Matty Dawson 2yr contract www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/10703542._/

Matty Dawson 2yr contract www.sthelensstar.co.uk/sport/10703542._/

Interesting. I thought he was a winger?

If he can play centre, it's possibly a better move given we have only had one since Wild Bill Talau departed.

Can anyone explain his lack of appearances at Huddersfield, particularly under Brown? I know they've got some good backs, but even Gary Wheeler has managed more than 5 appearances in his career. Has he been injured? Has he been naughty? Or did they just not rate him?

Luke Thompson, Lewis Charnock, Greg Richards and Andre Savelio have all signed two-year contracts whilst James Tilley and Connor Dwyer have both put pen to paper on new one-year deals at the Club.

Any of the above any good? Savelio is meant to be apparently? Tilley looks too small to be a forward given his first team showings so far, didn't notice much of the others as they came in during our bad spell.

Savelio looks the pick of that bunch

Get Jamie Lyon back!!! Manly Eagles are into the NRL Final. Just won 30 v 14 against Rabbitohs.



p.s. I have £10 at 9/2 to win the GF.

I think Thompson has the best all round game of the 5 forwards there from my viewings.
Charnock has a lot of ability also, could fill out and move from 6 to 13 I reckon.

I think that it's probably about providing a bit more cover in the back line.

If Gardner is going we can't really just run with 2 wingers in Swift and Makinson and make up the rest of the numbers from the pack and the academy.

There is Percival, but I would hope he would be nailing down a spot at Centre.

It would only take an injury to Turner + 1 and we would be needing to do a bit of juggling about without Matt Dawson as cover.

For me, if an outside back hasnt established themselves in the first team by 22 years of age, its a worry. If he is coming to offer us depth as a squad player, fair enough, but if hes been signed as a replacement for Meli, our salary cap must be skewed big time.

Certainly up there in the 'least exciting signing' of the year catagory. If he's a like for like with Ade then I suppose it's not that bad. /meh

I think he is probably cheaper than Ade, he should also be eager to want to break through.

Can't see him being a starting 17, but we do need the cover in the backs.

After the starting 3/4rs of Lomax, Swift, Turner, Percival and Makinson, the only backs we have to cover at the moment is Wellens and Wheeler, (but really Wheeler is cover for 6 & 7)

So we need cover.

Gaskell has gone, Ashe has gone, Gardner going.

The rest of the squad is pack, so unless we want 2nd rowers covering centre spots we need these minor signings!

I got mislead by the provocative thread title expecting some major signing from the NRL.



I am extremely underwhelmed by the facts and annoyed over my gullibility

.

So is there no one who rates him then?

Nathan Brown does it seems.

that's worrying

He wasn't expected to feature in his first season and was injured for most of his second season. At the start of this year he was probably next man up after McGilvary & Murphy, so ahead of Luke George in the pecking order, however after he signed for Saints mid season Baloo went with Blackmore as back up winger, giving experience to the lad who was staying.

Matty is a physical winger, runs the ball back strongly and takes a lot of carries to relieve the forwards. a solid squad man not a superstar, but all teams need a few of them.

Thanks for the spoiler!

The fact the announcement was basically a footnote after announcing the new contracts for the academy lads shows what role this player will have at Saints.

Difficult to judge a player who none of us have really seen much of.

If he's come in as a cheap back up for injuries I don't think it's that bad a signing. If he's 1st choice I'd be more concerned. I'd let Gardner go now and keep a lookout for a potential half back from the world cup.

I called this a good few month back as well as the Beaumont signing.

A younger version of Ade Gardner then, bye bye Ade

He's an ok player, wasn't gonna nudge Jerry or Murph out of our team and was competing with Luke George and Ben Blackmore as the next back-up. Hasn't really let us down when he has been picked and i think his lack of appearances is simply down to the fact there hasn't been sufficent chances for him rather than an ability issue...hope he turns out ok cos he seems a nice kid !

So it's your fault then?

You can't have a team with 22 superstars in it. You need back up and in Dawson and Beaumont we have players as back up who have (albeit limited in Dawson's case) SL experience.

I don't think they managed 20 games between them.

If they are just average squad players, why not just promote some of our own?