Sign Broughton, sack off the geriatric and have a backline of:

1 - Makinson
2 - Broughton
3 - Turner
4 - Jones
5 - Meli

Size and pace a plenty. Would absolutely trounce the backline we have now.

Winger superfast.

In the U20s played for Leigh also.

Was in the RL fastest man earlier in the year along with Broughton.

U20s due to be cut at the end of the season. Already given notice.

Think Dan Brotherstone is also in the same group that is going to be cut.

Wello still does a job but it is approaching the point where relying on him for the whole of next season might not be the best move. In an ideal world for next season and assuming noone else is coming in, in the backs with the personnel we currently have I'd go with something like:

1. Wellens/Hohaia
2. Gardner/Foster/Makinson
3. Turner/Jones (if Turner doesn't deliver)
4. Lomax
5. Meli
6. Wheeler
7. Gaskell
17. Hohaia/a forward when Wello's left out

That [icould[/i be a pretty formidable backline if it all comes together...

Lomax at centre? He is no way a centre and would rather leave Jones there who has been outstanding this year. Lomax should play at 7 for me as he takes the line on and spots gaps very well, and also his support play is very good.

I would like to see:
1. Wellens/Gaskell/Lomax
2. Gardner/Makinson
3. Turner/Wheeler
4. Jones/Wheeler
5. Meli/Foster
6. Hohaia/Gaskell
7. Lomax/Gaskell

Would like to see Gaskell given more game time, he has looked good at full back for under 20's, so could rotate him and Lomax in halves with Lance, but showed earlier this season they arent ready just yet in terms of experience to run the team together.

That is a very very poor backline! Lomax centre!

Thank god you don't pick the team, we still lack a experinced halfback in your line up, wheeler has played at few games at stand off at super league level.

Didn't Lomax play Centre for the first team when he first came into the line up?

Yes, he and Meli was switching between centre and wing in the grand final against Wigan and got ripped apart!

He might be fast but is he any good?

Either way, we need more than that if we're to challenge. Wellens is solid but has no pace, Gardner / Makinson are good finishers but neither are particularly threatening from deep, Josh Jones is solid but isn't particularly quick and that leaves Meli who is hit and miss - but probably our most threatening back.

We're crying out for some threatening players in the backline. Warrington, Wigan, Leeds and Catalans wouldn't have any of our back 5.

We need a half back and a prop for sure, but we're crying out for some pace and quality in the backline.

If we are determined to keep Lomax in the halves then shift him to 6 and let Gaskell play at 7. And by play, I mean give him more than one bloody game to let him get used to the role. Let Lomax do the running and let Lee do the organising and kicking.

Everyone is calling out for a halfback yet for some reason Rush will not give him a chance.

Infuriating.

It certainly is, but I think we all know the reason Rush isn't even giving him a chance.

If we signed a centre, Turner could play wing. Maybe that's the long term plan, to be honest I think (hope) we'll be seeing wholesale changes when Brown comes on board. He doesn't seem like the completion obsessed type and this team wouldn't suit his style.

I'm looking forward to Manu coming, he'll certainly break tackles and offload the ball a bit.

I just hope we get the ball to Manu. We have TP outwide at the moment and he never gets the ball.

I think his first few games were on the wing, but he's played at centre a few times and generally looked impressive there (O/T 2010 where he started at #4 but was as ineffective as the rest of the Saints side were excepted).

For me it's nearly a no-brainer - he's probably our best attacking player (by several country miles if you don't count Meli) but is being wasted playing in a position that he simply just lacks key attributes to be able to play. He could still be very effective in the halves but only with a quality, experienced organiser alongside him - we simply don't have one of those and there are minimal prospects of us getting one, so he's just never going to really be able to do the business there at the top level. We have many, many other options at #1 where he could excel at the moment, and a few decent options on the wing, but where we are lacking in severely in the backline is in the centres. As I've said before he certainly has all the attributes to be a top centre - pace, size, strength, good hands etc. and he already defends at #4 so no worries there. Plus he would very rarely need to kick, would only ever have to pass one way and wouldn't be involved in dictating and directing play thus negating some of the glaring weaknesses in his play. It just makes sense to me...

In a way it's back to the too many pegs for the same hole. We have Wellens, Lomax, Makinson and Lance, who would all fit in at FB. Makinson has the advantage of being able to play wing as well.

I'd be inclined to go with Lomax at FB.

He has pace as quick as any of the others,
he can kick a ball, but not well enough to be a regular kicker,
the freedom to chime into the line would work well for him.

I know others prefer Makinson, but I don't think he brings that 3rd pivot, so with him at FB, we would still be looking at only 2 pivots and not great ones.

Given our current squad I'd like to see this line up in pre-season to see how it goes.

FB:Lomax
Wing: Turner
Wing: Makinson
Centre: Meli
Centre: Jones/Wheeler
Halves: Gaskell/Wheeler + an outside purchase
Prop: Perry
Prop: TP
Hooker: Roby
SR:Manu
SR: Sia
LF: Lance

Bench:
Prop:LMS Clough
SR: La Franki
Other: Wellens / Wilkin / Lance

It would not be the same team each week and I still would add another prop to the team, but Lance would bring as much tackling as Wilkin at LF, a bit more speed, I just think it's worth a punt to see how well it goes.

The team just looks so much better when you remove Wellens and Gardner and take Hohaia out of the halves.

Why didn't Rush do this?

Sorry, thread-drift here, but I think Lomax would be a perfectly capable 7 as long as Gaskell or another orthodox 6 was alongside him.

Lomax and Gaskell was showing signs of developing into a quality pairing last season. It's one of the biggest failures of this season that it was broken up in the hunt for short-term honours (which we aren't going to win anyway.)

In a ideal world we will bring a ball playing experinced half back in and leave jonny at 7 but let lomax drift in and out the game.

At the moment lomax is doing to much and getting to much ball that he's become predictable, everyone knows he going to step inside.

For me, at stand is more important than any other postion we needs, yes we need wingers, centre, props but a stand off is vital!

Absolutely spot on.

Strong rumours that Alex Walmsley will be having talks with Saints over the course of the coming week. If you were to get him, you'd be signing the most explosive and destructive young prop in the game - something I say knowing full well he hasn't played in SL yet. Someone who has all the ability to go to the very top of the sport, without a shadow of doubt.

Nice to hear if true.

Sounds good if your assessment is true, but the saddenned in me worries that we'd be doing it trying to emulate the Chris Hill situation, but would get a less capable player.
I've never seen him play, mind, so I'm happy to go with your compliments of him. Sounds like just the sort of lad we need on board.

He's a very good player. Suited to the role of an impact prop, he would have been in SL earlier had it not been for his focus on University.

looks half decent and got age on his side www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDICeD8PxbM

looks half decent and got age on his side www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDICeD8PxbM

Would you like to see him a Saints then? Do you think he'd be able to make the step to Super League?

He's 6'6, about 18 stone, has the pace of centre and runs like a juggernaut (not always the case with big lads). He's also an intelligent lad, very grounded, and willing to learn from coaches. No reason why he shouldn't be able to step up, and if anything I'd wager he'd prove an even better buy than Chris Hill. Incidentall, Hill and Walmsley are very different styles of player.

Walmsley and Scott Taylor to Leeds I hear. Where do you get the link to Saints from?