Been saying it for 4 years now and to me it is clear as day as to where Saints are going wrong = Backs!

Our forward pack (despite the Huddersfield game) can match anybody on our day, however our backs are a different kettle of fish. Not one of our current starting 1-7 would get into the Warrington, Wigan or Leeds back line,not a one!

Forget looking at props or seasoned second rowers, our recruitment for the next couple of years needs to be to imorove our back like significantly or we wont win a thing title wise.

Truth is we're weak all over the park. Luckily so is the rest of Super League, so we're likely to maintain a top 6 spot even when TP and the like leave after this season.

Fullback - Terrible, no obvious replacement either
Wings - Meli is still a threat, nothing beyond him
Centres - Average, Jones is a reasonable player but little attacking threat, Turner is terrible defensively
Halfbacks - Comfortably the worst in SL, no organisation, no control
Hooker - Poor start to the year by Robes, completely outshone tonight. Hope it's not a sign of things to come, but quality and quality cover in Hohaia
Props - TP and LMS are top quality IMO. The rest utterly average, why are we still pretending Laffranchi is a prop?
Backrow - Soliola and Manu are quality, but prone to defensive lapses. Both need to be playing less minutes to have more impact

Disagree were not a bad team and if we had a couple of strike players, two half backs who could actually pass or take control of a game and a full back who isent quite frankly dread full without pace then we'd look like one hell of a team.

The only player who should be safe in that back line is Turner and maybe at a push Makinson. The rest all need changing.

We did warn you about Turner.

I agree on this point - for balance I'd bring Sia off the bench and have Flanagan start in second row, the lad is solid in defence and good with the ball too. Sia off the bench worked a treat at wire last year too

The annoying thing for me about Turner is his constant effort at feigning as if he is going to side step. He appears to lift a leg every time he approaches the opposition when he has ball in hand. This loses momentum and it should be coached out of him.
He should concentrate on either running harder directly at the opposition and increase the chance of breaking the line or attempt to run directly around them. Hull in particular last night must have been able to read him like a book.

Turner and Meli at least offer something in attack, although prone to poor defence. We need an impact player, and I'll keep moaning about it until we get one. A Fa'asavalu who'll come on and skittle players. We need a half back with a kicking game and leadership who gives the other half license to roam, like Pryce did. It won't happen but we need a lot of signings for next year. A full back, winger, centre, half back, probably 2 props and a second rower are all needed, and a return to days of 'The Entertainers'!

A new team then?

Pretty much! We're playing like a mid table team, and it's not good enough.

As always, an injection of perspective is needed. There's a long, long, long way to go yet and it simply doesn't matter how we're playing at the moment all things considered - frankly I'd be a lot more worried about our chances if we were smashing teams easily every week right now... We were always going to have a bit of a slow start to the season with our young backline and lack of any experience in the halves and they all have plenty of time yet to start to click together. I will start worrying about our form a bit if we still suck come June/July and not before. Chill dudes...

It's that sort of "Oh, it'll all come right in the end" attitude, which has led to Saints sleepwalking into mediocrity.

Ever considered that is because just at the moment we might actually be a mid table team? I say 'at the moment' because we may come good as the season progresses or we may not; we may need to shed a few old stagers (actually we DO need to shed a few old stagers) and give the young guns time and consistency on the pitch (something they haven't had). The latter may lead to us having to wait another season or two before we can seriously believe we are contenders.

Personally, I think we are missing a good winger on Meli's side (because Meli is a liability), a pacey fullback and some forwards who make yards in the manner of Walmsley. We also need to replace James Graham's leadership as there isn't a single player in our team capable and/or willing to take the lead. If we made those changes I think we would be heading up the table already.

But its true though,due to the stupid way playoffs are now you can be poor a lot of the time but still be able to compete at the important timeof the year.

Pretty much agree with all this,some people need to go at the end of the year.We need a no nonsense prop ( 2 would be better ) that will do the hard yards and drive it in at pace and not from 2 steps behind the ruck.Meli takes a lot of stick and yes he should be leaving at the end of the year,but he isnt as bad as people make him out to be.One man in the crowd last night went mental at him because Lafranchi kicked the ball,i know hes a scapegoat at times but that was sureal.