Just been announced in OZ signed for us for next season. Seems like Saints want versatile players. Not a great signing but lets give him a chance.

I looked on the off contract NRL list and narrowed it down to 3 players with the clues yout lot had given me. typed each one into twitter and boom NRL journalist just breaking with the news.

But they also said it was top secret and that it coming out would cause the deaths of thousands. What have you done?

To be fair we've rode our luck in the centres this season. It's a good job Turner and Percy are so durable because we'd really struggle if one (nevermind two) went down with season-ending injuries.

Squad player unless Saints plan to move Turner somewhere else. But the extra beef is welcome.

Will take Jones place in the squad no doubt.

1. Lomax / Quinlan
2. Makinson
3. Percival
4. Turner
5. Swift
6. Burns
7. Walsh
8. Amor
9. Roby
10. Walmsley
11. Vea
12. Greenwood
13. Wilkin

14. LMS
15. Tasi
16. Savelio
17. Thompson

That would be my best 17. Then we have Mcdonnell, Peyroux, Richards, Ashworth, Dawson, Charnock, Davies Then anyone else who steps up from the academy.

Looking at that were a little short in the forwards and could do with another half/ hooker if we dont deem Charnock good enough. Gilmore/ Fages and an experianced forward i know we talked to Shillington and rumours now about Tony Williams. Maybe thats where we'll use the benefit of our Marquee allowance. Roby will be our Marquee but his wages we free up may be used on someone like Williams.

Don't forget Haggerty.

Doubt he'll play much. Doesn't seem particularly good. He'd have been playing this season if he was up to it.

Seems a really poor signing to me. Although I've never seen him play, or if I have I've never noticed him, I'll bet no one on here has either. For a guy who is 27 in January that probably says all we need to know about his ability levels. I've been trying to find out about him since his name was mentioned and I've not found a thing. Nowhere can I find a description of his style, his pace, his strength, his best positions. Nowhere is there any call for him to be playing first grade and in fact about the only mention of him is on one of the Warriors forums where they include him in a list of players to be cut in their end of season clear out of the reserve grade/fringes.

I appreciate you can't sign a superstar for every position, but until someone clarifies the point of this signing I'm struggling. Backup centre/backrow is a job an academy player could do is it not? Is that role really worth the use of a quota spot? He also won't be coming half way round the world for pittance either.

When you look at our recent signings, Dawson, Haggerty, Tasi, SMD, Peyroux it's not inspiring. We're not the best side in SL, we weren't last season. There were positions we needed to improve and we've not improved the squad anywhere in the 17 so far. We're a mess at 1, weaker at prop and Jones for Peyroux is an unknown, but he's not likely to be Kevin Iro given the lack of progress he's made in the NRL.

My paranoia about McManus doing it on the cheap again because we won the GF last season is bursting through the mercury now.

You want an example of us lacking ambition? Keiron Cunningham has gone on about signing a winger with size and a physical presence for two years now. It's been talked about on here so much. The perfect player is available in Tom Lineham. We don't go near him, Warrington sign him. We'll no doubt be the only top 4 team to not use the marquee allowance (If we do, we'll use it to free a small portion of Roby's salary rather than signing a player).

The other clubs are signing big names, players that will make a difference. We're not.

Fair points but no point crying about it. Atelea Vea made about 20 appearances in his whole NRL career yet was a massive hit with London and impressed with us up untill injury. I've done a bit of digging about Peyroux and it seems the lads been a little unlucky, constantly 18th man for NZ Warriors but playes extremly well for the Warriors second team. Always gets picked for Samoa be it Centre or Second row and scored the match winning try vs Tonga in this years test (great try too).

Everybody would love big name signings but sometimes its lads like this (who's career is virtually over if he fails at Saints) who perform wonders. Save this message but i bet my only pound that we get more out of Peyroux next year than Hull FC get with Pritchard. I can smell it a mile off.

Saints have there hands tied a little bit because on paper we have the best half back pairing in the league, best hooker and best Prop. So with that comes a huge amount of Salary cap, add Lomax in there too who signed a nice fat contract then theres not much left to play with.

I'd love to the workings out that see us reaching the cap limits.

Last season Grand final winners. This season 1 point off top spot and a Semi Final in the challenge cup to look forward too. This proves that our squad is currently doing well. We dont need to throw silly money at People. We have a young team with plenty of experiance. This squad still has about 2 years left together yet. The only teams throwing money around are Wire and Hull and both deseprately need massive changes as they are both always under performing.

What's the point in him being at the bottom of the pecking order this season and getting no more than 10 games (including as sub) when he can get a far more comprehensive run-out (whilst still under the club's eye) somewhere else?

He might be our fifth choice prop. But this doesn't mean he's Bryn Hargreaves. Far from it.

Id like to see us bring in another prop. In fact I think it's very important thst we do. I know someone on here will list our props and will show about 6 names but 3/4 of them are below 21yrs of age.

We've struggled the last month or so getting out of our own 20m and even out of our half at times and Imo we 100% need a good big prop.

well nice to see he's getting a warm welcome.

I don't normally respond to saddened as he's on ignore but as seen as everyone has quoted him on this thread I will.

You can't say you appreciate that there is a salary cap and that we can't have superstars in every position then go on to denounce that we've signed a squad type player rather than a superstar.

