Good point, well made

If the best want to stay, then they stay, fairly simple.

Cunningham is one of the best players i have seen since watching rugby league.

His contribution to the team hasn't dropped, his work rate is still up there and his defence is as good as always.

If he wants to stay, it's a no brainer.

Your right no one can replace Cunningham but so far Moore looks like being the next best thing.

One things for sure it will be a sad day when kc retires.

Would have loved him to have won a man of steel.

I think only injurys robbed him of a man of steel.

Saints have got to keep him on in some role.

A lot will depend on when his contract finishes, to have him out on loan in his last season on contract is a pretty major mistake IMO. If we had no intention of bringing him back, we should have just released him.

I don't think he out of contract until end of 2010 season.

When KC does retire from playing, it won't be the last we see of him. I'm sure he'll get a coaching role at Saints.

Whoever replaces KC will have a hard job, always compared to the best british player in a generation and quite possibly ever in his position is not an easy act to follow.

So if Paul Sculthorpe wanted a new contract then we should have given him one? He was the best loose forward I've seen since watching RL.

Past performance means nothing, as others have said, time is starting to catch up with Cunningham and mistakes are starting to be made that weren't before. You say his defence is as good as ever?

Cunningham - Total tackles 254, missed 32, 12% missed
Roby - Total tackles - 300, missed 12, 4% missed
Newton - T 354, MT 28, 8%
Randall - T 320, MT 25, 7%
Diskin - T 260, MT 24, 9%
Buderus - T 111, MT 6, 5%
Riddell - T 277, MT 13, 4%

Some of those have played less games and made more tackles, time on the pitch is a factor that hasn't been brought into this, but on sheer numbers the idea that his defence is as good as ever is a fallacy.

He does bring other factors to the team, such as experience, but lets stop looking at this through redvee tinted spectacles. Even [ihe[/i would admit that he isn't the player he used to be.

Those stats so not include the dummy-half ball distribution. KC runs the show from dummy half like Jimmy Lowes did for Bradford.

Moore's distribution is improving quite quickly. I'm with the more progressive and forward thinking types. Our priority is securing our future and if that means sacrificing KC instead of having him for one more season I'm for that. Somebody has alluded to Wayne Bennett's approach to improving sides and taking short-term sacrifices for long-term gain. That is the only way to deal with this situation. We cannot be sentimental despite KC's legendary status. He's already getting a statue as it is

I agree with this, KC could probably give us another reasonable season after this, but what then, we're scuppered! For a player only on the pitch for around 40 mins a game he shouldnt be missing to many tackles. He is a legend, but time waits for no man

Just read the first few posts.

Are you lot insane??????

We should let KC go, Reduced contract.

I hope the board dont look at it the same way.

We need to keep the King going as long as we can.
And I think a reduced contract would be a bit of an insult to the greatest player of the SL era.
He already took a pay cut to stay a few years back

Well no, considering they are solely to do with defence

That kind of attitude would see us in Wigans and Bradfords position within 5 years.




That was when no one else within a whisker of winning anything would touch him as he's had a couple of poor injury plagued seasons.

Let's be honest, he's a professional that's taken the club for everything he can, as he should.

Given a choice between Keiron at 33 next year or Moore for the next 10 years, i'd have to take Moore

Great example pal.

Progression > Traditionalists

After Reading this comment I thought I'd watch kc very close against the pies.
I also watched the bulls game again from last week.

And I agree kc is looking like time as caught up with him. He is missing a hell of alot of tackles!

Also he seems to be playing less and less game time each week.

Here's hope it's just a poor run of form.

Last few weeks especially, his passing from dummy half has been absolutely shocking. His passing has never been hes best asset, but last few weeks it's been rubbish.

Thank God I am not on my own - I thought if I mentioned KC was now on a downward slope I would have had my Nads cut off - but it seems that some of the more astute posters have also noticed this.

His distribution has looked poor, he has missed more tackles than I can remember him ever missing, he doesnt seem to be running from dummy half anymore - and he is even getting stopped on the line more times than he scores.

Granted when KC goes it will be a massive hole to fill, but if this is the end for him and not just a blip or he is playing through an injury, then I would rather see him go at the end of the season than stay around and taint the memory of the best hooker I have ever seen. Having watched Moore much more closely this weekend he looks a natural successor for me.

Get Moore back in the fold.

after watching KC play on Saturday, and Moore play on Sunday - there is no question as to who should be at Saints next year.

KC is spending less time on the pitch than ever before, and it is even more noticable in the past coupld of weeks that we step up numerous gears when Roby is on.

Against Bradford, we were awful for 25 mins (KC was on), awesome for 15 mins (Roby was on), then when they swapped in the second half again, we completely collapsed.

Saints legend, but it is possible to go on for too long....2010 would be too long for KC.

His distribution to the right side was especially poor on Saturday. Slow, looping powder-puff passes which hardly helped the half backs.

We called in for a meal in an Indian Restaurant after the game on Saturday and I met up with three Saints supporters (one had come up from Cornwall)
I don't know if they post on here but they were very gracious in defeat.

Part of the discussion we had was over Cunningham and Long. They were of the opinion that Saints needed to be ruthless, in the same way that Wigan had been during the 90's with the likes of Hanley and Gregory.

We had a good 10 minute sensible discussion on the game in general, but I do agree that Saints will have to make those decisions wisely. As I've said many times on here you're carrying too many players over the age of thirty in your side, and it will bite you in the backside if it's not addressed soon.