James Graham in talks over an immediate return to Super League.
You’d think there’d only be one possible destination and seen as we’ve lost Thompson also could Jammer be coming home..
https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/06/18/...-super-league/
James Graham in talks over an immediate return to Super League.
You’d think there’d only be one possible destination and seen as we’ve lost Thompson also could Jammer be coming home..
https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/06/18/...-super-league/
Personally, I hope not.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
There's always the hope that it might be Toronto he's headed to, or Catalans to continue his high standard of living.
If it's us, I can probably understand it for this season. But presumably he'd only ask for a release if he was getting another year as well. Which IMO would be an incredible risk given he's been moved from prop and widely slated this season for being finished.
Who else could it be? Warrington perhaps the replace Gelling who seems to be in Australia? How would we feel about that?
Pretty much guaranteed to be us, I can’t imagine him dragging his family out of Australia to go anywhere else and the only other two teams who I could imagine paying what he’ll be after are Catalans and Toronto. It’ll be good to see him playing for Saints again from a nostalgic view (and again good to see we aren’t cutting costs on the recruitment side) but I think it’s a poor decision really. Hopefully he’s still got enough in his legs for a couple of years of SL but I can’t see it. I seriously hope we aren’t going into next year with Walmsley, LMS, Lees, Amor and Graham as our props.
I couldn’t see him turning out for anyone else in super league and when you factor in the need for a replacement prop mid season it looks absolutely nailed on he’s coming back. I only hope there’s enough left in the tank for us, I’d hate to see him struggle.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
I for one would love to see him back in the red vee. He has easily been the best forward st helens have had in the last 30 years and hes been one of the best props a return to SL will get another 2 years out of him and i for think he will give nothing but his all for us once again
I’d be amazed if it’s anyone but us. I was confident when he went that he’d come home eventually and it looks like it’s gonna happen. Not the player he was but has still got something to add to this team, especially with Thompson gone.
Yes there’s the nostalgia and sentimental factor kicking in as well but I do think he can still contribute. Maybe a move back home will be the catalyst for him to kick on for another 18 months or so.
NEVER WRITE OFF THE SAINTS
Indeed, thinking more about it it could be a good move. I imagine playing for us again will give him more motivation than playing for a St George side who will finish near the bottom. As long as we lose one of Amor or LMS and sign another prop then it could be a move that works out ok. Either way it’ll be good to see him back.
Quick look at his stats for the start of this season and they aren’t too bad. Average total metres of 98.8 metres from both Prop and Loose Forward on significantly reduced minutes isn’t bad at all. If he’s doing those numbers in the NRL then we might just get a decent couple of seasons out of him.
I can’t say I’ve seen much of him this year and I gather he hasn’t played so well in a struggling team. But I thought he was one of the few to play well on the GB tour and I think he could have a good 1-2 year swan song over here. Plus, as a sentimental old devil I can’t help but love the idea.
He’s not going to come home for the remainder of the year, he’s getting eighteen months, minimum.
I struggle to think of any over thirty year old props that have come from the NRL and done well over here in the past five or so years. Yes, we’ve had your Cayless’, Shiels’, Britt’s and Fairleigh’s but you’re looking at 14-20 years ago for these names. The game has changed and evolved since then.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
As for Graham coming back, no thanks - he's cooked. I'd prefer to remember him in his prime here, not a plodding shadow of what he was as the crowd turn on him for being a waste of money.
I dunno. It would depend on what is happening for me. If he's made a decision to retire and wants to end this season with a swansong with us, I'd be all for that. We've got a massive hole in Luke Thompson's departure and there is no one at the club to fill it. Graham might not be the player he used to be, but he'll still put the effort in and is definitely a step up on an academy player. He's that stubborn he'd do 100m in a game in Super League through sheer belligerence and nothing else, even if his legs have gone.
If he gets another year on top that's a risk.
a) I imagine he’s capped at 75k on the cap, so anyone claiming he’ll be a waste of money just doesn’t know the rules
b) seriously, who in this country is a better at the moment than a battered Graham? Maybe Watts? Taylor on a good day?
He won’t be the player that left, that’s obvious. But I think he’s a leader which we are missing (the type to get in the face of an opposition when the chips are down), a mentor to the likes of Lees and Knowles, and I am sure will pull a consistent shift, whilst (hopefully) turning it on in the big occasions (like he did for England).
Peacock played til he’s 38 and Graham seems to be made of the same stuff. An optimistic 18 months could be ideal for everyone. If we can bring in a Philbin or an English to be a 4th prop next year and another academy lad coming through alongside Walmsley and Lees (whom I still would put above every other clubs 8 and 10 in the league) it could very easily be a very good outcome
I still think he has a lot to offer. I wouldn’t judge him or compare him against other NRL signings. Half the battle with signing players from Australia is how they’ll settle, how they’ll fit in, will they want to do the tough stuff every week etc. That’s not in question with him, he’s one of the most competitive players I’ve seen and he loves the club.
In terms of his form, he’s not in career best form but he still offers more than the majority over there even now in my opinion. I watched him play a few weeks ago against the Bulldogs and although his team were poor, I thought he was probably their best player and really stood out, I think he made 170m in a team that was all over the place. He’s still performing well enough to suggest to me that he’ll be more than good enough to compete over here in a less intense competition. It’s been spoken a lot on here about wanting to see more entertaining rugby etc, he’s up there with the most skilful and best ball playing forwards I’ve seen. The likes of Lomax and Coote will cause loads of problems running off him. He’ll bring that bit of leadership and rugby intelligence that we’ve potentially been missing in big games over the last few years.
Realistically, we could be needing three props for next year and we’ve already signed a back rower on top of that. That’s a big transition for any club and that leadership could come in handy. Sign him along with two younger, hard and straight front rowers and I think we’d be in a good position.
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He has been granted an immediate release, if they can find a replacement, it should improve his motivation, as it did when he moved to Australia, his last year at Saints (2011) did raise some questions around town. (we lived there that year while our new place was built)
I think he's cooked but he will be a leader on the field for us & will probably crawl over broken glass to make yards
He’s still better than the majority of the props in super league.
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