I’ve been thinking about it and I wonder what effect it would have on the squad. A lot of players played with him last time round and effectively downing tools once he got an NRL contract couldn’t have gone unnoticed. Plus what impact would it have on the likes of Dodd, Welsby, Simm etc who would have their game time cut. Also you’ve got Coote who was effectively kicked out of North Queensland to make room for Barba. For me the negatives would massively outweigh the positives.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
I don't know about anyone else but I always got the impression that Jonny Lomax wasn't as fulsome in his congratulations when Barba scored as other members of the team were! Jonny likes being Saints super star and I think he resented a little the plaudits that BB got!
I don't think Holbrook handled it very well, it stood out like a sore thumb that once Barba became disinterested it put a lot a lot of pressure on our pivots in Lomax, Roby and Richardson the latter struggled with his game and Barba made it worse by not linking up with him. It was less of a problem with Lomax and Roby who had experience to work around the problem. Lomax had a spell in the season where he didn't show him much respect at times so he must have sussed him out early doors.
The other players must have seen this shift change in his attitude, the players didn't deserve at the business end of the season to carry him as a passenger especially when they busted a gut to try and get that major silverware.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
I agree with that (the bit that's in bold), at the start of the year they always seemed to congratulate each other when a try was scored. Towards the end of the season, if Barba scored Jonny just seemed to tap everyone else on the back and then make his way back for the restart. Maybe I'm overthinking it but JL does love this club. I definitely don't think he resented the plaudits BB got, was probably just annoyed that he'd stopped playing at his best and wasn't interested in playing for the club anymore. Maybe it rubbed Jonny up the wrong way. I wouldn't be surprised, we were all pee'd off with Barba's attitude.
I remember the interview he gave for SAINTS TV at the end of season awards in 2019, and he said he was shocked he won the fan's player of the year award, He quickly mentioned that he doesn't have a chant and I remember being genuinely a bit upset for him. If anyone deserves his name sung at this club, it's him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbtq...St.HelensR.F.C.
Don't get me wrong! I love Jonny and he provided a brilliant link at FB then it was BB instead. It may be as someone else said, that it was the second half of the season after BB put the cue on the rack.
To me Jonny is a star and although he would never make that claim, he was moved to accommodate BB and just got on with it for the sake of the club!
With Cootie, he is a team player with the same ethic Jonny has!
Genuinely believe that you would be mad to take him back. He used Wire to leverage a contract with Saints, he used Saints to leverage a contract in the NRL and guess what would happen if he got a contract with any team in SL.
As a full back running the ball the guy is box office.
In every other facet of the game be that under a high ball, defensive work , general organisation and kicking Coote is a far better player.
He'd do a job somewhere for someone but I agree it's not at Saints. We would mad to lose Coote. He was possibly the difference between nearly men and back to back Champions.
Couldn't agree more. As much as I would love to see a player of that attacking quality in our team that prick in the words of Wolfie has burnt his bridges. Aside from his misdemeanors which are nothing to do with the club, he shit on us and I can't forgive that, especially after we paid his wages while he sat on his backside for 12 weeks or whatever it was.
Barba had been doing us for quite a few gaes near the end of season , one sticks in my mind someone near me going on about us being lucky to get hi he was surprised when i said i wish they would drop him the answer to the look on his face was , have you not noticed all he does is stand 50 yards behind the team and wave his arms.
Barba actually stepped aside from making a tackle at Bolton against Catalans in the semi.
That said, if it hadn't been a brain fart from his countryman at Wheldon Road he probably would have played in a GF for us.
I did notice that. But he also did it throughout the season.
What I saw from it was he was directing players into defensive positions. Sort of you there and you over there kinda situation.
I never really rated his defence, but he wasnt brought in for that. He was brought in to Score points. We had the style of play that was you score 20 we'll score 30.
He let us down in his going forward. He gave up on us when we threw him a lifeline.
Crickey that game still gives me nightmares! To come from 10 points down with 10 minutes to go, to then lead by 2, and then for Morgan to have a brain fart, was absolutely heartbreaking.
Strange lad Morgan. He wasn't bad at all. Then he did that, which in fairness was out of character he was steady if nothing else. Never understand it. However if we had got to that final and lost again to Leeds who fired in that final against CASl. Just imagine that?