I could agree with you but then we would both be wrong.
I think we need to be careful here.
Welsby and Dodd have been excellent this season no doubt, but Coote has been one of our best players for the last three years, and Fages hasnt been so bad either (despite my constant calling for Dodd to replace him ...) We have been very lucky in that they have come into the team, and really found form but there will be times next year where their form dips and how they handle that is unknown. Harry Smith kept Dodd out of England youth teams for example, and hes currently stinking out the place, and Wigan fans are begging for him to be dropped.
Hopoate and Sironen are very like for like with Naiqama and Thompson. I think they will be incrementally better, but there are a bunch of other factors around settling in, adapting to the league etc which means I dont think we should be declaring them total successes yet. On paper they are good business by the club though.
Hurrell is a massive risk as has been discussed in a lot of threads. I personally dont have an issue with the club deciding they have the luxury of taking that risk, with 3 senior backrowers/ 2 senior centres already at the club meaning he can be frozen out if he doesnt put the work in. Comparing him to Bentley would be very interesting - I would really like to know how the Hurrell Saints contract and the Bentley Leeds contract compare, and whether the club would have rather stayed with the known entity...
Lussick I am very happy with, certainly no complaints stating he will be a big upgrade on Smith, with less risk compared to the other signings from Aus as hes already played in the league.
Bell over Amor is the hardest to talk about as I really dont want either of them. We need another prop, the Warrington game shone a huge light on how our intensity drops without Walmsley/Lees/Knowles, and another year older LMS/ Amor isnt the answer to that problem. Norman may be a wildcard, but depending on him to step up feels like a massive risk and a gap we should have filled. I just dont understand what Bell would bring that Wingfield or the 4 senior backrowers dont already. He doesnt fit any real role in the team, and doesnt really do anything better than what we already have (theres no shame in that Knowles is head and shoulders the best 13 in the comp). There is really no reason for us to sign Bell when we need a prop. I know the Taukeiaho rumours are in a strange state where the Aussie press are convinced its happening and the British press are convinced its not, but I would even take a year or two of Chris Hill over going around with Amor again!
I don't believe that we are paying Hurrell what Leeds are paying Bentley. In any case, Bentley is a workhorse 2nd row, they are not that rare, we have a couple of potentials inside the club to fill that role maybe ? As I've said somewhere else, Hurrell if true, could be our most interesting signing, it's certainly caused a huge debate already .
Dodd is a better all round player than fages imo, I know fages gets a lot of love from some posters on here but to me defence aside he is bang average
He doesn't have a great running game, passing game or kicking game , we already look better in attack now dodd is in the team
I don't know about the rest I would say sironen is better than the Thompson we have had this year
Bentley is a top player despite his discipline issues since his return from injury and I don't think the likes of bell will be as good
If we get Taukeiaho in he will be a big upgrade on amor
The centres and full back slots could go either way, welsby could be a world beater there or he could struggle under the high ball
Hurrell could be an unstoppable tank in the centre or overweight unfit turnstyle in defence of a player
Lussick seems a very good rotation option at hooker and will be an upgrade on either smith or eaves in that role
Hopoate seems to divide opinion , KW knows him though and maybe he fits into our game plan as well as giving us cover at full back
All of these guys appear to be big men, they will fit into KW style which relies a lot on power and grinding sides down physically
I don't especially enjoy that style of rugby but it does seem to be bringing in trophies and we that is the name of the game
As long as the big men are used to blast holes to make room for the backs, then that's fine by me.
Fages could not have scored the Dodd try against Wire, Dodd make it look like a training ground move, including the little step at the end. That one step said a lot about his ability.
We’d have still beat Warrington with Fages in the side. His work in defence would have tightened up that left edge of ours and I doubt we’d have been carved up twice how we were for their two tries.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
One of the tries was on the right hand side, and caused by Bentley going for the big shot rather than keeping his defensive structure. The other try, sometimes you just have to sit back and compliment the opposition, it was a great try, and I don’t think anyone in this hemisphere would have made a difference in stopping it.
Apologies if this has been said already, but in all the different permutations of our backs for next year that I've seen recently on this and other threads, Fages is never included. I know he has been very strongly linked with Huddersfield, even so far as to know what money he will get, but to my knowledge there hasn't been an official announcement.
Anyone have any reliable sources on this?
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
For reasons only known to them, they havent announced any signings yet, they have also definitely signed Tui Lolohea, and were strongly linked to Chris Hill as well (though that seems to have gone south now ...)
I think theyre the only club not to announce any signings yet (compared to Warrington who have announced 5/6 I think!)
Have we definitely signed Bell?
Any chance we can throw big money at kruise leeming and get him over?
NEVER WRITE OFF THE SAINTS
Insta @christianjamescreative
Warrington just announced a big signing.....
.....GREG MINIKIN!!!!
Warrington
In: George Williams (Canberra Raiders), James Harrison (Featherstone Rovers), Oliver Holmes (Castleford Tigers), Peter Mata'utia (Castleford Tigers), Joe Bullock (Wigan Warriors), Greg Minikin (Hull KR)
Out: Blake Austin (Leeds Rhinos), Greg Inglis (retiring), Tom Lineham (Wakefield Trinity), Jake Mamo (Castleford Tigers)
Though looking at it now I am not 100% sure that Bullock has been announced as they referred to Minikin as their 4th signing...