A better stand off than Lomax
A better stand off than Lomax
Lomax is made of biscuit , Smith isnt exactly brilliant and Richardson is still establishing himself. Letting Fages go would be a mistake unless the fee was substantial and we had plans in place to replace him. If it was part of a master plan that also saw Smith departing and us bringing in another half and possibly a back row ..
If Lomax got injured and we sold Fages then Tommy could go full back and Swifty back on the wing. Not ideal but not that bad.
The journalists assertions were pointed out to Fages' agent said yesterday on Twitter. He responded that any young player would be interested in the NRL, but that Fages has another 2 years on his contract
I love Theo. Would be really disappointed to see him leave, although if he wants to try his hand in the NRL then that's understandable.
It's easy to forget he is still only 23. That's no age for a halfback.
He has also had so many partners .
Sometimes its funny on here.
I'd be very upset if Theo left. Surely he's coming into his very best years, when the inconsistency and dodgy decision-making will diminish with experience. He can defend too. It would only take an injury or two to our creative players to leave us really short of attacking options. I worry about the World Cup - showcasing our best players, providing opportunities for NRL clubs to have a look and do some tapping up, and generally causing disruption. And what about the potential for injuries?
I want our players to play at the highest level, for both club and country. When our players perform well at international level, I feel proud that they're ours.
In regards to injuries, they can happen at any time. If they happen in internationals, then so be it. We've got a squad for that reason.
I agree, would be very disappointed if he left. Whilst Barba is clearly a very very good player, if we lost either Lomax or Fages as a result, that would be a poor result in the longer term. Realistically, Barba is unlikely to be at Saints beyond the end of next season whereas Lomax or Fages could be at the club for a long time.
It's not an easy situation to manage, but for me it needs to be two of Barba, Lomax and Fages starting with the other one on the bench as an interchange player. Will require some good management from Holbrook with the one who is benched (likely Lomax or Fages) to convince them it is a temporary situation only and that they are very much seen as being in the longer term plans.
For the scrum half situation I would be starting Richardson and Matty Smith (assuming he is still at the club) wouldn't make the 17.
Fages could cover 6, 7 or 9 for the next 10 years and do a good job of it.
Lomax and Barba will be long gone - letting Fages go would be criminal.
My feeling is the coach is unsure about Fages. He has been in and out of the team for some of the big games recently and seems in competition with Lomax now for a spot. He must be disappointed because he is no longer a automatic selection. I would imagine he would be in big demand if other clubs got a sniff that Saint's where prepared to let him go.
I would go further and say Holbrook is having a headache and is unsure how to select, combine and play all 4 backs in Smith-Richardson-Fages-Lomax, both Fages and Lomax didn’t look happy at all in a couple of games they played.
Fages is probably the most to feel aggrieved Barba s took the full back spot off Lomax, Richardson is putting a lot of pressure on Smith, whilst the stand off role is now up in the air and is unsettling both Fages and Lomax.
His dilemma is that he has got a young very promising and dynamic pairing which could benefit the team for 5 years plus, on the other side of the coin he has a slower, experienced less creative pairing who have a bad injury record with perhaps 2 years of longevity.
Hopefully Holbrook will have the man management style to conference all our backs including Swift to make a positive in the competing situation for a starting position.
It's obvious from team selections that Lomax is your stand off when fit. The only way fages plays is if there is an injury to Lomax or Barba. The scrum half role is between smith and richardson
Its actually really difficult between the four of them; Lomax, Fages, Richardson and Smith. You can see arguments for all of them. Ultimately the most important thing this offseason for Holbrook is figuring out the best combination and sticking to it. If that doesn't include Fages because his heads in Australia, then it makes his decision a little easier. If the combo Holbrook chooses does include Fages, then we won't let him go without a fight.
I think the most telling thing was when Barba did the after match review with Sky at Wakefield, he was very complimentary about the communication he got from Richardson and I found it pointedly a suggestion he didn't/ doesn't get that from Fages - something thats critical for a halfback, and may well be why Holbrook doesn't seem to favour him. All that being said, I think the interest Aus has will be very much dependent on how he goes with France at the WC.
IF he does go, I suspect his contract isn't massive at the moment, so we could struggle to replace him like for like (especially with Smith on a presumedly bloated contract). Wasn't Richardsons halfback partner (Fairclough?) really highly rated as well?