I didnt just single out Leon Pryce I also said the whole team!

Although it seems easy and somewhat sensible to moan about Leon's contribution (or lack of) last year, I do also[/i feel he was somewhat hang out to dry with our predictable attack.

As soon as we started to spread the ball, one defender could rush out on Pryce who was expecting the ball at 2nd receiver and we'd still pass it straight to him, rather than adapting and punishing the hole created.

If he didnt have such a huge Ego and had the motivation to learn this position properly, he could have been one of the best centres for decades.

A 6 & 7 combination of Wheeler and Eastmond would be suicide against almost every side in SL.

How do you know? Can I have the lottery numbers for tomorrow please. Cheers.

So if Leon has a bad start to the season your saying he shouldnt be dropped and should be played because our next option is commiting suicide??? Gimmie a break man! Wheeler by trade is a number 6 so if Pryce isnt playing well he should be given a run there. How on earth will we know wheather it would be suicide unless they play together??? We need to look to the future now as its clear that some players are eithier A: Living on previous success or more likely B: Declining in performance and need to be kicked up the and told it wont be tolerated. Again Im not just targeting Pryce it goes for the whole team

What makes you say that?

I cant see what is his basis for this argument! The combination has never been tried so how on earth can it be suicide!!!!!!

I think that Leon will continue to justify his role at 6. The inclusion of Scott Moore (who I believe he will be playing at 13) will take a lot of the 2nd receiver and kick responsibility off Leons back (areas that hinder his game). This will allow him to play wider and in a free role.

Great players don't stop being great players over night. Leon will continue to be an asset at Stand off for the club.

As for Wheeler, I am sure that injuries and squad rotation will allow him to spend a good amount of time in the backline and in the halves next year. The key for him is to stay injury free and establish a spot in the 17.

It's too inexperienced a combination and neither player has shown an ability to consistently direct a game round at SL level, though I think Eastmond has the ability if given the responsibility. At least Pryce brings more experience to the role and I'd rather him be a steady influence and a grow as a combination with Eastmond.

I also think Pryce has been unfairly maligned and used as a scapegoat as an easy excuse for last year. We struggled in attack because we expected him to become a more creative player than he is, he's a runner and can be a devastating one given good ball. In a lot of respects I feel he was used as a scapegoat for Long being abysmal for most of the year (I understand he had a serious injury, but that doesn't alter the fact he was very poor), because Long was a fan favourite and Pryce isn't.

Wheeler has shown good moments in the first team, but I'd be using him as first choice centre next year to so he gains more first team experience. I also feel that people are falling into the same trap as thay did with Tyrer with him, i.e. they've heard he's good in the reserves so he must be in the first team ASAP. He's only had limited opportunities in the first team at half back and he was more solid than spectacular (which is to be expected). The first game we lose with those two at half back will start the bandwagon rolling on how they aren't good enough. This reaction to Pryce is an example. He's won us more games than he's lost us, been good in more big games than he's been poor, yet people want him replaced by a 20 year old rookie they've barely seen in the position at this level because he didn't single handedly win us the Grand Final.

This is not me saying that I think Wheeler will never become a 6 for us, I just think it's too early for him at the moment.

I expect you'll be stopping posting opinions from now on then?

If he had some dummy runners playing off him he may be a touch more effective...

This is how I feel about it. I'm not blaming him for our lack of silverware last season...but surely he realises he can have a more devastating effect at centre now. If it is ego, i just can't understand why. There are some fantastic centre's who have a huge impact on a game, as we seen with Inglis last Saturday, and what we've seen at Saints in the past with the likes of Newlove,Lyon & Gidley.
He has all the attributes to be a great centre.

Cheers Phil

In a thread entitled "Leon Pryce"? The irony! He's never been a "great".

In seriousness, one thing about Pryce has ALWAYS been (and this goes back to his time at Bradford), when things aren't going quite his team's way, he goes absolutely completely anonymous. Compare this to other players who play in and around this position, it's crucial to start relaying support from forwards to backs and vice versa. It almost seems like a case of "If I don't get involved, I don't get blamed for the loss".

