If Charnock and Hewitt aren't considered good enough yet let go and bring the next on, its no wonder England as know good half backs.
If Walsh does leave and there are no adequete replacements in this country then we'd be foolish to rule out the NRL. They still have the most skillful players in the world in the key positions and whilst we wouldn't be able to bring in a player like Thurston we'd be able to bring in a player like Walsh who isn't quite as high profile over there but would kill it here.
Originally Posted by Despondent Dave
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
With regards to FB, just stick Wilkin there.
On a serious note,
I would sign a FB, subject to Lomax being unable to continue, rather than a winger and move Makinson or Swift, as we should have an out and out FB with Makinson as back up in case of injuries.
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There are causes for concern deep within the medical staff it would seem,
Lomax as it has been pointed out hasnt played a whole season since he started in the senior team due to long absences with Injuries (many the same as before), this was the same with Wheeler, Gaskell etc and who have moved to other clubs and seemed to be able to maintain regular attendences in the team away from injury. Every season we bang on about the length of our injury list and how unlucky we have been, but it happens year on year, therefore something has to be wrong at the core of the system. Players cant leave a club and go on to others and be fine, it doesnt make sense.
Away from that we will definitley need a new scrum half, i cant see Walsh staying, a new prop as Mose is being pursued by the NRL and his 2 year contract is up at the end of the season. And we definitley need a goal kicker, and a decent stand off, i know its early in the year but Burns isnt standing out as the stand off we need, constantly arguing with the opposition, high tackles, penalties given away a lot.
All in all our recruitment policy in the last several years has been dire apart from the exceptions of Walmsley, amor and Vea.
Saints until i Die!!!!
I think you ned to look a bit closer at the work Burns has done in the games so far, it showed on Friday just how much he brings to the team. Time & again we managed to create overlaps but then Wilkin & Flanagan chose to keep it tight and either turn the ball back inside or hit the lead runner. In the previous games Burns was putting the ball out wide to the 2nd or 3rd man and creating scoring opportunities. Okay the winger & centre haven't been converting a great deal of them into try's but at least we've been creating the space.
Not all good halves are constantly taking on the line or making breaks, Burns has brought a lot of structure to the team and this allows other players to run off him.
Wilkin has ben pretty awful so far this year playing in the halves but by far & away his best attribute is his line running. Once we get Burns & Walsh settled as the halves and selecting the right passes, I really think we'll start to see Wilkin get some form back and make a lot more line breaks.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it was ridiculous. Burns is still finding his feet a bit but has done OK and there's no reason to change.
I can see the following leaving - Jones, Hohaia, Masoe & Walsh. You can possibly add Wellens, Dawson and Flanagan to the list too, although I imagine Flanagan and Dawson may re-sign and who knows with Wellens. As a back up option for another season, it wouldn't be a total disaster if he decided to sign for another season as he can cover several positions. We could really do with re-signing Jones, his versatility and age makes him a pretty valuable squad player.
I would therefore look for like for like replacements for Masoe and Walsh as those two positions are key, and then also look at signing a utility back who can cover the back three positions. I would also be looking at a replacement hooker / half back to replace Hohaia as we will need that cover for Roby.
If we decide to replace Walsh with Wilkin I will cry.
Originally Posted by Despondent Dave
How can anyone write Burns off after playing in 3 competitive games??
Ridiculous comment, from what I've seen Burns is exactly this correct signing we needed. Aggressive with a good brain for the game. Alongside a proper scrum half & he'll excel with us.
Lomax as stated is a concern with injuries.
What do people think the reason is for the injuries we sustain? Are these young players all just injury prone, is it the way we bulk them up from such & young age why their body is still developing?
I can't believe it's to do with any recovery from games or training regime when you see players like Roby playing so many games
Why is everyone saying Josh Jones will leave?
Not only is this complete speculation but it's also nonsense.
First of all I understand the frustration of players getting injured, and having an actual cause to blame for these injuries gives emotional respite to people as it allows them to target something to change. However a few things need to be questioned from your post.
First of all what are the 'many the same as before' injuries that Lomax has seen? And what were the causes for this recurring injury? Same question goes for Gaskell seeing as you mentioned him too. General answers such as knee or back etc. don't sufficiently evidence your 'concern deep within the medical staff' claim, so be specific.
Second, there has actually been changes to the physiotherapy team during the off-season, long serving Joey Hayes has moved on and Nathan Mill, the England head physiotherapist, has taken over. Did you realise this?
Third, Wheeler. The real bang of the injury drum. It was always gonna happen that as soon as Wheeler strung a few games together that people would look at him as being mistreated at Saints. As my Wire mates have pointed out yes Wheeler has been playing alright but he is also shying away from contact in defence big time (more so than other halfbacks). Wheeler may go the rest of his career without an injury or he may not. However a lot depends on wether he lands awkwardly, gets fallen upon by a big guy, or takes an heavy impact to to a joint. He may be lucky or unlucky when it comes to these situations during games at Warrington.
There are general friction/upset rumours flying around but I think it's just OOC & no news that is leading to people designing their own puzzle pieces.
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Clubs only have under 19s teams as reserves now so " what happens to players who haven't made it by then?".