It's all quite in public but things are happening behind the scenes.

So your suggestion is just to add to the averageness? Super!

That's all we need to know. It seems that saints (and a lot if other clubs) are starting to keep things under wraps this season.

Intriguing.

They pretty sure they have bagged one of them.

C'mooonnnnn no one here will let it slip, promise

thats a laugh *weakest defenders*...when the so-called-defenders weve already got get 40 plus put past them..from catalan...widnes and hull kr!..he'll feel at home with our team then wont he?....

Fair enough.

Two from one club or in the same position would be interesting and unusual.

I've also heard something similar this morning that one is now a done deal but won't be announced just yet...I assume this is the same player you are talking about

Great addition if true and will really give us something we have lacked for a while IMO...imagine most people (apart from saddened obviously

) will be happy with it

I remember seeing Sammut at Knowsley Road and he was quick and elusive back then.

After seeing him over here regularly you'd need a very good defensive system as I think he may be found wanting on occasions.

Not sure he's worth a gamble.

Give us the positions they play

This can't be true as McManus isn't bothered about the squad and does nothing. Everyone knows that.

Wire busy proving they are unbeatable against teams outside your named three when it matter. . . .

I can live with that result

Nah that's not true, he's put the best pack in super league together

According to one of our biggest but not accurate blaggers its Burns.

If it's burns Pete will be making a mess of himself.

I thought burns rumour had been quashed? And I'd struggle to see McManus' position in the wider arguments surrounding rugby league at the moment strengthened by paying a transfer fee for a 30 year old import - as good as he may be...

Interesting times ahead though if McManus is turning to the chequebook ...

Dogma should not be used in the practical world. It's maybe something to aim for in the wider sense but you don't get anywhere by only having one plan of attack.

In our best squads, there were 1 or 2 class homegrown players.
3 or four average SL players and then squad fillers.

The rest were a mix of very good SL players and ex-NRL players.

I think there is something of an overblown expectation of the academy. They have churned out 4 or 5 halfbacks in the last 5 years. Yet people are wanting more.

In the last 20 years we have produced 2 world class hookers, 1 world class prop and 1 world class halfback.

Then a range below that.

I'd say our current team is doing well from the academy, but expectations that the academy produce top standards in every position, plus have more in reserve is too high.

Agreed entirely, but that doesn't stop actions being twisted to suit arguments.

Anyway, even if the Burns rumour is true, I doubt it's what St.P was referring to, according to the hull Kr board we put in a formal offer today, St.P was implying the deals close to being done (so in an ideal world both are true and separate rumours

)

I can't see the Burns one being true.

It's not entirely impossible.

There is a huge chunk of money coming off the cap this year. Laffranchi, Sia, would be potentailly big earners and with so much academy in the squad they must be getting maximum dispensations.

Not to mention Wheeler, Gardner, Clough, McDonnell, who will probably cover increases to youth contracts.

McDonnell and the contract extensions we have handed out over the course of the year probably removes Gardner and Clough from consideration. But, Manu could also be added to the list as there's been no word on him.

My guesstimating/ listening to rumours about how much players are on (never reliable!) reckons we have somewhere between 25% to 33% of the cap to play with this year, which coupled with the kids coming through makes us very flexible this year

McDonnell is only to the end of thhis year isn't he??

I've just searched travis burns' name on twitter and nothing much comes up in relation to us. Considering how much of hull's business is conducting on there it seems odd that there's only two mentions of him coming to saints.