We all knew this day was coming but it doesn't make it any easier. - I'm still gutted. However he has been such a fantastic player for us I can only wish him well. Pity he wasn't going to play for the other Saints in the RedVee but I am sure he will be a good ambassador for English/British RL when he turns out for his new club. Thanks for everything Jammer and I hope we can send you off on a high.

Ah well he was no good any way.

Eastmond carried him through most of last year.

Gutted he's going but glad for Graham

Good luck and I'm sure he will carry on performing to his best for the rest of the 2011 season

Australia is shi$. He'll be back with his ginger tail between his legs by this time next season. He won't fit in, he dances with old women rather than battering them and is too nice to be associating with that gaggle of rapists, arsonists, gangster wannabes and drunkards.

We must also remember that despite hailing from the region Graham was not a St. Helens lad. I've always thought non-local players are more likely to move because they do not have quite the same emotional connection. A St. Helens lad will have St. Helens relatives making it just that bit harder to move (not least because of the peer pressure they are likely to exert).

Eastmond is another (and possibly better example). He had already uprooted himself from his region just to play for Saints. And he certainly has no emotional connection to the club beyond professionalism (or lack thereof).

Of course, there are exceptions (namely Scully). But I think it underlines the crucial importance of junior development centred around local lads.

I agree with that but it's also a question of circumstances. Roby, for instance, is a local lad but he's also married and stuff and says he couldn't be happier than he is at present, staying put with his family and playing for Saints. I'm not aware of James Graham having a family here? So while I agree with you on the point about truly local lads, I don't think that alone would necessarily keep a player at Saints.

I probably know how you feel, it was horrible to see Sam Burgess leave.

Better than seeing him leave to play in SL for another team, but to see a world class homegrown player leave isn't nice.

Good luck to him though, it will definitely benefit the England team.

I never said it would. The point is a local lad is less likely to want to up sticks and go than someone who isn't from the area or already transferred in from somewhere else.

Gardner and Wilkin have been around for a while now.

Can't imagine the club have had to battle of the temptations of the NRL or RU in respect of these two though...

And? I thought I made it clear that NOT ALL domestic imports will want away just as NOT ALL local lads will want to stay.

If both Trent Waterhouse and Anthony Laffranchi sign to replace Jammer then we'll be in a better position next year. Look at the impact Luke O Donnell is having at the Giants.

Perry
Roby
Puletua
Waterhouse
Laffranchi
Wilkin

Probably no better pack than that. If Puletua leaves then a British prop will have to be signed Hill or Mason.

Some pack that, with LMS, Clough and Sia to give impact from the bench.

And a bench including soliola and LMS.

Well, you never know. Maybe Ade and Jon have been too modest to mention the offers ...

Jon Wilkin could have left us for a modelling contract anytime. Its only his commitment to the club that has kept him here.

Big shame in this for me is that Jammer will need to be replaced by an import. We're pretty well placed at the moment, with less imports than all our main rivals (I think), which is something to be proud of.

Even if we could replace Jammer with an identical player from Oz, I wouldn't get the same enjoyment as I would watching a Brit.

We could replace him internally as we seem to only be looking at back rowers inthe Nelson at the moment.

Unbelievable. That is auto-correction text input for you. We're looking for back rowers in the Nelson

Anthony Laffranchi also linked with Leeds

Not a chance we could replace him internally. We've nothing anywhere near good enough.

I don't fancy going in with frodsham as our first choice prop! IMO I don't think clough will be anything more than a ok club player. Clough is the type of player all clubs need. He just gets on with job with no fuss and never let's us down. He's a great club man.

The only player we had that could replace Graham internally is now playing for cas.

Nah I think Foz is a bit old now.

Hmmmmm. Not so sure about the rationale about being challenged by the best in the form of the NRL competition.

Reading Joel "Barker" Monahan's comments today to sky such as
Although we only have the WCC to compare the strenegths between the two leagues, he confirms what I have believed for a few years now; that the top 4 or 5 teams from our league would hold their own against the equivalent NRL. (I believe that teams like salford and the crusaders would still get slaughtered)