2.7 points per game for a non kicker is good going, it's marginally better than 2 tries every three games. That's a good return over 139 games.

I agree, i'm not saying he isn't a good tryscorer. The point I was making was that Foster would potentially add more points to the total than Meli. Also that Meli has a habbit of giving away soft try's to the opposition.

Thats a ridiculous comparison. You cant compare the points for a kicker and a none kicker.
Last season Meli scored 21 tries in 20 games. 1.05 per game.
Foster scored 7 tries in 11 games. 0.64 per game.

Meli makes mistakes but he scores the tries. Foster should be in the team ahead of Gardner though.

Meli for all his sins is a fantastic finisher and a genuine threat from 5m.

Foster isn't a threat at all. No pace, no footwork, no strength. In fact the only thing going for him is his nice hair. He can't kick goals and he'll never be anything other than an average SL winger. Perhaps if we had Jamie Lyon or Paul Newlove on his inside it would be okay, but we don't.

You have missed my point completely. The fact that one is a kicker and one is a non kicker is irrelevant in this comparison. I was comparing the points that each player contributes per game, not the points contributed due to trys scored.

What a daft comparison. Using that comparison Ste Tyrer would rate above Greg Inglis.

I was comparing the points they contributed per game. Not the standard or ability of the player. Just that having Foster in the team as a goalkicker would contribute more points than having Meli.

But how many tries did each of them concede? I'm sure working that out would balance things out a little!

Seriously, though, Meli is an incredibly experienced winger built like a brick poohouse: he should be scoring lots of tries. Foster played at centre in the youth teams, is a skinny thing who only started playing first grade halfway through last season. Can't really compare the two.

Personally, as is well documented on here, I would ditch Meli for Foster just because Meli is a defensive liability but successive Aussie coaches don't share my view so I guess Gardner could be in for the drop this weekend if neither Lomax nor Eastmond is up to kicking duties.

That is the line of thinking i've been trying (and failing by the looks of it) to explain. Not the Foster is neccesarily better than Meli or that they can be compared in terms of gameplay, just that Foster could potentially contribute more points to the team and the team total could be higher with Foster playing rather than Meli.

I'll take Foster and raise you a Sean Day

I believe Francis!

Why this fixation with Meli.
Lets look at your wingers comparison another way! Who do you think Goulding would rather be coming face to face with on saturday, Meli or Foster?
I know who I would hazard a guess at being his choice.

Meli if he is kicking, Foster if he is running.

I suspect he wouldn't care either way. He like them is not exactly a world beater.

Anyway....back to the original thread.

Gutted but not surprised that leon didn't even make the start of the season. how long will kyle "biscuit boy" eastmond last in the game?
If his 2010 track records is anything to go by - about 30 mins IMO.

I was pretty confident we would beat the pies on Saturday, then I heard Pryce was out! We will lose for sure without Pryce.

No Pryce, no chance!

Now now Peter - think positive - it's a good job your not in the team for Saturday. You would be turning out for Saints thinking we're not gonna win today lads.

[size=200 THINK POSITIVE[/size

I think that's more than a little contradictory.

If you're suggesting taking Foster because we need to have a reliable goal kicker in the squad, then that's a reasonable argument. However, Eastomd, Lomax and even Wheeler have proved as reliable goal kickers as Foster (except foster can do it without a piece of him falling off).

Losing pryce is a massive blow, but if Eastmond is fit and can keep our kicking game in order and the pack does a decent job (which I fancy it could), then we'll be in with a shout.

Of course the problem we have just now, though, is that both Lomax and Eastmond are recovering from serious leg injuries. What are the chances of either of them being physically ready to take on kicking duties?


Personally, without Pryce's experience and long kicking game (to help overcome Wigan's defence), I don't think we have much chance, especially given Eastmond's tentative recovery and rustiness plus our disrupted pre-season friendlies (many thanks there, Mr Ganson). However, losing our first game against the Pies and thus confirming to the rugby league world that we will finish at best in ninth spot (since we have been universally written off this season already!), is no big deal. So long as the team we do have put out a good performance that's all I'm personally concerned with at this stage in proceedings. I hope Lomax gets a chance at stand off, that he remains injury-free for the full 80 minutes (ditto Kyle Eastmond), that we don't end up with any further injuries, that we show improvement in defence and fluidity in attack. These things would make me happy enough at this stage, win or lose.

That's what I was getting at. Because we don't know if Eastmond's ankles are up to the strain of goalkicking yet, Wheeler has proved rather unreliable in any kicking duties he has had so far this season and Jonny doesn't have much experience kicking at this level. If we was to have a reliable goal kicker on the pitch, he may be able to knock over more points than what Meli could potentially score in tries, points which may possibly not be added by Eastmond, Wheeler or Lomax.

Last season there would also be an argument that Gardener could possibly be sacrificed instead of Meli, but from what i've seen he's had a pretty solid pre season.

Although I do think this is all speculation and i'm almost certain that Meli and Gardener will both be starting tomorrow.

When they're both fit, Kyle should be taking the lion's share of long kicking - I think you'll find he'd be consistantly better. Pryce chips in with the odd stonker, like his 40-20 at the DW, but I'd say he's quite inconsistant in that role.
I think Kyle at first receiver is completey capable of marshalling us, but without Pryce's experience next to him to take some pressure off or offer another route should they focus the defence on him, he could struggle.

[iIf[/i Eastmond and Lomax are both in decent shape to last the 80, then I think they could impress. Here's hoping a mammoth performance by the pack can get our backs noses infront and give them some space to work.

Completely agree, if our pack can get us on the front foot then Kyle and Jonny both have the talent to pull something off. For the first time in a long time we also have two centres with enough pace and guile to create some space for the wingers too. If the pack can dominate I think it will be a close game to call.

Amos is out for us guys now. So Charnley will play left wing apparently.

they're going down fast!