You forgot the bit where they were still playing Aussies over for a jolly

Ainscough will go to Widnes where all the other unwanted Wigan players go.

The way they are playing now, no. Thet're losing 18-4 Vs Huddersfield with a strongish team out.

They won 26-24.

Last minute Carmont try.

Wigan are no closer to us now than they were last.

Saints haven't really weakened except the centre and Wigan have lost the only top player they had.

Saints have much to sort out this season and many worries, Wigan are not one of them. They will beat us when we aren't at the races, ala the past 2/3/4/5 years.

No Leulai, Fair comment, Tomkins is only 20 and as you know I rate him very highly.

We will miss Keiron no doubt and he will leave a massive hole, (it tickles me you still make fat jokes about him, when you now have a hooker called piggy!)

But aside from that, that s next season, the topic in hand is will you beat s this year? In my opinion you may do once, but we will still have the upper hand. Not sure what you think here mate?

As we have discussed I think, if not addressed we will have problems in the upcoming seasons with players that we have lost, as a lot of the youth sides havent impressed me. However, at the risk of repeating myself this topic was about this year, and I still think that you are a good prop short to compete with our pack, and are depending an awful lot on an unknown half back partnership. I guess it's going to be an interesting year though.

You can't even get that right.



Oh! and Piggy scored two tries.

So as Ainscough went on tour with the U18 academy I wouldn't expect him to be anywhere near the first team for at least 2 seasons.

Are Saints going to move Gidley and play Foster?

And now come Dean McGilvray is not ready to take over from Meli?

Go back to your own forum.

I take that as a compliment.

In other words you've LOST.

That's the key for us, although it's strange to hear all your lot saying Wigan won't be any more of a threat this year as we have lost our Best Player, Yet for 2 x seasons Your Lot called him No Good!

To sum it up, I reaaly don't know yet wether we will beat you this year or not as ijuries etc will have a big influence over this
HOWEVER
My involvement in this thread came about through again Saints fans accusing Wigan on signing Ageing Over the Hill Foreigners etc when the Facts show that we are far from an ageing team and with only 1 foreigner more in My 1st 17 over Yours then it isnt that big of a difference that everyone makes out.
Do you not think that given the ageing nature of the current Saints squad More should have been done by Your club to introduce English Youngsters into the team earlier????
Tyrer/Foster for Gidley??
Smith for Long??
Moving Gilmour to centre cant be a great advert for your Youth!
Don't get me started on Meli
Havent you got any other options than sign an Overseas 29 year old on a 3year contract?
Flannery average to say the least!

My answer would be that Saints should sign the players they want to that gives them the best chance of success!
Wigan will do the same and I don't see any Young players development being restricted at Wigan through the signing of any of the players over the last 12 months.
Some of them won't get as many games but that will be down to
A/ Taking time with them and introducing them slowly
B/They arent as good as the players they are meant to be taking over from.
Not because there is some internal conspiracy going on at Wigan to neglect the Youth, Far from it!
Goulding/Ainscough/S.Tomkins/Prescott/O'Carroll/McCollorum/J Tomkins/Hansen/Hock/O'Loughlin will all be in the 1st 20 players used this season.
Will Saints be fielding more than that out of their 1st 20????

Because he's signed for Salford. He also chose not to play first team last season because he was finishing his college course.

Has he? That was too easy



So Saints let a young player go and it's o.k.

Ainscough is still at Wigan, is 18 years old and is not at not Widnes, not at Salford, not at Celtic, not at Huddersfield, and we still get pilloried on here by some who know less about Rugby League than my dog.

Saints letting Another Promising Youngster go!

Moore/Tyrer/Bannister and now McGilvray!

No wonder your running out of steam at the end of the season, Those elder statesman are getting tired! No Youngsters coming in to freshen them up coz they can't get a game due to Over the Hill ageing and in some cases Foreign Players!
Disgracefull!

Have Moore and Tyrer been let go [iyet[/i?

Bannister? Well that is a different matter, and the fact he hasn't been able to hold down a position anywhere because of his attitude says it all.

So, so far, we have ascertained that Saints have let one of those players go as a player being let go, and not sent on loan or kicked out because they are a complete brain fart.

Nice try, but so cigar.

And McGilvray ?

So next season we can hope to see, Moore, Tyrer and Smith in Saints shirts.


I sincerely hope so.

Maybe he didn't feature long term. Maybe HE felt he would be better served getting regular first team appearances for a club like Salford rather than waiting for Meli to sod off back to NZ. I haven't seen any reasons for his departure.

Answer the next part re Moore etc.

As I said Wigan get a hard time for releasing youngsters it seems Saints and Leeds are immune.

You edited your post



Moore is apparently in line to step up to the Saints fold, if he can just adjust his game so. But ahead of him in his position are two Saints youth products.

Tyrer, well his again is dependent on his development. If he can stop his turnstyle impression over the next season, I see no reason why he won't step into the breach, maybe like Moore another year or so on loan.

Smith is one I have reservations about. Arnold has twice the talent, honing that will see Smith cast aside.

Yeah your right we do have an aging side, however I dont think they will decline as some Wigan Fans are believing.

I think you will probably see Foster play a few games this year, along with Wheeler, Frodsham and probably Emmitt. You mention that we dont have any better options than Puletua, but then state that saints should sign the players that they think best suits to give the best chance of sucess, I think at this moment at time it is exactly what we have done with Puletua. He is a mountain of a man who can act as an enforcer in the front row, or back row, someone we have missed since Paul Anderson left.
You say they wont come through quick enough because of the players that they are trying to replace are better.
Is that not an example of Tyrer for Gidley or Smith for Longy? I think that's the exact same reason you have given for the lads at Wigan.
As you know I dont really rate Wilkin, but our back row, more than managed to hold their own against you last year.
As an aside I disagree with all the people who have said your signing overseas talent and keeping out youngsters, I think your Under 21's are at a better standard than ours currently, and are certainly more hardened. I think yes we will probably see more youngsters at Wigan coming through in the next year or so. However, I think when the 18's come through it may be slightly different.

And that is exactly my point!

Wigan do it and get criticised for letting youngsters go!
Saints do it and ???????????? Nothing said!

I think You may have misunderstood my point, I have no problems with Gidley/Meli/Flannery etc as at the moment there is a dearth of Young Available talent out there that can come in and IMPROVE a side.

IMO NONE of your youngsters are good enough to take the shirts off these established SL & International players week in week out, What I cant get my head round is that if Wigan do it We get slated Yet Saints are doing similar things.

I know what your saying mate, It does seem that some of our lot are quite happy to take aim at You men without 1st checking our own facts. It's worrying all round that the talent doesn't seem to be coming through any more. The team that seems to have done it the most recently is Leeds, maybe it would be good for both teams to have a look at their model and see how that has progressed?

JS and myself are making the same points albeit in slightly different ways.
If the younger British players are good enough and ready then yes replace the overseas players but if they're not what do you do.


As an example I don't expect to see Phil Bailey at Wigan next season AFTER his contract ends, because we have Hock, O'Loughlin, Hansen, Tomkins, Mossop and Farrell.

If we didn't have those players then I would have kept him.

Oh nooooooooooooo. I got the score wrong I must have LOST.