Re: Rumours thread. : Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:23 pm  

Rommel wrote:

Turner is fast Halfback is where we need to strengthen

He might be fast but is he any good?

Either way, we need more than that if we're to challenge. Wellens is solid but has no pace, Gardner / Makinson are good finishers but neither are particularly threatening from deep, Josh Jones is solid but isn't particularly quick and that leaves Meli who is hit and miss - but probably our most threatening back.

We're crying out for some threatening players in the backline. Warrington, Wigan, Leeds and Catalans wouldn't have any of our back 5.

We need a half back and a prop for sure, but we're crying out for some pace and quality in the backline.

Re: Rumours thread. : Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:49 pm  

If we are determined to keep Lomax in the halves then shift him to 6 and let Gaskell play at 7. And by play, I mean give him more than one bloody game to let him get used to the role. Let Lomax do the running and let Lee do the organising and kicking.

Everyone is calling out for a halfback yet for some reason Rush will not give him a chance.

Infuriating.

Re: Rumours thread. : Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:07 pm  

Carlos Alberto wrote:

Everyone is calling out for a halfback yet for some reason Rush will not give him a chance.

Infuriating.

It certainly is, but I think we all know the reason Rush isn't even giving him a chance.

If we signed a centre, Turner could play wing. Maybe that's the long term plan, to be honest I think (hope) we'll be seeing wholesale changes when Brown comes on board. He doesn't seem like the completion obsessed type and this team wouldn't suit his style.

I'm looking forward to Manu coming, he'll certainly break tackles and offload the ball a bit.

Re: Rumours thread. : Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:43 pm  

Smurf wrote:

It certainly is, but I think we all know the reason Rush isn't even giving him a chance.

If we signed a centre, Turner could play wing. Maybe that's the long term plan, to be honest I think (hope) we'll be seeing wholesale changes when Brown comes on board. He doesn't seem like the completion obsessed type and this team wouldn't suit his style.

I'm looking forward to Manu coming, he'll certainly break tackles and offload the ball a bit.

I just hope we get the ball to Manu. We have TP outwide at the moment and he never gets the ball.

Re: Rumours thread. : Wed Sep 05, 2012 8:51 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

Didn't Lomax play Centre for the first team when he first came into the line up?

I think his first few games were on the wing, but he's played at centre a few times and generally looked impressive there (O/T 2010 where he started at #4 but was as ineffective as the rest of the Saints side were excepted).

For me it's nearly a no-brainer - he's probably our best attacking player (by several country miles if you don't count Meli) but is being wasted playing in a position that he simply just lacks key attributes to be able to play. He could still be very effective in the halves but only with a quality, experienced organiser alongside him - we simply don't have one of those and there are minimal prospects of us getting one, so he's just never going to really be able to do the business there at the top level. We have many, many other options at #1 where he could excel at the moment, and a few decent options on the wing, but where we are lacking in severely in the backline is in the centres. As I've said before he certainly has all the attributes to be a top centre - pace, size, strength, good hands etc. and he already defends at #4 so no worries there. Plus he would very rarely need to kick, would only ever have to pass one way and wouldn't be involved in dictating and directing play thus negating some of the glaring weaknesses in his play. It just makes sense to me...

Re: Rumours thread. : Thu Sep 06, 2012 1:23 pm  

In a way it's back to the too many pegs for the same hole. We have Wellens, Lomax, Makinson and Lance, who would all fit in at FB. Makinson has the advantage of being able to play wing as well.

I'd be inclined to go with Lomax at FB.

He has pace as quick as any of the others,
he can kick a ball, but not well enough to be a regular kicker,
the freedom to chime into the line would work well for him.

I know others prefer Makinson, but I don't think he brings that 3rd pivot, so with him at FB, we would still be looking at only 2 pivots and not great ones.

Given our current squad I'd like to see this line up in pre-season to see how it goes.

FB:Lomax
Wing: Turner
Wing: Makinson
Centre: Meli
Centre: Jones/Wheeler
Halves: Gaskell/Wheeler + an outside purchase
Prop: Perry
Prop: TP
Hooker: Roby
SR:Manu
SR: Sia
LF: Lance

Bench:
Prop:LMS Clough
SR: La Franki
Other: Wellens / Wilkin / Lance

It would not be the same team each week and I still would add another prop to the team, but Lance would bring as much tackling as Wilkin at LF, a bit more speed, I just think it's worth a punt to see how well it goes.

Re: Rumours thread. : Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:13 pm  

The team just looks so much better when you remove Wellens and Gardner and take Hohaia out of the halves.

Why didn't Rush do this?

Re: Rumours thread. : Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:50 pm  

Sorry, thread-drift here, but I think Lomax would be a perfectly capable 7 as long as Gaskell or another orthodox 6 was alongside him.

Lomax and Gaskell was showing signs of developing into a quality pairing last season. It's one of the biggest failures of this season that it was broken up in the hunt for short-term honours (which we aren't going to win anyway.)

Re: Rumours thread. : Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:32 pm  

In a ideal world we will bring a ball playing experinced half back in and leave jonny at 7 but let lomax drift in and out the game.

At the moment lomax is doing to much and getting to much ball that he's become predictable, everyone knows he going to step inside.

For me, at stand is more important than any other postion we needs, yes we need wingers, centre, props but a stand off is vital!

Re: Rumours thread. : Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:09 pm  

(Saint) wrote:

Sorry, thread-drift here, but I think Lomax would be a perfectly capable 7 as long as Gaskell or another orthodox 6 was alongside him.

Lomax and Gaskell was showing signs of developing into a quality pairing last season. It's one of the biggest failures of this season that it was broken up in the hunt for short-term honours (which we aren't going to win anyway.)

Absolutely spot on.