Good to hear.

I quite like Backrow's line up. Just shows we have options all over if players go down.

Have we had any news on Walsh? I did not even see him go off to be honest.

I think the played the first half and then just didn't come back out for the 2nd.

www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/3886 Walsh 4-6 weeks Turner 3-4 weeks Walmsley - 1 week Sia 50/50 for Sunday Percival - 1 week. LMS obviously awaiting news on suspension. Hopefully he'll be back for the Cup.

www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/3886 Walsh 4-6 weeks Turner 3-4 weeks Walmsley - 1 week Sia 50/50 for Sunday Percival - 1 week. LMS obviously awaiting news on suspension. Hopefully he'll be back for the Cup.

SCRUM half Luke Walsh is set to miss the next four to six weeks with a calf injury but Head Coach Nathan Brown says he is confident of his squad's strength in depth.

The former Penrith Panther came off the field at half time in the win over Catalan and was on the sidelines with Jordan Turner and Sia Soliola.

"He's out for four to six weeks," Brown said, "with Jordan missing around three to four with a hamstring. We have a number of other players carrying minor knocks who might also miss a week.

"Alex Walmsley will probably miss out whilst Sia Soliola is 50/50. Mark Percival will be fit to face Leeds. We obviously won't know about Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (Grade C charge) until later this evening."

Looks like a tough few weeks ahead. It'll be interesting watching to see how our lads cope.

2013 revisited.

Damn shame about Walsh. He didn't miss a game for Penrith last season. Comes over here and is out after five games.

That's going to make the Huddersfield game much tougher. It's not impossible of course, but it'll be like last season's games if we're not careful.

Although we're still weak in the halves, I feel we've a much more robust squad, partly because our youngsters are all a year older.

So against Wakey we're expecting Dawson to come into the centre, Richards for Walmsley, Greenwood for LMS and probably Flash for Sia?

We finished strongly enough! And we should have spent preseason working out a plan for this eventuality. I still think we (should) be looking to continue our form.

I'd rather Walsh missed the next 5 games, then the last 5 games...

yup!

Disaster!

Not scaremongering at all. I only post facts

Fair enough, I'll hold my hands up and admit I misjudged your post. Apologies.

Or it was a good guess on your part?icon_wink.gif

Ill leave that for you to judge

So we look to be missing Turner, Walsh, Percival, walmsley, Sia, Beaumont and LMS.

Sia is 50/50 to play but can't see it.


Time for the fringe players to show what they can offer

The good news is that wellens won't be tying up a bench spot this weekicon_wink.gif

Might be a good time to give Dougie Charnock a run.

Can't see what Wilkin playing at 7 provides other than treading water.

I thought Wilkin was excellent last season filling in at 7. I dread to see how we'd do if we didn't have him.

Just hope wello ain't stand off

Lomax
Makinson jones wheeler swift
Lance Wilkin/ Charnock
Amor Roby Masoe
Flanaghan Manu
Wellens

Laffranchi Richards Walker Savelio/Dawson/Charnock

Should be strong enough to see us through Wakefield, and then those who can be slotted in for Leeds, can be

The sad news about lms' ban is that it will break his run of consecutive games.

That's pretty arrogant. That team beating Wakefield would be a cracking result. Wakefield beat Catalans 56-14, we beat them 40-22 the following week. They are not the easy beats they used to be, and even then we often found it hard there.

Sammut and Godinet are better than our halves, Scruton and Tautai are more than capable of causing problems and their backrow of Lauititi, Kirmond, Ryan and Washbrook are no mugs either.

Funny though, despite all the players missing, Wellens still wouldn't get in that team on merit.

Wilkin did do a good job. The season was a right off and there was nobody anywhere near ready.
But that was then.

Now the gap is short term(ish) and its early in the season. Time to blood some yoof?

So it's arrogant to think there's enough talent in that team to think we should beat Wakefield, but an ex international STILL isn't talented enough to make the squad? Contrary much?

Edit: the team I posted is hardly lacking in experience, and my half back pairing is the same one that beat Wakefield at Wakefield last year. We should have the quality still to win. Wakefield have had a decent run of results, and recruited well and should see them comfortably safe, and potentially more. But we should still have enough to see the game through. It would be arrogant to say we are definitely gonna win, but I didn't do that. (I'm not even gonna start on the "they beat Catalans by more so must be better than us" warped logic)

We don't become the worst team in the league because were missing a few players. Even if we lose, it's not season over.

Brown seems to be talking about Dawson.

So I wonder if Dawson will come in for turner and Wheeler move to 7?

I'd go with

Lomax
Makinson
Dawson
Wheeler
Swift
Lance
Wilkin
Amor
Roby
Laffranchi
Flanaghan
Manu
Jones

Wello
Mose
Walker
Richards

Time for Walker. Richards and Dawson to show brown they good enough for the first team.

There is one thing that youth does bring to a team and that's enthusiasm. Experienced players may see just another game, the new boys see an opportunity to show their wares.

Assuming worst case scenario for next week, I reckon...

Pete's team is a good bet, although I'm not sure whether Brown will go with Wheeler and Jones in the centre and Wellens at loose.

Personally I'd like to see Wheeler back at 6. Jones and Dawson in the centre. Lance as utility on the bench. Lance has not impressed me any more this year along side Walsh than he did the other 2 years. He still dashed out the line a couple of times last game and just does not seem to have Wheelers threat with ball in hand.

Quite happy with that, perhaps i'd rather see Wheels in the halves and Lance at centre, but thats about it