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Thread: Biggest Challenge for 2020

  1. #1
    Learning All The Songs
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    Default Biggest Challenge for 2020

    Trying to keep hold of Luke Thompson. Fingers crossed we can offer him Barba esq money to stay and be our Marque player beyond this year.

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    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk The Yellow Giraffe's Avatar
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    I’d be amazed if he stays personally and have resigned myself to 2020 being his last year.

    Mike Rush has already talked about major recruitment for 2021 and I think a top class for Thompson will be heading that list.
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    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Belgian Saint's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Yellow Giraffe View Post
    I’d be amazed if he stays personally and have resigned myself to 2020 being his last year.

    Mike Rush has already talked about major recruitment for 2021 and I think a top class for Thompson will be heading that list.
    If he does go, I can't see us getting a replacement of the same calibre. I hadn't seen anything from Mike Rush, but good news if we are to have major recruits for 2021; A few of our forward are at the back end of their career.

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    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk The Yellow Giraffe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Belgian Saint View Post
    If he does go, I can't see us getting a replacement of the same calibre. I hadn't seen anything from Mike Rush, but good news if we are to have major recruits for 2021; A few of our forward are at the back end of their career.
    It was in the Rugby Leaguer 2 weeks ago:

    “We always knew at the start of 2019 this was a 2 year squad. Fast forward 12 months from now and we’ll have the ability to make multiple signings.
    If you want a production line of players then at some point you have to let the older players drop off the top before you can promote the younger kids. It’s a cycle.”

    So I think they’re happy to go with what they’ve got for 2020 and then for 2021 we could be potentially looking for replacements for:

    Thompson
    Amor
    Taia
    LMS

    Perhaps one of those will be replaced with an emerging forward from the academy but I think we’ll certainly be looking at at least 2 or 3 pack additions this time next year.
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    Wonder which NRL forwards are out of contract in 2021?

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Yellow Giraffe View Post
    It was in the Rugby Leaguer 2 weeks ago:

    “We always knew at the start of 2019 this was a 2 year squad. Fast forward 12 months from now and we’ll have the ability to make multiple signings.
    If you want a production line of players then at some point you have to let the older players drop off the top before you can promote the younger kids. It’s a cycle.”

    So I think they’re happy to go with what they’ve got for 2020 and then for 2021 we could be potentially looking for replacements for:

    Thompson
    Amor
    Taia
    LMS

    Perhaps one of those will be replaced with an emerging forward from the academy but I think we’ll certainly be looking at at least 2 or 3 pack additions this time next year.
    The only good thing about this is, Saints have had (will have had) plenty of time to sound out top quality replacements.

    And if Rush is talking like that, I reckon that process is already well under way.


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    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Belgian Saint's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Yellow Giraffe View Post
    It was in the Rugby Leaguer 2 weeks ago:

    “We always knew at the start of 2019 this was a 2 year squad. Fast forward 12 months from now and we’ll have the ability to make multiple signings.
    If you want a production line of players then at some point you have to let the older players drop off the top before you can promote the younger kids. It’s a cycle.”

    So I think they’re happy to go with what they’ve got for 2020 and then for 2021 we could be potentially looking for replacements for:

    Thompson
    Amor
    Taia
    LMS

    Perhaps one of those will be replaced with an emerging forward from the academy but I think we’ll certainly be looking at at least 2 or 3 pack additions this time next year.
    Thanks mate when I mentioned some getting to the end, I was thinking of the ones you mentioned plus Robes.

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    In The South Stand Tez the Saint's Avatar
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    I think the positive for us is that they’re all still really good, Super League winning players so the decision in terms of who may replace them doesn’t need to be rushed, they can take their time with it between now and the end of the season. Taia and Roby will be in and out of the team I expect so we’ll see how the likes of Smith, Bentley and Ashworth go in those positions.

    Thompson is obviously a hard one to replace but again it sounds like Saints will give themselves time to have a look around and see what they can do.

    Big off season though, for clubs like Saints who want to win trophies I think we’ve seen in recent years how a couple of good/poor signings can have an effect on that.
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    Holbrook has lost Jai Arrow to Souths after 2020 so will be on the lookout for a Prop??

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rommel View Post
    Holbrook has lost Jai Arrow to Souths after 2020 so will be on the lookout for a Prop??
    Matty Lees/big Al

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    So we've got no one coming in for 2020?

    What happened to the "monster Tongan" rumours?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Geoggy View Post
    So we've got no one coming in for 2020?

    What happened to the "monster Tongan" rumours?
    Probably just another false pre-election promise. In truth, I didn’t think that we ever had space within the salary cap and the only person who supposedly mentioned it as far as I can recall was Kristian Woolf before he arrived. At the recent forum, however, he did not sound enthusiastic about it when questioned.

