Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 10:17 am  

Egg Chasing wrote:

You mean when we were top 2?

You hang on to your top 2 in April trophy. When’s the parade?

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 10:47 am  

Egg Chasing wrote:

You mean when we were top 2?

Tha t seems a long,long time ago now

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 12:57 pm  

Going into the Warrington game I think we need to go back to basics with the team and start again and get some consistency maybe a bit of confidence as a result.

Pick a settled team:

1 - Field
2 - French
3 - King
4 - Wardle
5 - Marshall
6 - Cust
7 - Smith
8 - Singleton
9 - Powell
10 - Byrne
11 - Farrell
12 - Isa/Shorrocks
13 - Smithies

14 - Ellis
15 - Hill
16 - Mago
17 - Isa/Shorrocks/O’Neil

Play the next 3 games with this, adjust to suit after that.

In all seriousness based on last nights game I’d happily swap Cust and Hampshire for Brodie Croft, have that settled halfback partner for Smith and take a bit of pressure off him.

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 1:04 pm  

post wrote:

Going into the Warrington game I think we need to go back to basics with the team and start again and get some consistency maybe a bit of confidence as a result.

Pick a settled team:

1 - Field
2 - Miski
3 - King
4 - Wardle
5 - Marshall
6 - Cust
7 - Smith
8 - Singleton
9 - Powell
10 - Byrne
11 - Farrell
12 - Isa/Shorrocks
13 - Smithies

14 - Ellis
15 - Hill
16 - Mago
17 - Isa/Shorrocks/O’Neil

Play the next 3 games with this, adjust to suit after that.

In all seriousness based on last nights game I’d happily swap Cust and Hampshire for Brodie Croft, have that settled halfback partner for Smith and take a bit of pressure off him.

I don't think dropping Bevan French is going to solve our issues.

Playing Bevan at 6 though will not work either. There's two options - French at 1 with Field at 6 or Field at 1 and French at 5. I'm not sure we should abandon the first option on the basis of one very poor game in Field's first game back.

Spoke to one of the Saints forwards at the driving range this morning - this was his assessment. 'Good backs, s*** forwards. No power in their pack'.

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 2:06 pm  

DannyT wrote:

You hang on to your top 2 in April trophy. When’s the parade?

No different to the "our seasons over" talk in June.

We'll get some bodies back and we'll be tough to beat again. A bit like how Saints were losing games but are now winning them again. Amazing what happens when your best players are fit and able to play.

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 2:31 pm  

MadDogg wrote:

I don't think dropping Bevan French is going to solve our issues.

Playing Bevan at 6 though will not work either. There's two options - French at 1 with Field at 6 or Field at 1 and French at 5. I'm not sure we should abandon the first option on the basis of one very poor game in Field's first game back.

Spoke to one of the Saints forwards at the driving range this morning - this was his assessment. 'Good backs, s*** forwards. No power in their pack'.

Forgot French so I changed it quickly after.

That quote from the Saints player should be printed off and pinned up in the training area for the forwards to take as a challenge.

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 2:56 pm  

post wrote:

Forgot French so I changed it quickly after.

That quote from the Saints player should be printed off and pinned up in the training area for the forwards to take as a challenge.

He's right though and everyone knows it.

We have a 'weak' pack as it is and losing 4 or 5 of them makes it worse.

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 4:01 pm  

Egg Chasing wrote:

No different to the "our seasons over" talk in June.

We'll get some bodies back and we'll be tough to beat again. A bit like how Saints were losing games but are now winning them again. Amazing what happens when your best players are fit and able to play.

I’ve not said the season is over, I’m questioning the state of players within the side who have no competition and the lack of depth in the squad. We will most likely do what we always do and pick up some wins against the weaker sides and end up in the play offs before bowing out in another lacklustre big game. That Challenge Cup win last year hasn’t half painted over some gaping cracks, we were awful in that too for the majority. Our ‘culture’ at the minute is to not really strive to be the best but never mind, we have a cracking trophy cabinet and send whiskey to everyone so it’s all good.

[Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy]

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 4:48 pm  

Zig wrote:

We have been for a few years John, I keep hoping we are going to correct the problem but then we sign the likes of Mago!

When we played the Roosters in 2014 Radlinski wrote a blog saying we're too small a team - 9 years later and we're still too small in the forwards, especially the back row. That needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency for next season (along with a goal kicking 6).

Re: Saints (a) : Sat Jun 10, 2023 6:21 pm  

Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy wrote:

When we played the Roosters in 2014 Radlinski wrote a blog saying we're too small a team - 9 years later and we're still too small in the forwards, especially the back row. That needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency for next season (along with a goal kicking 6).

Rads actually said at the time that the signings of Mago and Ellis were expressly for this reason.