I'm a massive fan of Paul Gallen like many on here, but I'm not a fan of signing a 35 year old Paul Gallen.
We are the Superleague champions and are currently on an UPWARD trend.
Gallen is a great forward but he's not even the best in Australia at the moment. How on Earth can we think about signing him in two years!
If he can improve our team then AND be value for money in 2017 then something will have gone seriously wrong at Saints and we will have missed a golden opportunity
I'm a huge fan of the NRL & Paul Gallen. My point is at 35 come early February 2017 he won't be the player you watched on your tv on November 30th 2013 in the World Cup final.
You have people moaning when our young players leave for Oz yet you seem happy for a 35 year old (then former) Australian international to take 3 or 4 of there places in the squad with his 120 + k a year salary.
All's I'm saying is I'd rather watch the next James Graham than a current Gordon Tallis
Go on then lets sign him and let all these good probably great young forwards say stuff this I will sign for some other team, go on lets sign him and give him a pension, go on lets sign him and make Saints a laughing stock, or better still let some other club be mugs and let them sign him.
Personally, I would rather the club spend any money saved from the Lance Hohaia contract, on trying to get Luke Walsh to stay. He and Burns together for the duration of the Travis Burns contract would be brilliant.
I have a feeling that Gallen would be a good player at Super League level until he was 40. One of the few formidable Australian forwards around today.
I don't think he is for us as we have a number of good young forwards so we can afford to look at someone more long term. But he would be a good signing for someone.
I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
The Thinking man's La Franky no thank you.
The "G"reenwood train for me.
Quality player now,but is he what we need in 2 years ? i doubt it. You also need a vocal halfback or hooker to keep him from getting in the way like he tends to at origin level,cant fault his passion,but he really took the ball far to much.
How long did Burns sign for???
However long it is we should be looking at trying to keep the ends of the contract for both of them on alternate years if possible.
I can see him getting snapped up on a two year deal down under. There were enquiries last year when the new concussion rules came out but the club's were spent up on the cap and couldn't accommodate his salary. I personally feel he's a good squad player to have - if he's prepared to be just that on a lesser contract.
i would be disappointed if we sign him and to be fair why should we accpet that he feels he isnt good enough for the NRL but he is good enough for SL?
I think we might see Hohaia have a very impressive season as an impact hooker, running off our big pack.
Whilst he may not have had the easiest time here, as he said in his interview at the GF "All these years and I've finally won a premiership". Don't underestimate how much enjoying his final decent contract could sway him. Genuine impact at interchange hooker AND covers 9, 1, 6 & 7 to a half decent degree?