there's a bit of that, but Gaskell and Foster definitely were low on confidence when they were wisely dropped, getting bagged for weeks on end can lead to ruining promising careers.

re: Don
I agree, manager b*ll*cks speak, you lack the 'Roby isn't playing what's our alternative', just a little binning showed up straight away

People need to reconise that playing #6 at 20 years of age with the pressure of being our fieid kicker is a tough job. It's even tougher when your halfback partner is only a young lad as well.

I think rush did the correct thing in giving Gaskell and foster a spell in the u20s and I still think both have big futures on the game, especially lee Gaskell.

Thanks but I disagree.

There is a massive difference between lack of confidence and lack of application. Over-confidence and laziness can cause a lack of application, for example.

They may have been low on confidence, yes, or they may have simply been over-anxious. Not always the same thing. Either way I said before Royce was sacked that they needed time away from the limelight to get their heads back together again and so I agree totally that it was right for them to be dropped for a spell.

I think it's a clever comment from Brown as he's not going to speculate where he'll play him is he? Brown will wait until he gets here and has a proper look before nailing down a position for Lance - FB IMO, but Wellens is playing really well.

Is nobody else slightly uncomfortable about another teams coach commentating on our players 'positions' or whatever? He's not our coach yet. His focus should be on his own team. If I was Rush I would feel a little undermined by that comment. I'm probably just being over sensitive

Did anybody else notice it when he said that he'd seen a player play before (Swift I think it was)?

Strange as he would have to have gone to an U20s game to see him.....

i think it mainly happened just because he was directly asked about hohaia playing at 6 by the presenter.

You're right mate...i am just being over sensitive to it, just wished he'd have just left it as 'he's a great player'. I wonder if Huddersfield fans were bothered.

like when our u20's plays Hudds u20's? there's not always a conspracy!

Do you mean jones?

Brown made comment on jones saying he's watched him and thinks hes very talented.

You really think the slug has been in form?!

He may have scored a few times yesterday but he was shown up a number of times yesterday when Widnes just strolled past him as the final man.

In fact I think he's been one of your biggest problems all year. I'm not sure what's keeping him in the squad, leadership or sentiment, but if rush had sense he would've had hohia to FB on his arrival.

I think people are being a bit harsh on Hohaia. I think he's going OK, he's not what you expect from a world cup winning player I know but he is throwing some good passes and looks dangerous with ball in hand. Yesterday the camera zoomed out a few times and you could see him giving out the orders in attack.

I think he has played very well since the bulls game and we badly missed him on good Friday.

He was made to look stupid when Hanbury walked past him but sia can miss tackles but he's being bigged up ever week, roby give a shocking pass to LMS but that don't make him a bad player.

I think wello is passed his best and maybe does need replacing but IMO he's the best fullback at the club.

Players make mistakes and it certainly don't mean they are rubbish.

I feel for lance, I like him and think he's a god player but he's not playing well and been asked to play a postion he just can't play. He's had one good game at #6 against Leeds but other than that he's been poor.

I noticed yesterday that we've took the kicking off him (about time) as he's shocking at kicking.

Nothing against lance but please get a experinced halfback in and lets get back to playing good rugby.

That could be said for the whole team though.

However, I don't think Lance is poor. I just think he needs time to adjust to the position, which he hasn't played in a few years, to being over here and to playing for Saints. He's already had to deal with a change in coach, which is probably something he wasn't anticipating.

I can se what your saying but I think it's pretty clear he's not a halfback. I for one didn't get carried away from his one good game at 6 against Leeds.

for me lance looks like the perfect impact hooker

I honestly think brown will play him off the bench.

Fully agree, isn,t that what his purpose was in the NRL.

Before his injury and the emergence of Kevin locke he was first choice fullback for club and country but finished his last year as a utility player and started hooker in the grand final.

Hohaia never made anywhere close to the number of mistakes he is right now in the NRL. To me he looks like he's still struggling to come to terms with the position, his teammates and the gameplan. That will all come - in time. But demanding that he be an effective and consistent primary playmaker is pure fantasyland. Hohaia is an attacking counterpoint and works best as such.

He isn't a natural scrum half but that's where I'd play him (it's noticeable that Brown mentioned that role in the lead up) with Gaskell at six and Roby and Lomax alternating out of the dummy half (Roby shunting to LF when Lomax drops into nine).

This combination would give us the attacking flexibility to really break up the defence. And looking at the way Huddersfield set their attacking pivots I wouldn't be the least surprised if Brown runs with something similar.

For now we're just going to have to be patient with Hohaia. He's too good of a player to let this bad form carry on for long. But Rush and Co. have to give him something to work with. Lance can't take full responsibility for a team he has yet to get to grips with. And since Lomax isn't the most tactically minded player this means Gaskell has to play.

Lance never gets the credit for some of the passes he throws and his tackling of players above his weight puts some of our forwards to shame. If Roby stopped trying to win every game on his own maybe other players may see some of the ball.

That's a good point. Was it 63 tackles he put in against Hull? That's a phenomenal amount of work. Which certainly puts to rest any claims he's here for an easy paycheck.