I should wash my mouth out here defending SF but the players you mentioned are young lads learning there trade and I would imagine are on a small (ish) salary. Hohaia who is never stand off in a million years and Meli are experienced seasoned pro's who are probably on the upper end of the salary scale so they are in the firing line. Meli especially has come up with more howlers in big games than any other player I recall at least in the SL era

By rereading what I typed I see "cost us big in a few Grand Finals [ia few season ago[/i" - not the last couple. His form has improved immeasurably from the hapless, disinterested looking fool who dropped kicks for fun game after game back in '08 - I'm just a believer in judging players on what they're doing[i now[/i and not 5 years ago, that's all. That's the one-eyed numpty fool path. Who knows, he may lose us the game at O/T again this year, and the brain explosions are still there in his makeup, but the fact is we have more chance of winning it with him in the side than we would relying on Gardner, Makinson or Foster hugging the touchline instead.

What situations would they be? Maybe he's better at finishing sentences or fights, because god only knows he's not even remotely as good a finisher of RL scoring moves as Meli is...

I think you really are talking out of your tush.

Firstly, I have consistently said that Laffranchi is a good player. He's in my three MoM choices for Saturday's game for example (and it isn't the first time he's been there). I've mentioned his offloading game, which is fantastic, and which our present coaching crew have criminally underused all season. I have praised TP on the few occasions he has actually bothered to play with any conviction and I have also praised Sia, most recently on my MoM choices where he gets a special mention (but although he had impact when he came on, and that can't be underestimated, I think others played more significant parts).

Hohaia is great in defence but although I was one of the few supporting his appointment when it was made - ask many on here because I was of course bagged for it - he isn't a halfback; at least not in partnership with Lomax, as the two are too similar. He may have complemented Gaskell but Gaskell hasn't been allowed to play and frankly I think Rush has been nasty with Gaskell.

I am supportive of our young players because they are our young players and they did us proud last season. I would find it a lot easier to support a Saints team full of Saints grown players than full of foreigners, and I'm disappointed we have returned to having 7 of them after getting down to 5 last season. But ultimately I will support any player who is professional enough to put in a committed performance while they are employed at Saints.

Some sportspeople perform well under pressure. You will have seen that if you watched the Olympics and Paralympics. Others, meanwhile, crack under it (and you will have seen that if you watched London 2012 as well). Meli cracks under it; Makinson rises to the challenge. We need more of the Makinsons and fewer of the Melis.

Meli doesn't drop a few kicks, he drops most of them. He's started to resemble Gardner in his ineptitude in dealing with high balls.

However he does give us excellent power on kick returns and is a potent threat in attack. The answer for me is putting him in at centre, his main weakness is not exposed.

Surely we can all make points with calling each other nnumpties, fools, idiots etc.

I'm 50/50 on Meli and I can see him both ways. For me he has to play, but it does not mean my heart is not in my mouth when that ball goes up.


But I do remember other far worse wingers, who have played for Saints in SL. Anthony Sullivan was a great winger but had periods where he lacked confidence and would get hell from the crowd.

In a way it's harder being a winger as you are at the end of the line, the end of the move, if it goes wrong for you, then points tend to result. That's why Darren Albert was one of the best for me, a total pro and as good in defence as he was in attack. When the ball went up, he knew whether he was going to take it, or leave it for the on rushing traffic and then take the man ball and all.

It's having the speed of thought to make those decisions that makes him so good as well as the fleetness of foot.

I'm finding it hard to think of a winger who did not get grief from the crowd in SL?

Francis can be devasting in attack but 8/10 times garbage in defence since he arrived

He did what ALL wingers and fullbacks would do with a kick like that,he waited to see if it was going out,if he had of taken it and run it back straight away then people ( and your one of them ) would of been on here slating him for giving up a tap on the 20m line.You see wingers from all teams be it here or the NRL or international level leaving a ball that looks like its going out.

this

Before the emergence of Josh Jones I would have agreed but I'd hate to think of Jones dropped into the u20s just so we can keep meli in the team.

I think Meli and Jones should be our centres next year. Turner can be back up centre or perhaps force his way onto the wing.

Bloomin' eck now we've got too many centres

I'd like to see something like:

2. Makinson
3. Meli
4. Jones
5. Turner

Negates Meli's weakness in dealing with the high ball and doesn't expose Turner defensively. Wing is a lot easier to positionally defend than centre.

Meli s great for me he does drop clangers but hey what about our fab Josh Perry now there is a problem player whats aplayer called on here a penalty machine for me he is underated.Folk dont like Foster nor Gardner nor makinson who do we like.Some players in a game do make errors they all do.Foster it seems is doing the business at Hull F C 2tries 7out of 9 goals.I say get Foster back.Hull must be doing something to help Foster that Saints where not doing

Something to ponder...

IF we get to the Grand final and IF we play Wigan, Meli would be up against Josh Charnley. Makinson would be up against Richards on the other side so I'd think that Meli would probably have a night off from being targeted by high bombs.

Just a thought....plenty of rugby to be played before that scenario could be played out.

You must be having a laugh; he scored two tries that anyone with two sound legs could have scored. Cant fault his kicking though.

I agree. He looked like his old self again.

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Amazing what a bit of trust will do rather than being made the scapegoat.

Absolutely.

As I've said on here before, believe in young people (who are keen and eager to please) and they are very likely to respond positively.

Is that the same 'trust' that Simmons put in him by playing him game-in, game-out despite him making an ever-increasing number of howlers game-in, game-out for the best part of a year? Foster wasn't dropped because he was scapegoated. He was dropped because he was consistently costing us 10-14 points a game every week - Simmons might still be in the job now otherwise, so how well was his 'trust' in Foster repaid? He was given more than enough opportunity to put it right and didn't and ultimately the coach had no option but to drop him. We would likely not be 3rd in the league if Rush had persevered with Foster and his persistent screw-ups the way Simmons did.

Makinson, Lomax and Hohaia have all struggled badly at times this season, yet they've all kept their places in the team. Foster struggles, and gets dumped into the reserves and farmed out. Gaskell struggles and is binned off, seemingly never to return.

I am not accusing anyone of anything, but there are definate smacks of double standards in Rush's selections.

Agreed. It was for his own good, it is no use watching a young lad with his confidence shot screaming at himself several times a game because of mistakes. He was clearly mentally gone, dropping and loaning him might even save his career.

The same thing happened away at Salford when he first came on the scene and Potter was coach, Potter hooked him and it turned out to be a good decision.

Lets hope after a good preseason he can kick on, gain a bit of size, impress Nathan Brown and force his way into the team.

Agree with it or not this is the coach's prerogative, some coaches take a liking to some players and just dont like others , it would seem Rush isnt keen on Gaskell or Foster.

Agreed.

Jeez you say some dumb things.