game must surely be going to pot spending so long away from the unique challenges posed by SL defences.

Jon Wilkin hasn't delivered anything like consistently for two full years. It's a scandal he's anywhere close to the representative football right now.

And my post argued that point. He is doing what Wilkin has already succeeded in doing and planning for his future. Therefore, he does NOT need to decide.


No, but that whole story came out as a result of him playing first team games. Now that he isn't in the first team, it is no longer a story.


And how long do you think Wilkin has had his shop? He is also the Saints player who has actively begun projects to help players focus upon their post-rugby futures. He began with a project offering Saints players work experience opportunities. Wello worked in the media section of St Helens Council for a while. Also, what do you think goes on at Cowley School? Have you not heard/seen any of the interviews about it? The u20s lads (and younger) are encouraged to study alongside their rugby playing. What about Swift? He's a part-time player because he also has an apprenticeship, I think with Pilks. There is presently a big push on getting players prepared for their post-rugby playing days and part of that is obtaining qualifications or apprenticeships or, in the case of Foster, starting a barbers business with a Saints theme. He is young and if he doesn't make it in the game or if he does so in preparation for when that career ends, he needs a fallback. Well done him I say on getting himself into position to have one. His team mates would be well advised to follow his example and I'm sure many of them are it is just that you haven't heard their stories because many of them will not be playing in the first team.

You just want to have a go at him for no good reason, as do many on here, and frankly it's pathetic.

Jon Wilkin was in great form last year. This year, granted. He probably had his first good game last night.

He played well in several games last season - but this is not the same as saying he was consistently good throughout. There were many times I completely forgot he was on the field.

Players have been setting up businesses for years. It's only with the age of social networking that many have picked up on it.

Good on Foster (and others) for setting up the futures instead of p**sing it up against the wall. Physical sporting careers are very short and we shouldn't begrudge anyone for setting up a career beyond that.

He's an excellent kicker and very good finisher. I'm happy to have him in the squad because we'll inevitably get injuries/loss of form.

Just because a player is struggling to get into the 17 we don't have to talk about letting them go. What happened to having a strong squad?

Maybe Mike Rush favours other players before Foster? Maybe this will be different under Nathan Brown? I don't think there's anything sinister behind it and I think they've both (Gaskell and Foster) probably been told to work hard on their game in training and in the reserves. Gaskell has been unlucky not to feature more recently with the form of Hohaia but with Meli, Makinson, Gardner and Swift all going pretty well when they've been in the side, it's understandable Foster hasn't found his way back in yet.

Maybe a loan spell for both would do them good, particularly for Foster who's opportunites look limited right now. Gaskell probably isn't far off. An injury to Hohaia or Lomax and he'd be next in line.

Agreed. Can't see why it has to turn into a big conspiracy whenever a player can't get a game. Sometimes you have to hang on and wait for an opportunity through injury. Seeing as we have only lost to the pies since Simmons left there isn't a great case for overhauling the first seventeen on a frequent basis. It's not like if Foster had played at Manchester that we'd suddenly have won.

Foster obviously cares about playing for Saints because even when he made the mistakes he was out there next tackle trying to make it right, perhaps with too much enthusiasm. That to me suggests he can bounce back if he continues to work on his game. Just because he isn't playing now doesn't mean he won't play again so I don't see what purpose it serves putting ultimatums on the chairman or coaching staff to either play him or let him go.

If Nathan Brown likes him, mark my words he will be putting some timber on, by hook or by crook.

The only chance Foster has of playing regular at the Saints is if they change to American football. He can then come on as a specialist kicker.(not punting as he is a one trick pony).

The simple truth is he is not and never will be good enough for super league.