Just a recap of where we are up to for next year after a flurry of announcements this week:
Confirmed
IN: Joel Thompson, Agnatius Paasi, Sione Matautia
OUT: Zeb Taia, James Graham, Dom Peyroux, Joseph Paulo, Matt Costello, Callum Hazzard
Rumoured
IN: Dan Norman
OUT: Jack Ashworth
Not sure who else from the young lads is out of contract, possible Josh Eaves off the top of my head.
Our top 25 or so next year should be something along the lines of:
1. Lachlan Coote
2. Tommy Makinson
3. Kevin Naiqama
4. Mark Percival
5. Regan Grace
6. Jonny Lomax
7. Theo Fages
8. Alex Walmsley
9. James Roby
10. Matty Lees
11. James Bentley
12. Joel Thompson
13. Morgan Knowles
14. LMS
15. Agnatius Paasi
16. Kyle Amor
17. Sione Matautia
18. Aaron Smith
19. Josh Eaves
20. Joe Batchelor
21. Jack Welsby
22. Josh Simm
23. Lewis Dodd
24. Jake Wingfield
25. Dan Norman
I know we have Roby, Coote, Naiqama and Bentley OOC in 2021 as it stands but there may be more.
NEVER WRITE OFF THE SAINTS
OOC in 2021, as far as I understand :
Coote
Naiqama
Grace
Fages
Roby
McCarthy-Scarsbrook
Amor
Bentley
"Never write off the Saints!!"
https://www.totalrl.com/huddersfield...elens-forward/
Finally announced. Have we confirmed Norman yet?
RFL Championship / Super League (17) - 1931–32, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Challenge Cup (13) - 1955–56, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2021
World Club Challenge (3) - 2001, 2007, 2023
League Leader's Shield (9) - 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022
Not yet but it's a done deal
Costello confirmed to be leaving now. Doesn’t say where to but the rumour has been Salford for a while now. Never one that was going to set the world on fire but did a decent job for us when called upon. Best of luck to the lad!
https://www.saintsrlfc.com/2020/12/0...wXfMQzYt4pbxSk
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
So I think thats us done at;
In: Sione Mata'utia (Newcastle Knights) Joel Thompson (Manly Sea Eagles), Agnatius Paasi (New Zealand Warriors), Dan Norman (London Broncos)
Out: James Graham (Retired), Zeb Taia (Retired), Dom Peyroux (Toulouse), Joseph Paulo (Toulouse), Jack Ashworth (Huddersfield Giants), Costello (Released)
OOC 2021: Lachlan Coote, Regan Grace, Kevin Naiqama, Theo Fages, James Roby, LMS, Kyle Amor, James Bentley
Overall, I think we have done cracking business. We made the best out of a bad situation with Thompson, have moved a big piece of deadwood in Paulo on, and we feel stronger overall with Welsby, Simm, Bentley all pushing on this year in particular.
Its never too early to start thinking about next year though, so hopefully we will see a few more re-signings in the winter months (Coote, Grace, Naiqama, and Bentley are all no brainers I think)
Bentley will definitely sign up, when I listened to him a few weeks back on a podcast he thinks Woolf is the best thing since sliced bread in developing his game.
On this one Bentley talks extensively from a bout 20 mins in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_zTq3hYR-c&t=6800s
Last edited by STIDDY; 4th December 2020 at 16:12.
Think with Coote, Grace and Bentley it will depend if there’s NRL interest, otherwise I imagine we’ll be looking to get them tied down ASAP.
Roby depends whether he wants to go round again. Can have a contract for as long as he wants.
LMS and Amor would be surprised to see them stay past next season being 36 and 33 respectively by the time of the 2022 season. Amor might get another year extension if he has a good season and depending on how Norman progresses.
Fages I think depends on the development of Dodd and whether he pushes him out of the starting 13, then it’s whether he’s happy being a squad player and how much of the salary cap a squad player might be taking up.
Naiqama will turn 33 at the start of the 2022 season so we’ll see, wouldn’t be surprised to see them extend his contract by 1 year maybe depending on the development of Josh Simm.
There’s a significant chunk of salary cap in those 8 players though so I hope they can get everything sorted out relatively early on in the season so we can recruit properly if we need to.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.