If we exclude roby as our marquee player meaning he only counts as £100k on the cap.
Walsh, burns, lomax, makinson, Wilkin, vea, amor, walmsley, Lms. Are all probably going to push the cap well over the million mark.

Which leaves not a lot for the rest of the squad. Then sav, Percy and a few other youngster have recently improved their deals.

The simple fact is its a capped sport play some fantasy league games and see how quickly the money runs out and you start scrambling about for cheap players.

As for not being the best team last year. I think you'll find we topped the league.

So we've signed a guy who can play wing, centre or back row. This seems like a direct replacement for the departing Josh Jones.

Whilst he struggles to get game time at the warrirors, he still gets picked for international and seems to have a good scoring rate in that arena.
Its quoted as him having a strong defensive game, but one would think he'll add a bit of mobility when he plays in the back row. Which will add a bit of variety. It will also help put the pressure on Swift to improve (errors) and push Matty Dawson for a spot when Makinson is injured.

Don't underestimate how much getting this chance could be the making of this kid. Someone mentioned Vea never being able to hold down a spot, but there are other stories of players who never got going in the NRL taking their chance in the SL and out performing bigger names. Kylie Leulieu is a prime example.

This is not our marquee signing. He's a big, fast, fit guy. He's not a kid. I say welcome aboard.

Does sound as though he replaces Jones and appears better quality.

We might be using Roby as our marquee signing, if not then perhaps a big prop to replace Mose.

With the possibilty of going to 8 substitutions next season we might see less impact props, so maybe the club have managed to revalue the situation and will go for a long minutes prop..

I know just the guy #ginger

Seriously though, it would have to be quite a prop to deserve our marquee spot in front o Alex Walmsley.

Under the old system you couldn't use the league table to judge teams, as many of them didn't approach the regular season games with full intensity. That's why the likes of Huddersfield and Cas had good years.

I'm not suggesting we're terrible, far from it. We've got a really solid squad and will do okay. But in terms of winning trophies I think we'll be a little off the mark this year and next. We're not on par with Leeds and although we're a better side than Wigan or Warrington, they've made big signings to change that. Like McManus is no doubt doing, you keep referring to the fact we won the GF. It wasn't a fluke, it was a magnificent achievement, but one that was a 1 in 100 chance and not because we had the best team. We seem to be treading water with the squad rather than trying to improve it and that's a dangerous thing to do in sport. We could very quickly find ourselves behind Wigan in the pecking order if ST works out for them and also Warrington who, if they pull off the signings they have in the pipeline, will be a vastly improved side. None of the signings we've made will improve us and they'll have to do well to keep us at the level we're at now.

Also major doubts about our key positions as well. Fullback next season anyone? 6 and 7 a concern? Lacking form and confidence this season and have one year left and look likely to leave at the same time, with no academy prospects on the horizon. Roby although magnificent, now over 30 with no successor/foil at the club. There is a lot of work coming in terms of the squad and it's not the time for McManus to be kicking back.

Kyle Eastmond in!

A return to RL for Kyle I wish him well but I'd assume it will be similar to Harris when he returned.

A fast skilful player when he left but they rarely come back and set the world on fire.

Harris was never the fastest of players when he was in league and totally lost all his pace in Union but don't foeget he was getting on in years then.

Kyle Eastmond had natural pace, he is likd poo off a shovel over 15 meters and looking at him now, he still has that explosive pace off the mark and maybe even quicker! He's still young lad, Hes playing with a top team in bath and is still knocking on the door for england Union.

I think kyle would take few month to settle back into league and then he will be a top super league player. When you have explosive pace from a stand still and low centre of gravity he will always cause teams problems. You can also add to that the fact he's got good hands, he's physically well built.

He'd be a top quality signing for any team in rugby league but a expensive one.

Could the club change the guys name? Call him Dom Peyroux and not tell Sky or anyone else that he has a girls name?

Starting with 6 and 7 - they won't be leaving at the same time - Walsh end of next year, Burns the year after. With regards next year, I dont think I have any concerns. Yes its been softly softly with Walsh, but hopefully he can now sting a good number of games together between now and the end of the season, and a full preseason, he can easily be back to his best. I quite like Burns, yes hes not the superstar he was built up to be before arriving, but he won us the game last week. Richardson is rumouredly looking ready to step up as well, so claiming otherwise is just plain wrong on your behalf - just because he hasnt had a Gaskell style build up (which is actually a good thing) doesnt mean hes not there. Were also in the ears of Hampshire and Gilmore who are ooc along with Walsh too.

full back is a concern, yes. But with the amount of cap tied up in Lomax and SMD, we cannot justify bringing in another. Youd have to say though, should Lomax get another serious injury it will be retirement, which means we could loan Quinlan for the year



Charnock looked good as a Roby stand-in, and we should get a better look this week. We also have Smith in the academy who was the England academy hooker iirc, and Jonah Cunningham who ... well, has a lot to live up to...

Im not concerned, and in Peryoux we now have a bit more depth in the back 5 then we have had in a good while. Another prop and I'm very happy with the squad for next year!

Nobody can say if it's good or bad signing as nobody if they being honest can recall seeing him play or heard of him.

I watch the NRL every week and watched every game of the World Cup and don't recall him at all but we will have to wait and see

Doesn't that give an indication though? He's 27 in Jan and hasn't established himself as a first grade player, let alone a first 17 player. I'm sure he'll be solid enough, but I'm not expecting anything positive.