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    Only thing I can think of is if Roby retires at the end of 2020 (he’ll be 35 in November) and we use the marquee money from him on Thompson.
    St Helens Rugby League Football Club

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dos Cervezas View Post
    Only thing I can think of is if Roby retires at the end of 2020 (he’ll be 35 in November) and we use the marquee money from him on Thompson.
    I would much prefer that than bringing in an Aussie.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Belgian Saint View Post
    I would much prefer that than bringing in an Aussie.
    Me too, losing both at the same time would be huge.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dos Cervezas View Post
    Only thing I can think of is if Roby retires at the end of 2020 (he’ll be 35 in November) and we use the marquee money from him on Thompson.
    What makes you think he will stay for the money ?

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    Quote Originally Posted by brook View Post
    What makes you think he will stay for the money ?
    Not saying I believe money is all that it would take but a the offer of a bigger wage is certainly likely to help our case of re-signing him.
    St Helens Rugby League Football Club

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dos Cervezas View Post
    Not saying I believe money is all that it would take but a the offer of a bigger wage is certainly likely to help our case of re-signing him.
    Fair enough. Personally i see him leaving to try the nrl. I would hope we get a first refusal on him if he wants to return.

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    For me, stopping any complacency will be the biggest challenge this year. We have a team that essentially picks itself week in week out.

    But it Woolfe has to make sure that the players are always striving to keep their place.

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    It's been surprising others havnt gone in the past, Makinson, Roby, walmsley... I think the lifestyle once players go over is too good to resist to stay over there... Plus it would seem they have better training regime/facilities.. Unless there are supplements you can take that you can't take in the UK? Just going off how big guys always end up when they go. Plus training in a better climate..

    I think he would be one of our biggest losses for a while, but I don't see why saints can't attract a monster forward to compliment the rest of the team.

    Fingers crossed he is happy to stay, but I'm with everyone else. Just don't see why anyone with the ability to rip it up in the NRL would stay in super league ��•♂️

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    On Roby. I'd love saints to look back at the interchange hookers. KC and Higham where a brilliant combination, other teams copied.. Then Roby with KC. I rememeber a game when all 3 where on the field at the same time.

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    Losing the Challenge Cup Final, learning from it and going ahead to win the Grand Final has created a self belief within the squad. There is a lot of togetherness in the squad which is very similar to the Old Saints, Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos I think the players don't want it to be a one off season so they will be professional. Woolfe in theory should make us a tougher proposition in a similar way Anderson shaped the team, barring injuries to our key pivotal players I don't think other teams will have that consistency over the season that Saints probably and will achieve.

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    Rugby or football , fans are always excited when their team makes a big signing especially before a new season , us with Ben Barba was an example .Liverpool with the signing of the Japanese boy even if it is a mid-season signing for them . Really looking forward to watching Saints again ...bring it on...

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    I think one big challenge for this season is how we cope with adversity.

    Other than the Cup Final we never really had to do that last year, which is remarkable in a 30-odd game season. I can't see us being so dominant again and I think we'll lose games we won last year and, most likely, a few more of them.

    In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter that much as we all know we just have to peak in Sep/Oct and there would be less pressure on us at the end if we were closer to everyone else anyway. But we need to make sure that when we do lose we get over it straight away and avoid going on a 3-4 game losing streak and maybe getting into a rut.

    I think the start is quite awkward - Wire and Hull away with one eye on the WCC and then Toronto on the plastic pitch at Saracens the week after is a difficult stretch and I can see us losing 1 maybe 2 of those. We need to ensure we stay united behind KW and the team if things don't go our way and we don't win every week like we did last year.
    "Never write off the Saints!!"

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    Quote Originally Posted by MachineGunFunk View Post
    I think one big challenge for this season is how we cope with adversity.

    Other than the Cup Final we never really had to do that last year, which is remarkable in a 30-odd game season. I can't see us being so dominant again and I think we'll lose games we won last year and, most likely, a few more of them.

    In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter that much as we all know we just have to peak in Sep/Oct and there would be less pressure on us at the end if we were closer to everyone else anyway. But we need to make sure that when we do lose we get over it straight away and avoid going on a 3-4 game losing streak and maybe getting into a rut.

    I think the start is quite awkward - Wire and Hull away with one eye on the WCC and then Toronto on the plastic pitch at Saracens the week after is a difficult stretch and I can see us losing 1 maybe 2 of those. We need to ensure we stay united behind KW and the team if things don't go our way and we don't win every week like we did last year.

    Grest post agree with all that,
    Plus the fact our main players have been away with GB an only recently returning to training, we may be a little slower out the blocks than last year.

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