I don't think the problem lies in local kids but in the number of players we dispatched at the end of last season. They might have all wanted to leave for all I know but at the time it appeared to be reckless and I think that is proving the case now.

Various websites are saying that Jon Wilkin is going to partner Lomax in the halves, with Andrew Dixon filling in for Wilkin. I guess we have got to that point when poor old Wilkin has to do a job he has expressly said he doesn't feel he is best suited to doing!

You really think it's Eamonn writing the squad info? It's sone guy with alot time on his hands who obviously as wrote down the wrong info. I've Bern watching Josh since the age of 15 for England and St Helend and I can assure you he as never played Stand off. The lad also played centre for Chorley before moving to Blackbrook, where funnily enough he also played centre.

For England U15 and U16 guess where he played? Centre. For Saints U18 guess where he plays? Centre. He as filled in on the wing for the U20's so I guess they've got summat right.

No. I assume the people writing the squad info are given the squad info by people who train the squad. Why should I assume it's Eamonn?




So if he has filled in on the wing, why can he not have filled in at stand off? Have you watched every single game he has played?

Saintsfan you're picking a argument for no reason at all. Roby as played on the wing for Saints 1st team. Would you describe him as a hooker / winger? Stop being a ding bat.

I watch 90% of our junior teams. I watch our Scholarship teams home and away. Josh as never played Stand off on all the games I have watched nor as even filled in at that position.

Very poor by the Saints website as it gets people like yourself all excited thinking these young lads can come in and fill valuable positions on our team, without them even doing it at junior level.

Shut up.

I said he had PLAYED at stand off, not that he WAS a stand off. I just read what was said on the website. And you haven't seen him play in every match so there may well have been matched when he HAS played at stand off. Young players play in many positions, that is the policy at Saints. They get good training that way.

But I'm saying nothing further on that.

Meanwhile, Saints have added another u20s player to their first team today: Joe Greenwood. He's a prop forward. Now, IS he a prop forward in your book or is he a centre? It says PROP FORWARD on the Saints website.

Given that Saints appear to have promoted a PROP FORWARD this weekend, that would suggest one of our other PROP FORWARDS is injured. Since Josh Perry was already out, that leaves us with Jammer, TP or LMS out as well.

I wonder who else will suddenly appear on the Saints website before tomorrow's match!

I must admit the quality of strength in depth of the Saints side is no where near as good as it was in say 2006. Having said that you have to move with the times and we have copped some pretty horrendos injury lists in recent years and have still managed to reach Grand Finals and Challenge Cup Finals. I can honestly say I would rather have home grown players in our squad even if they aint experienced rather than paying over the hill Australians who are past it. Home Grown players are going to get vital experience playing over the next few weeks which will stand them in great stead in the future. Makinson looks a real talent from what I have seen of him and looked at home at Full Back when Wello went off injured last Friday. Jamie Foster has been sensational this season scoring plenty of Tries and Kicking Goals, Jonny Lomax has been great at Scrum Half, Shaun Magennis has played well considering he has been shunted up to the Front Row. The future's bright at Saints and when we get all our injured players back we will be in fine fettle.

Joe Greenwood is actually a second rower! I kid you not.

Well, if you look at the Saints site, you will see that as a first team member, he is a prop forward. Presumably that is what he is going to play tomorrow.

And besides, wasn't Tony P a second rower when we recruited him? Yet he seems to play prop to me.

You're the editor for the Saints website and I claim my £5. To be fair Joe is a very big lad for his age but needs to fill out. Will probably move to prop when he does.

However you can't have a lad playing wide Second row for the U18's and U20 then have him then play right down the middle at prop for the first team. There is no papering the cracks here it's very poor editing by the Saints website, that's all I'm trying to say.

Without trying to sound ar&ey you should get down to the scholarship games that start next week. Some excellent talent at U15 and U16 level and they're great matches. Saints play Hull next week.

No, I'm just curious after reading something on RedVee about the 19 not being the actual 19 and that things are worse than they appear from the stated 19. I've been hopping on and off the Saints site this weekend to see which u20s players are going to be joining us tomorrow.

It may be a case of desperation by Saints that they are having to recruit to these positions and the lads they are picking are the best fit for tomorrow. I doubt it has anything to do with the editing. We let go of a lot of players last season and that was an error by the club. If we have to field a team tomorrow and we have too few or no props available, for example, then it appears that Joe Greenwood is going to have to play prop.

alot of young second rowers progress to prop when they fill out, see Paul Clough for a perfect example of this

By far your most impressive player in the U20's game at Orrell yesterday. I would hope he doesn't play on Monday, the kid was out on his feet at the end of the game.

Not sure on that myself actually. Whilst we did have depth in the pack, with the likes of Fozzard and Anderson being left out of squads, our backs cover pretty much consisted of Hardman and Scott Moore. If we'd lost four half backs, our centre (Wheeler, though I'm also counting him as a half back), and our full back, we wouldn't have covered it as well as we have done/will do this year.

Losing just Pryce and Long would have pretty much sunk us.

He's certainly being considered, given that Saints have promoted him to the first team. Perhaps it was his impressive performance that got him the call up.

If the first team guys can play twice in a few days, so can the younger guys.

Pack is Graham Roby LMS Soliola Ashurst and TP

Wilkin, Lyon, Sculthorpe, Hooper or even James Roby could have all played in the halves had Longy or Leon been injured in that season. In the backs Vinnie Anderson, Lee Gilmour, Pryce could have covered the backs without causing to much disruption to the side.

that team/squad had far more strength in depth , when you can afford to leave players like Anderson and Fozzard out of your 17 you know you've got a good squad

Where hooper and Pryce ever in the same side??? Are we mixing some years together here.
I think we have had plenty of cover in the half backs this year we have just used it all.


Pryce, Eastmond, Lomax, Gaskell, Wheeler.. & Moore


I don't see many teams having a 6th and 7th choice half back pairing.

Take out Long, Scully, Lyon, Pryce, Hooper you are still left with Wilkin and Roby funnily enough and that is without correcting for players that where not in the same side.

They sure where in 2006. Leon was at 6 and Hooper played Loose Forward all year.

We must have. All we seem to produce are halfbacks and second rowers!



There must be a couple of kids in the Academy team who fancy having a go against the mighty Ull!

Cheers

Wilkin is a poor half back, Hooper nothing but a runner with little creativity about his game. We'd have struggled with those two in the 6 & 7 positions for any length of time (i.e more than about 40 minutes).

The fact that you've named our first choice stand off and two forwards (one of which was a guaranteed start in the back row) as back cover shows the poor depth we had in the backs at the time.

I cant agree with that for the simple reason we would have had the pack to get us up the field for starters added to which Hooper played his most succesful stint at Saints at 6. Wilkin isnt a novice at Stand Off so I think we would have been ok. Dont get me wrong we would have lost more matches but not as many as you think. I wouldnt consider naming our Stand Off and a starting player in the back row at the time as poor depth really. Its great to have utility players in your squad so that you can cover all but the worst injuries. Pryce has played Full Back, Wing and Centre for both club and country and Gilmour has played on the wing for Great Britian as well as playing Centre for Bradford on numerous occasions and for us when he have had a problem in the backs. So I stand by my point that in 2006 we had our best strength in depth.

He did, but with Long at his very best alongside him, without that, he'd have been far less effective.



He was then though.



I don't think we'd have lost more matches than we won, but we had very few injuries that year to test the depth of the squad, certainly far, far less than we've had this year. Pack wise we were fine, you've done nothing to persuade me otherwise in regard to the backs considering you've named forwards to cover backs