more worrying that it was even on the cards without Brown's say so in the first place.

Who made the decision? Why didn't they check with the coach that he wanted the player?

Someone who pays to sit in the stand.



But being serious, I think Carl Forster was unlucky to lose his spot in the team to Perry for the semi. Perry did not show that Rush was right to bring him back in. By the end of the season I would hope that Carl will be pulling his weight as a regular. If he is going to be a Superstar or just a squad player is down to him but I imagine he has a long future a head of him.

Not many of the names that have gone around have excited me I have to say. Given how good the other players overseas players we have at the moment are I would think twice before getting any more in. The best part about signing Finch is Wigan will lose both half backs in the off season. I do not think Finch is a great player but having said that, he does have what we are missing at the moment and could bring a lot to us.

Best thing that can happen is we force up the value of his next Wigan contract.

How do you know it was conducted without Brown's say so?

This is exactly why I cannot see this being true.

Waste of a quota spot getting Finch when we've got three to four youngsters chomping at the bit to play half back. I know the argument about experience but what about the argument that Nathan Brown has done pretty well with the likes of Brown, Robinson and Brough, none of which were actually that great prior to him arriving. Yes Brough has done well but take out his kicking game and he hasn't got half the talent of any of Gaskell, Lomax and Wheeler.

Finch is the Flannery of half backs. Solid, consistent, fringe Origin player. If Brown can give us the organisation that we so desperately crave will we really need to spend a quota spot on Finch? Who is going to make way for him? Gaskell? Lomax? Swift? Wheeler? Lance?

Is this an admission that your sugar daddy didn't coach them very well?

Wouldn't be too disappointed if he shows up in a vee - Finch is hardly the top Antipodean signing we've been used to from the past, but in the real world he'd be as good a half as we could realistically get to play in SL these days. He'd bring a lot of what we're missing at the moment and be fit for purpose unlike Hohaia... Can't see it happening though.

If we signed Finch I would hope they would play Gaskell alongside him as I'm convinced he's the future.

Some might not agree but I think he is a quality player who with a little guidance from an experienced head (this worked initally for Lomax with Lance) then he can go a long way.

Straight exchange Finch for Gaskell with Sam in the halves we have a good fullbach at Hull.

No ta. I'd take Finch as he's out of contract (and free) and keep Gaskell, maybe send him on a years loan.

You can't 'exchange' somebody who's out of contract. Unless we're signing Finch and you're BUYING Gaskell out of his contract.

Finch Is going home,forget about him.

Double dip

I would like to see brown work with what we have got for a year, and then make decisions about reshaping the squad. McGuire did it at the goons, with a weaker squad than saints, brown should be able to have a reasonable crack with the current squad. In a years time, we'll have quota spots and salary cap headroom to use where it is needed, and not just spent on a player because he is available.

Ahhh the old myth about Maguire turning a bunch of no hopers in to world beater again. He took over a squad of underperforming players and turned them in to champions but it was by no means a weak squad. It certainly had more talent then the current Saints squad has.

Brown will need to sign players for 2013 if he's to challenge for trophies straight away and doesn't want to put up with a rebuilding year.

Don't get it.

Comfortably better.

Do Saints have a player like Sam Tomkins? No

Do you have a winger like Richards? no

Centres like Gleeson and Carmont? no

A halfback as good as Leuluai? no

props as efficient as Coley and Fielden? No

Theres a sprinkling of potentially good players mixed in with a world class 'one' at Saints in James Roby and then after that theres some very average players and a few money pinching Australians. There's room for improvement at Saints but could Nathan Brown get the current squad to top the league and win the grand final in 2013? If you answer that hand on heart you surely must say no.

Hand on heart - yes!

If Michael McGuire can get a bunch of players that struggle to make the playoffs year in year out to win a grand final and challenge cup then I'm sure it's possible brown can do it at saints.

So far this poor Saints team has made 6 grand finals, it should not take too much to push them that bit further. The big problem for Brown is halfback. Other than that he has a pack that can make yards and tackle teams into their own half. He will get some movement in the backline regardless of how good they are, 3 players due to retire, 1 looking to move on.

Struggle to make the play offs?

We'd lost semi final after semi final under Noble before Maguire took over. I'm not knocking what Maguire did for us and what his legacy continues to achieve but he had good tools to work with. He had a set of players that had underperformed but he was lucky in the respect that his best players were either in their prime or coming up to it and he had a bunch of brilliant juniors.

Browns got plenty to work with don't get me wrong but there isn't a cat in hells chance of him turning this current bunch in to league leaders and grand final winners however good he may be. I hope the Saints board believe he can and neglect to sign anybody but I can't see them lacking that much sense and Brown will know where he needs to strengthen.

Saints are 2 or 3 players away from being a trophy winning side and that would be the same even if you had Wayne Bennett in charge.

The thing is though this 'current' Saints side hasn't reached 6 grand final, it's reached zero!

The Saints side of 6 years ago was a fantastic side with supreme players and if Brown had those players to work with he'd pi*s you a trophy but he hasn't. He's got no Long, no Graham, no Sculthorpe, no Cunningham, no Lyon, no Pryce but it has got a nearly retired Wellens, weak centres, a stand off who's really a fullback or back up hooker and a pack of forwards that seems to shy away when the bullets are flying.

I'm not trolling here these are just honest opinions. I admire Saints and i've had to sit through years of watching Saints sides picking up trophies with groups of fantastic players but at the minute your side needs a lot of work. There needs to be an element of patience in bringing through the youth but you also need to be more selective in the players that you sign.

Utter, utter, utter laughable, one-eyed b******s of the highest order...

1 Cameron Phelps
2 Amos Roberts
3 Martin Gleeson
4 George Carmont
5 Pat Richards
6 Sam Tomkins
7 Thomas Leuluai
8 Stuart Fielden
9 Mark Riddell
14 Paul Prescott
11 Harrison Hansen
12 Joel Tomkins
13 Sean O'Loughlin
-
10 Andy Coley
17 Iafeta Paleaaesina
19 Paul Deacon
23 Lee Mossop


That was the lineup for MM first game. That team would beat Saints now comfortably IMO. As NickyKiss has said, we reached semifinal after semifinal with that side.

Difference for you is that (despite reaching all the GFs) you've lost massive player after massive player for the last 3-4 years. Gidley, Pryce, Long and Graham were 4 of your 5 best players and the simple fact of that matter is that, as of yet, you haven't replaced a single one of them.

Yes - most of those backs would indeed make the side ahead of most of our backs at the moment, but only O'Loughlin and [imaybe[/i Tomkins would get near our current pack from that lot when everyone's fully on form. The original statement stands as supreme cobblers.

our pie friends have gone completely dillusional, it would appear old Rogues is infact a hydra, cut one head off and many more jump up in its place!