Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 2:52 am  

Small point, but I don't understand the point of noting that Frawley is better than Sezer. That bar is so low its almost impossible not to beat it, and being better than Sezer has no bearing on whether Frawley's good enough to help us win things.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:44 am  

Frawley needs time to adjust to being back over here. He’s no superstar but Too early to judge him yet.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:53 am  

Once were Loiners wrote:

Small point, but I don't understand the point of noting that Frawley is better than Sezer. That bar is so low its almost impossible not to beat it, and being better than Sezer has no bearing on whether Frawley's good enough to help us win things.

Someone posted that we should have kept Sezer.
Hence the responses.

I think he's the type of player that will get criticism for being quiet if we get beat and will get praise for organising the team if we win.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:32 am  

Trebor1 wrote:

Frawley needs time to adjust to being back over here. He’s no superstar but Too early to judge him yet.

Way too early to judge any of the NRL guys. As Smith said in his presser, it's a massive culture shock for them. Mud, rain and gale force winds and a fan base with little to no patience. It's a wonder any of them come to a country who hasn't really managed a meaningful challenge at international level in half a century. They'll all get better as the weeks go by.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:33 am  

Simmo71 wrote:

Someone posted that we should have kept Sezer.
Hence the responses.

I think he's the type of player that will get criticism for being quiet if we get beat and will get praise for organising the team if we win.

I think you're right, but he's kicked out on the full more than once/missed touch with a penalty I think already, and his positional kicking tends to be down the throat of the wing/FB. He seems ok with attacking kicks in good ball but the rest of his kicking out of hand hasn't been stellar so far.

Miller the same, think he's kicked out on the full from kick-offs 2-3 times now since pre-season. Might have been one where he didn't make 10 off a drop-out too can't remember.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:39 am  

Totally unrealistic levels of expectation on Frawley imo.
Hopes that an organising player will just slot in and control the game would be optimistic whichever team they played for. Safe to say, in a team like ours with minimal reliance on practiced moves, it's almost guaranteed to be an entirely new role to him. Anyone would be struggling to stamp their mark five games in. And yes, his kicking hasn't been the best but he's playing behind a pack with one genuine starting prop.
It'll come but this really is still very very early days.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 9:21 am  

ArthurClues wrote:

As Smith said in his presser, it's a massive culture shock for them. Mud, rain and gale force winds and a fan base with little to no patience.

Haha I'd have loved it if Smith had said that last bit like that

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:59 am  

You think NRL crowds are more patient...?

We have to look at players now through a lens of: are they good enough in their position to be part of a title winning SL team? Just being nice guys or good in parts isn't going to cut it if we want to win anything again. Saints didn't make the errors we did in this game which is why we aren't sitting fourth in the table. When a top side plays well, as we used to do, it raises the stakes in intensity so that it does matter if you make a mistake. Top sides are consistent and relentless in applying pressure and putting their opposition under the pump. We worked so hard to put Saints on the back foot and they looked second best - then a series of errors from various individuals popped our balloon.

On the plus side Lisone and hopefully Mom will be added this week, which makes us look better balanced and more dangerous in theory. A few of our key players can play better than we saw in the first game. Make no mistake though we'll get beaten again if we're going to gift them soft position and possession.

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:02 am  

A few Saints fans seem to think Croft should have been red carded for a tackle on Dodd late in the game. Sky missed it apparently (as did I watching on TV), does anyone know what they are on about?

Re: RD 5 | St Helens (H) : Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:44 am  

Didn't see mate. Hopefully no bans for either side for the rematch.