Entertaining affair for 2 mid-table sides.

Brown will revolutionise this team.

The stats are startling. Highest rate of completion, most ptbs, good defence, yet we're floundering in terms of league position. Some decent plays, some fire in the belly, and we'll be extremely tough to beat.

I think we can have some impact in the playoffs, but I've really high hopes for next season.

The players have the ability, its just that we have been lacking a top class coach to put the jigsaw together.

Today showed yet again that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with our pack.
Its in the halves due to lack of experience and the the three quarters due to lack of pace, that we fall down.

Nice to see Shenton show us a glimpse of what he can offer in attack. He really is the type of centre though that needs to be put away on a retreating defence. Defensively though i thought Shents was getting sucked in and leaving our right hand side dreadfully exposed.

J-Lo & TMak

Oh for the love of god NO!

we're cool here, you're top square to get it

Well I guess you've watched a fair bit of mid table clashes over the years, to provide such a credible comment. Who are we to argue?

WHAT??!!!

How old is Hohaia?

29 I think. But it doesn't matter as he's probably only played 15 games at half back in his career and 9 with Lomax.

Yes,2 sides you have failed to beat this season

I'll put money on it that hohaia won't be playing stand off next year.

thatll make me happy, he's just not working there, gaskell now is much better, let alone if he reaches his potential

If Lance is not at half back next year, it does not nessasarily follow that Gaskell will be.

true, but i wouldnt be devestated if we brought in a real stand off (Finch or Brough for example) either

I do hope Gaskell makes it at Saints, but if we move Lance out of HB, then we will be left open to having another inexperience half next year as well if Gaskell was to fill in, so basically taking us back to game 1 of this year.

I think Gaskell should be in the team now, but if Finch comes in, that would require Lomax making way for Gaskell which I don't see, if Lance is on the move, as Lance to FB would be the obvious option. Maybe Gaskell to LF playing a Kevin Sinfield role..

Finch would be an awful, awful signing. What's the point?

He's exactly what we need and what brown wasnts.

He's a mouthy organiser, he's clever, he's got good kicking game and he's experinced.

He's not, he's average and is made to look good because his team are well coached. It's not down to Finch that Wigan have set moves that they use and plenty of dummy runners.

He could slot into Lance's position now and we'd be no better off.

Ask yourself if Lance would be able to step in and do Finch's job at Wigan.

(He wouldn't.)

I'm not suggesting he would, everyone knows my opinion on Lance Hohaia, I called it from the moment we signed him. But in reverse, if Finch came to us, he'd be in a team that has no set moves and playing with no dummy runners creating space for him.

I'm saying I'd rather play Lee Gaskell than sign Brett Finch. I don't like him and don't rate him at all. I don't see what Gaskell has done wrong and I hope Brown brings him back into the fold.

It could be quite simple that Gaskell has done nothing wrong, but the current set up are favouring stability. They are not going to turf players out of the club as if they let someone go who brown wants they may find themselves out of a job. they are not going to cause factional splits either as that would make browns job harder. They are caretakers and keeping those on big bucks in the team, keeps those players happy and stops friction.

Barring injury I do not foresee a return for gaskell till next year. Brown has no qualms about shuffling the deck to suit him.

Saints will be well coached next year, that's for sure!

Whilst I don't disagree, playing devils advocate - has Brown really done much more than Potter did at the Dragons? Potter took over at a team that had finished bottom and got them to a cup final and a 3rd place finish in his two years (which I believe is higher than Brown has ever taken the Giants?). Potter is also doing a pretty remarkable job at the Bulls this season in the circumstances IMO.

Just a thought . . . . .

Did anyone think Potter did a bad job???

He did a dull job, but not a bad job!!

saintsfan