Community work, academy setup, training facilities, stadium facilities , we're the best in the league by far

Which town are you from, Saddo? My guess is Wigan. Why not do the "Wigan Walk" and do us all a favour? I recommend the River Douglas - which I guess won't be far from the bridge you obviously live under......!!!

Let's give thanks to the man who's doing his best to help Saints back to the top of the game - yes, I mean Eamonn McManus and, if you think I'm still being sycophantic, does this face look bothered......??

Good news also that Danny Brough is 2013 Man of Steel. Well deserved.

Fair point, what have Saints, as a team or CLUB to achieve this over Wigan? And before you talk about roofing consider all that Wigan has acheived off the field as well as on.

Yup, Wigan have the link ups with Wales and have found several news and innovative ways to avoid adhering to the salary cap.

Leeds Rhinos won the community club of the year.
Wigan were U19's academy league leaders and champions beating Leeds 34 - 10 on Saturday in the Grand Final.

To quote the SL website: "St Helens rounded off the evening’s awards when they were named the 2013 Super League Club of the Year for their investment in developing a world class facility at Langtree Park and their continued success in the area of youth development."

We have obviously got it because we have developed a top class facility which we actually own and can play in whenever we want to, rather than being the rent boys of a football club and play when they let us. Our academy IIRC started the season very well and were blowing most other teams out of the water - sadly, the knock on effect of the injury hit season we had meant that players like Walker, Greenwood, Swift, Richards, Thompson, Hand etc have all found themselves playing first team and the academy performances suffered because of this. That said, credit must go to our youth development for the work they have done with these guys as all came in and performed very well when we needed them to.

Couple this with the fact we have formed a number of successful community partnerships, both in and out of RL, and the links with Rochdale (who have ironically just become champions of their league under guidance of one of Saints coaches) and Whitehaven and I think its well deserved.

Tbh, I don't care.

It's a meaningless award, I'm not sure why people are analysing it like we've been given the SL crown again.

It's nice recognition for the club. Leave it at that.

Not wishing to cause an argument, but only none of those players you named were eligible for the U19 academy this year.
Maybe Greenwood?

Only none? At the start of this season, Greenwood, Swift, Hand, Percival, Thompson and Richards were all 19 and under and therefore eligible to play, not to mention likes of Speakman, Charnock who have been with first team squad for a handful of games as well.

There is no argument, you are wrong. Simples

I'm pretty sure Wigan were already an A grade licence club. We where a B teatering on a C licence club. The reward is for the club doing what it said it would do.

I have no wish to bag other clubs, but in terms of moving a club forwards as a business Saints have put great efforts in on all fronts to meet what the RFL required.

Like has been said it's recognition for the club. I'm sure Wigan have had club of the year in recent years and I did not bat an eyelid about it. It's a nice award by the RFL to say thanks for putting in the effort. It's not claiming that Saints quantitively better than anyone else.

Team of the year is recognised via the following awards; the CC, LLS and GF. So there should be no confusion that on the feild matters are also rewarded.

It isn't at the start of the season it's from 1st September.

As of the previous September, Thompson, Richards, Percival were definitely under the age of 19 as all 3 are still younger than that now. As for the rest, I am sure I have seen both Swift & Greenwood play in the U19's team this season so would imagine they also were in order to be able to play. The likes of Charnock, Speakman, Tilley have also been called into the first team squad to cover injuries, as was Savelio until he got injured himself. All of these started the season as U19s so are all below that age.

Either way, at least 3 of those who I named in the original post are still under 19 now so definitely more than the "none" you stated so either way you are wrong

You never mentioned Percival, I got Richards and Thompson wrong. How many first team games did they play?

Pretty sure Percival is in there unless I am mistaken...hadnt included him on the first post (had forgotten him as he missed last part of season through injury) but definitely mentioned him

Doesnt matter how much you try to dress it up, you said none of those listed were 19 or under in your original post and the majority of them were so therefore you were wrong...just admit it

Of the six you mentioned in your original post (Walker, Greenwood, Swift, Richards, Thompson, Hand) only two were eligible for the U19 academy. So we were both wrong.


Just to balance it up the Wigan side that won the U19's final contained only two players who won't be eligible next year, and three who are U17's this year. We too had players, Hampshire, Williams, Tierney, Manfredi and Burgess who played first team this year, and also lost the U19 captain Farrell to injury halfway through the season, so you can't use that excuse for Saints not making the final.

My point was that someone said that Saints academy was the best, it is very good but still lags behind Wigan and Leeds.

But you were more wrong than I was





I wasnt meaning that was the reason Saints didnt make the final, but they started the season off very well then a combination of injuries and losing players to the first team (and as per our luck some got injured from that) which disrupted the team throughout the year and without this they would have stood a better chance.

I think Saints are up there with Wigan and Leeds in terms of academy, we have some very good talents, and a lot of younger players who are under 21 and will be first team regulars next season - biggest example being Lomax, Makinson, Jones & Swift will be 4 of our first choice back line which looks good for the future. Obviously as Wigan v Leeds was the U19 Grand Final so they would rightly be classed as the best 2 teams at that level this season but think we arent too far behind them and expect more to come through to the first team over the next year or so

I suppose if paying your rent on time was a criteria you'd be in with a shout

Why does it always have to be a dick measuring competition with you?

Without wanting to get dragged into the troll vortex, we have the best purpose built Rugby League stadium in the country as well as, by far, the best training facilities in the league. The catering is now completely in house, the marketing is very good and community work is excellent.

This aware recognises off the field acheivements.

Are Wigan currently better ON field at both levels? Absolutely.

Are Saints in a far better position as a club with long term sustainability? Emphatically.

It was obviously the cladding that swung it for us.

From a Salford fan congratulations. Why people are having a go is beyond me. There are differences of opinions about man of steel, but without the vitriol. Saints as a club, and their fans, should be proud that they have received this honour. Fans of certain other clubs have delusions that they are the best at everything, treat them with the contempt that they deserve. All clubs want to win trophies, the sad fact is there are only two plus the hub cap up for grabs. Club of the year now means you are laying solid foundations for the future. Jealousy is the most common emotion, ignore others who are surely that...jealous.

Also included in the award was recognition for our successful partnerships with Rochdale and Whitehaven, so we must have been doing something extra in that area. My guess is that coaching Rochdale to their first trophy since 1922 and to promotion probably helped, and also the fact that we don't use either Whitehaven or Rochdale as feeder teams as both Warrington and Wigan have done with their partner clubs. Those players on dual registrations have been fairly settled at the clubs, first team squad injuries permitting.

But I think the real point of the award is that it recognises how the club has turned itself around and done so in a financially responsible manner (during a financially challenging period) given the massive outlay that has taken place over the last three or so years. In 2010 we were playing out of a ramshackle ground with very little going on off field. Now we are playing out of a superb facility with one heck of a lot going on off field. It is that turnaround which has been recognised, just as Paul Anderson's turnaround of Hudds from nearly men into actual silverware winners (in one year) has been recognised. The turnaround is the key here, not whether Saints are a better club than Wigan or Leeds or Warrington or whoever.

I'd also add there is a cap on how far some clubs can progress. Saints will not really be able to add much more value in terms of stadium development as say the likes of Wakey, Cas and Bradford in the coming years, so if one of these clubs moves forwards off the field, expect to see them getting club of the year.

It's about progression rather than a measure of who is the best in terms of a total value figure.