I'm moderately embarrassed that some people are trying to make out that Tomkins is in any way inferior to Paul Wellens.

However Wello has been a good servant and in fairness has been as good as ever this year. He's been a really good player for Saints and I think some of your fair-minded supporters recognise that he's had an excellent career despite his limitations.

In just about every way Tomkins is a better player than Wellens could ever be but I know who I think is safer under a high ball - Tomkins does flap at them more than sometimes and gets his positioning all wrong. Wellens is one of the safest in the league under a high ball - hardly a shocking admission.



Wellens has been a good servant to Saints - no one can doubt that.

yes you are correct , it's grossly unfair..there has been a lot of investment in public transport over recent years, they are rarely late these days and with the bus lanes they zoom by

( and since they banned smoking they don't stink so bad)

You have to hand it to Wellens, the guy is a model professional and a great and loyal servant of his club. Many players get nowhere near fulfilling their potential. Wellens has done superbly to overcome the limitation to his game caused by his lack of pace, he really has been the best player he could possibly be.

I would say though that the fact that a player as hampered by his lack of pace as Wellens is could be classed as one of the best SL players of the last decade is evidence that the gap between Eng/GB and the Aussies is wider than it was in the early 90s. (See my sig for an unfortunate and hilarious comparison made between Wellens and the truly gifted Davies).

Wellens is not and never has been world class; no one could fail to be impressed by what he has achieved despite his lack of pace but it is a damning indictment of the British game that he has been one of its outstanding players in recent years.

I think to be fair to Wellens he looks a bit faster now than he did earlier on in the season. I don't know if he was carrying a knock but e.g. when we played them at Trailer Park Wellens looked very slow but last Friday he looked to be back to where he was a season or two ago.

Its true though, Wellens has a very good all round defensive game and is sound under the high ball. As others have said his only real failing was/is his lack of pace.

He was the best FB in the World wasn't he?