Tomkins has done it for Wigan, Eastmond has done it for you, and many other 6/7 players (or indeed 13s) try to give that much needed boost to a team.

Add to that a poor disciplinary (and almost criminal) record over the years, then all signs seem to indicate that he could do with [iearning[/i his place in the team.

Whilst I understand your point, have you ever seen Pryce direct a game round the field? He certainly doesn't give the support to his half back partner that someone like Barrett or Bosc does. As you say - he's a runner.

Eastmond is a very capable scrum half, not just a speedy runner. It is the scrum half's job to direct the game from 1st reciever, so I'm afriad Kyle is going to have to do just that. People seem intend on shielding him from the reponsibilty that his chosen/favoured/best position is built around. I understand people don't want to throw him in at the deep end, but I'm afraid Mr Smith's done that for us. If he can't manage it, then Saints and England will have to find someone that can.

I agree that a Wheeler/Eastmond partnership would suffer in someways because of their inexperince, but to label it suicide is a bit OTT imo.

Too right, especially on the back of a season where our halves looked very short of ideas and spark.

There's no reason to doubt Wheeler could go on to be a better 6 than Pryce - I'd like to see him get a few games there next year.

Plus Wheeler and Eastmond have played in the halves together on many an occasion.

No he doesn't, and expecting him to has affected his game as I said, what he does provide though is a steady experienced partner to an inexperienced half back.



He is, he has a passing game and a kicking game which is better than Longs was at his age. I don't understand why people think he's just a runner. What he lacks is the experience at picking the right option at the right time, he learn more having to do it. But he'll still need the support of more experienced players.



Possibly the wrong choice of terminology, but I feel that we'll lose more games than we win with such an inexperienced combination in such a vital area of the field.

From what I've heard about him in the Academy and seen of him, he may well go on to be better than Pryce, but he won't be next year without more first team experience.

[size=59To dispel any comments about me being Mystic Meg, this is of course all IMO.[/size

another fine point, something we've been missing

I'll get shot on here for this, and it's not the first time I have said it but here goes.

I've seen nothing yet to convince ME that Wheeler will ever make a top class Superleague player.

Have I been unlucky in that when I have seen him he has been average (and I'm being kind)?

However, I know of quite a few (scouts, coaches and people inside the game) who are much more knowledgeable than I, who rate him.

In fact Wigan tried to sign him this year.

Am I wrong in my assessment of him?
And if so why.

Oh, I think that Pryce would make a superb running loose forward.

Personally Rogues, I think you are.

He has great footwork, good hands, a solid physique and most importantly, a great attitude.

His one problem is his biscuit rating.

Long term, he could well be a good centre, he never disappointed there. He needs a solid run to carry on growing as a player.

I've been v impressed with Wheeler. Great footwork. I honestly think (injuries permitting), if he was playing for a Salford, Wakefield etc he would be making a big impact & would be playing regularly. If Myler came through the ranks at Saints or Leeds, do you think he'd get much game time at scrum half? He'd be played in other positions to 'gain experience'. Scott Moore struggled for game time at Saints, but eventually got picked for England as a hooker whilst out on loan. I'm rambling on a bit here, but my point is, we shouldn't be holding potential back, we shouldn't be scared of playing them. Especially with players who are holding there place by there name alone....whats the Aussie mentality with this? Do they hold potential back & when they do play them,play them out of position? Is that were we are going wrong-i mean our kids are more than a match for the Aussie kids, but they then fall way behind as they go into there early 20's. Is it any wonder though, talent is held back here & regularly played out of position..

He is a young player who came in, and didn't look phased at all. He had some solid performances, with the odd touch to show he has potential to step up.

That is all though. He is a young player with potential, but its early days to say how good he could be.

People tend to get carried away. Every time a young player comes in and does ok, they are mentioned in terms of being a future England international.

So you think Long and Cunningham should have been dropped last year then to make way for Eastmond and Moore then?