what was the score ????

totally agree and I think the fact he is a decent kicker is also helping him. He returns the ball better than gardner but still needs to work on his finishing a bit. Good to see players being picked on form rather than reputation

He does but I think had Eastmond been on the pitch then Gardner would have played. We needed a kicker.

Did anyone else notice that Lomax was limping during almost all of the match?

When a bomb is heading over to the wing the normal heart in mouth with Gardner isn't there with Jonny... he's shorter than Ade but has an awesome jump on him and is as safe as houses, then after landing more often than not makes several yards forward

Magennis was good and showed alot of promise, as for Lomax I'd be worried if I was Gardner, out of form and out of contract with a much younger, possibly faster lad in his place who hasn't dropped a high bomb in 2 full games and looks very good in attack and excellent in defence and can kick a goal too

Impressed with Magennis - although I was concerned that he was brought off only 15 mins or so into the match. Its no good playing loose forward if you can't manage lengthy stints on the pitch.

As for Chris Dean - I agree with the common consensus. He doesn't add anything to the team and I don't think he has a future wearing the red vee.

Magennis just needs time to mature physically and an extended run in the first team to build his confidence. With both I'm sure he'll turn out to be - at the very least - a good squad player (although I am hoping for a touch more).

I'm not especially worried about strapping. Some players apply wraps ritualistically. Some assign supernatural attributes (luck) to them. They may be little more than confidence builders ordered by the physio. Who knows?

I wore a Gary Lineker style wrist strap all through my football career, for no other reason than that it looked awesome.

Magennis has been solid in his few outings so far, Dixon is the pick of the young back rowers for me at this point whilst both Ashurst and Magennis have not let us down.

Dean is a player who I think has the ability to play super league, just not at centre for Saints.

He may be a centre of a team around 7 - 10 I reckon.

His best chance at Saints I reckon is to bulk up a little and look at 2nd row but with the three guys mentioned earlier he has a job to get past those chaps.

It was the first time i've seen McGennis, but was impressed. He's a heavier build than Ashurt and Dixon were when they appered and seemed to take contact much better than Paul Johnson did on his debut a few weeks back. Ran with some vigour aswell. Very promising.

For me, Dean's just a bit pedestrian for centre. In the build up to a try that Meli scored in the 2nd half, we had a three on two which he made a bit of a hash of, although managed the offload and meli found his way over. Armstrong scored another hat-trick in the reserves (I walked in as he scored his last one), I would have thought he's a better punt, especially against a lower ranked team.

Lomax came out in the 2nd half with some extra strapping on, and you could see him limping.

Agreed and further more I would throw in a few more youngsters ahead of established first team players.

Lomax has done really well, impressed me again yesterday.

hahaha love it !

I mentioned this at the game. He may just be wearing them as he eases himself back into the game.

However, he may wear them his whole career, just like Lomax will probably wear the headguard even if the chance of him getting a similar injury again is small. If it helps his confidence then I don't think it's a problem.

Lomax took a big knock in a tackle near where we were standing and got up limping I had visions of him having to go off injured but he managed to carry on playing - hoping to shake it off I presume. I think he should be OK for the next game if he is needed. ( Well I hope so as we need a goal kicker.)

Dean has all the attributes of a robust squad second row. Had we not been struggling for personnel in the backs I suspect we'd have given him a decent run in the pack.

I'd say we have better though - he would make a solid second row nothing more, sadly he is not a young Chris Joynt or Lee Gilmour as he is knowwhere near explosive enough

Solidity is just as valuable as talent. Without the former the latter find it difficult to express themselves. As for not being a Joynt or a Gilmour - who is? If we discount every player who cannot stand as an equal amongst legends we won't have a bench, much less a team.

Fair point but I think keeping Dean will just mean holding a prospect back. We are well loaded in the back row with people at the very least his equal

All the more reason to add him into the mix. More competition. Survival of the fittest. Whoever loses - we win.

But, they have a salary capto manage, rememeber. That will more likely mean the end of Dean's stay at saints.

Dean must hardly be on a king's ransom. If he *is* we have far bigger problems to solve.

Yes, but come the end of his contract, its going to be a choice between retaining him or giving another (younger)youngster a chance with a contract. I think most would agree Dean, although solid, isn't going to be part of Saints long term plans unless his performances improve drastically and would expect him to move on to a Salford or Crusaders.

Dean is already behind Clough, Ashurst, Dixon, Magennis, Wilkin, Soliola and Flannery. And you can possibly add Johnson and Yates to that list before even looking at who's currently there in the U20s this year.

Unless he ups his game whilst in the first team this year I don't think he's long for the club.

Given his first team game time so far, that is a massive judgement.