Hardly, more a case of putting 2+2 together and getting 5. If you’ve read the article then you’ll know the whole thing is littered with if’s and maybe’s. The first line of the quote from the person making the rumours up reads “If Kevin Naiqama goes to St Helens there could be implications there for Ben Barba“. Barba may well and most likely will go back to the NRL at the end of the season but the Naiqama signing likely has little to do with it.

AS108 - I suspect the salary cap would say different. Barba would be the highest earner in SL if he stays (or should be), but Naiqama is an NRL regular who would be able to get a contract elsewhere as well and whilst he wouldn't be on the same as Barba he'd want a decent wedge. In the current era, when we only see the likes of Barba in SL for off-field reasons, Naiqama would be right at the top end of NRL imports, and command a wage reflecting that.

Barba turned down that accolade by signing for Saints this time last year. After seemingly already agreeing terms with Wire when an all expenses paid guest at the Magic weekend, Barba sneaked off to meet up with Saints on a couple of occasions.
Instead Roberts is very much the highest earner in SL followed by Sam T then George W.

I doubt it would, if he was to come and Barba was to stay then he’d be replacing Morgan who will be on decent money himself and there’s no doubt that Matty Smith will leave at the end of the season and he’s definitely on big money. Both of them off the cap is more than enough to cover Naiqama.

So it was reported that Naiqama was looking for 150k last year when he flirted with coming to SL. Assuming this figure is in the right ball park, its entirely possible, as 100k immediately comes from the cap increase - then it comes down to a question of whether Morgan is earning over 50k - and reasonably speaking we can asusme that too. Theres the team that has Naiqama and Barba in the same team (and actually leaving a little space for more).

If Barba goes, it frees up his cap and the marquee spot to bring someone else in. But I suspect it will either be a stand off or another centre with one of Lomax/ Naiqama respectively taking to 1 position up, rather than a like for like replacement.

David 'bang average' Mead wants out of the cesspit as although he is just Bang Average he has visions of grandeur & an ambition to win or at least challenge for some silverware ..... therefore Mr Average seeks an exit from the Calamitously Cataclysmic Cowardly Catalans to just about any Club that isn't a laughing stock ....

He utterly rejected you when he got an offer from a bigger and better club. So stop cryarsing and just deal with it.

If Naiqama replaces Morgan at Saints, coupled with the return of Walmsley, that makes one hell of a strong side for next season.

When was the last time you saw a Championship side playing at Wembley or Old Trafford?

That rules out Leigh then

Regards

King James

Yep, he wont be shown to be "bang average" under Powell in 2019.

Says everything you need to know about Warrington that they offered a player more money and still got rejected - a small club. Also hilarious how you say Roberts is the highest earner when he’s been garbage for a marquee player so far.

Apart from Barba, name another big name player who has been attracted and signed for saints in the past 10 years bar Josh (minus metre maker) Perry...didn’t think so.

Problem with you saints fans is that as soon as you have any sign of success with good recruitment etc.- you ram it down people’s throats. It’s even more bizarre in this post-2008 era as you have, for the main been dog dirt. And for a club as huge as St. Helens, how embarrassing it must be for a tiny club like Warrington to attract better signings and win more trophies during this time.

They probably didn't embarrassingly and desperately promise him they'd try and get his ban overturned.

Lance Hohaia? Anthony Laffranchi? Tony Puletua? Iosia Soliola? Tommy Lee?

Ok the last one was a joke...

Yeah post-2008 hasn't been that great for Saints, but we've still been Champions more times than you in it and unlike you still qualified for the play-offs every season. Plus, we've never had the embarrassment of ending a season kicking our heels in the middle 8s...unlike you.

Is that It? All very average apart from Puletua. Over the last 10 years, from a huge club, is that It? Really?

FFS we're not talking about that. I'm responding to As108 who has just said 'that Warrington must be a small/insignificant club if Barba has turned down a bigger pay packet to go to stains'; I've just pointed out that we can't be that small and saints that big if the rest of saint's signings in the past 10 years have been sh$t compared to ours.

On the GF thing, of course, I'm very envious and respectful of the great clubs who've won it.

Finally, on your middle 8s comment, I'm fairly sure that we are the only side never to have played outside of the top flight.

Soliola definitely wasn’t average and the other two were big signings at the time.

Actually I agree Soliola was descent but the other 2 half descent- Laffranci on the way down and, although Hohia was an international- he proved to be average. Josh Perry was the biggest name on the biggest wages and he was sh@t x99.

Go back 10 years and before and I'll say you were fantastic with quality players and signings all over the park- a proper big club. With only those 4 players mentioned, over a period of 10 years, I'm sorry to say- doesn't cut the mustard for a big club. So, if I were a saints fan, I'd wind my neck in with any belittling comments towards other clubs with regards to recruitment.

Luke Walsh was a good recruit and the sort of player Saints could have built a team around but that compound fracture and dislocation pretty much put paid to him, he was never the same player when he returned

He was descent to be fair. But him and the other 4 players people have mustered together, in the space of 10 years of saints recruitment, shows that the saints fans are skating on thin ice when trying to take the out of other club's recruitment.

I’ve not criticised Warringtons recruitment, simply stating that it says a lot about Warrington that Barba turned them down even though he was offered more money, nothing about recruitment. Our recruitment has been poor for the past 10 years, cheap signings all over the place but those days appear to be over with the Barba and now Naiqama signings. But I’d stop making out we’ve been terrible and you’ve been phenomenal for the past 10 years, despite our awful signings we’ve still made the semi final every year at the very least (thanks to our academy) and Warrington have won a few challenge cups and LLS’, better than us obviously but for the money that’s been spent nothing to shout about.

I would suggest the main reason Barba signed for Saints is because he had already worked with Holbrook back in Australia.
If you're moving to a new club in a new country it's a lot easier if there's already someone there that you know.

Just think how good Barba would be if he was being coached by KC...