Actually strikes me as being quite, well, salivating.

We'll have the World Best Prop (tm) in Big Red
Nick Fozzard will once again be cannoning balls up for us, adding extra punch and power.
Maurie has developed nicely this season, has an element of destruction about him, while actually grafting in the pack.
Bryn and rumours of Gareth Haggerty to steady the ship, make tackles and take the load a bit.

Along with Emmitt and Frodsham developing, Tony P's ability to step up when required and Paul Clough's ability to cannon balls in till next Tuesday, we'll have something resembling a pack that can hold a dog fight without relying on the big Red Machine.

Sarcasm?

its not a bad front row if you count it as jammer, maurie, fozz, tony p. Brynn is nothing more than a 5th choice imo. I would like 1 more class prop in an ideal world, but i'm happy with what we have. If we intend to play brynn regulary and have tony p in the second row then i think we're not in great shape, imo

We've never had a problem with quality in the pack, just quantity. The likes of Dixon, Ashurst, Emmit and Hargreaves shouldn't be playing in important games for Saints. The likes of Graham, Fa'asavalu, Cayless, Cunningham and Roby are top notch but we've suffered horrendously when they have missed games.

I assume nowthat we've signed Fozz, the Haggerty rumours will dry up.
Expect Tony P to be an impact prop and Soliola to be a 2nd rower.

If we did sign haggerty, however, then I'd say we'd be in pretty good shape (not as good as if we signed brent kite, mind).

next season could be the big season for bryn to show that he can once and for all.....BREAK A TACKLE

I dont really share your optimism. Granted, we have an extra prop in Fozzard, but thats about as far as it goes. He gets dominated by the defense in pretty much every collision, slowing us, as a team down. Something tells me that Maurie will have another stop start season with injuries and the less said about Bryn Hargreaves the better. That leaves us with Jammer and Tony P. Jammer has been lucky in the injury front, but playing in his position, its only a matter of time before he picks up one that will keep him out for longer than a week or 2.

hey ho though, this is what happens when your club doesnt have a pot to pi$$ in.

I agree. We will have a cracking set of forwards for 2010, and your list doesnt even include the returning Moore and KC.

Does he?

Puletua will be used as a prop again, no doubt about it. Even with Fozzard signing again we are still too light up front. Start with Graham and TP with Fozzard and Maurie on the bench

i've been really disappointed by brynn this year, he just didnt kick on from a decent year last season. He had the perfect opportunity to stamp his place in the team, but didnt.

Everytime Ive seen him play this season yes. i cant remember seeing him win a collision this season!

Disagree. Frodsham and Emmitt will be older, wiser and stronger next year.

With a core of Graham, Faasavalu, Fozzars together with a squad orotation of Hargreaves, Frodsham, Emmit were are as sound as a pound.

Puletua should get to his preffered position of second row giving us more firepower and a skillful offloader out wide.

Even should needs dictate Tony P has to move to prop, we can still move the physical Soliola to second row.

The pack is as strong as any next season.

Developing what exactly?

I would prefer for you to be right, however I've not seen enough of Frodsham or Emmitt for me to be confident in them filling in, especially in big games. If we went with your core three plus Hargreaves, at the first sign of injury I would expect TP to be back in the front row.

Frodsham doesn't look likely to make it. He's been around for a few years now and still carries the impact of a wet leaf. Emmit looks a lot more solid and reliable but doesn't seem to have any real quality about him.

We have far too many 'could be's' around the squad taking up cap room. They need to whittle them down to those most likely to make it.

I agree with you about Froddy, i have never seen anything which makes me think he will make it, his defence is pretty weak too.

As for Emmitt, he is a bigger lad, but looks about as agressive as a labrador.

Isn't that what we have begun to do, by signing them on to the first team and playing them? The only way we're going to know what they're made of is to play them and see, surely?

IMO they should play for the first team to earn their deal, not get the deal then fail in the first team.

But, but, but ...

There was no other way to capture them. The reserves are being disbanded for next season, they are clearly talented lads and Potter was employed to develop them into potential future players for the first team. They weren't recruited as direct replacements even though this season that is exactly how they have been played (I feel sorry for Jamie Ellis who really got the rough end of things; I just hope he had a lot of confidence to start with!). If we're going to invest in a future predominantly British grown team, which appears to be the aim of the club, then we have to carry the extras for a while until their real ability has had chance to shine surely? Only when it has become obvious that Superleague is one step too far for them (assuming that is the case) and/or Saints cannot offer them the opportunity they want should they be loaned out (for further development) or released (to find a career elsewhere).

??why whats happening too them?

I think there is an under 20s league running in its place.

Under 20s instead, with allowance for just three over 20s (I think as recognition that sometimes first teamers need a gentle reintroduction following injury).

So would all our players who are 20 this season be ineligible for the U20's next season? Is there a specific cut-off date?

I presume so. Which team have just released about seven of their players? Was it Hull? Or Leeds? I can't remember. But in the RL press recently there was an item about one SL team having to release about six over 20s because of the new system.


Presumably the end of this season.