I'm not sure you can blame a winger for us not getting near the opposition line.

How often have we seen Ade put through a gap or given a run with a bit of space to go at lately? If he was outside Manu and Percy I think we'd have seen far more attacking from him.

He didn't look good under that spiral bomb on Monday but then neither do lots of highly rated players including Billy Slater a lot of the time (although he does one or two other things quite well), and why should the right winger be having to cover a kick that's coming down near the posts anyway? If anything that suggests he's reading the game quite well and trying to cover for teammates who are out of position.

I'm not suggesting he's a great winger (or comparing him to Slater) by the way, just think he gets some unfair stick on here.

There are certain individuals on here who will have a go at certain players regardless. Even when they play well credit is not given. The trick is to treat those comments accordingly and ignore them.

There are a lot of people on here who simply cannot appreciate that Meli is a quality winger.

I'm willing to bet that whoever we bring in to replace him will be an inferior player.

It's not often I agree with you, but I can't get excited about Broughton, don't think he would improve the team.
However I would put definately Makinson in front of Gardner.

I don't think wingers are our main problem.

Meli I would say has earned the right for one more year. If there is someone better who we can get, then I would go get them in the interests of the long term over the short.

Gardner for me has not shown the same blistering form as Meli and I think Makinson is now above him in the pecking order, so I would not offer a new contract and certainly not 2 years.

The only reason to retain all 3 would be if there was litterally no one we could recruit and no one who can come up. But if that's the case it's a very sad state of affairs.

Agreed.

If we cannot get someone in I would have no issue with re-signing Meli for another season.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. And that was his form year

Ade is a good clubman that works cheap. Giving him a new deal is a good idea, I would prefer it to be a 1 year deal but he is going to be worth his spot either way.

But he's not very good. If we're planning on turning into Wakefield or Cas and that's the limit of our ambition, fine. But if we're honestly trying to win Grand Finals by resigning dead wood like Gardner we may as well pack in.

And is he cheap? He's got a fair few england caps that will have, at some point, boosted his wage renegotiation.
Its all very well us saying that we could resign him on a reduced wage, but it puts you on the back foot from the start.

Isn't that Alex Brown off contract? He's got mistakes in him, but he's still reltively young, very big and very fast. Him and Turner coming down one flank would be quite a prospect.

I believe he's already signed his deal

I bet he isnt as cheap as just using a junior at the club as wing cover. He may or may not be cheap but every penny counts when you have to stick to a salary cap

I think I can hear the 2014 season tickets flying off the shlef as we speak!

Do you think this means we'll release Meli?

Not at all. Meli is signing a 3 year deal.

If I had to choose between keeping Meli or Ade, I'd pick Meli everytime. He offers more with the ball and plays more games than Ade.

unless he's doing a ginger doormat and playing for free he is a waste of cap space. The least dynamic winger at the club

If he has got a new deal i'm done watching Saints. He is less than useless and his inability to stay on his wing is a joke.

Pace to burn last night

Utterly baffling decision this if true. He was useless last night. Do we employ scouts?

Poor defence, but can't fault his commitment in attack, if only some of forwards took the ball up like he does...

The fact he runs the ball back really hard shouldn't be criteria for signing a winger in his 30s with no pace and a burgeoning injury problem a new 2 year deal though.

I don't think he should be given a new deal, I'd give Meli a year over Gardner. I just wish the forwards showed Gardner's commitment in going forward.

Agreed

Ade gives his all for the cause, but even when we had a good side he was the weakest link. He has learned the game and gained confidence over the years but if he joins Clough on a new longish contract I think we are saying its make up the numbers time for a few years, and hope to fluke a final.