www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/2292 Wellens and Meli - one year Paul Clough three years

www.saintsrlfc.com/news/page/2292 Wellens and Meli - one year Paul Clough three years

I predict it won't be long before this thread implodes and descends into chaos!

Happy with Clough's and Meli's been playing well recently and brings experience to the three quarters.

I still think Wello will hold us back offensively though.

Saddened! to enter in 3... 2... 1....

Hope Saddo avoids seeing this

If he's not already jumped off the West stand roof that is!

All I'll say is this doesn't necessarily mean Wellens is going to start and play every single game at fullback next season.

To be honest the guy's done it all in the game so the longer he can be around as a mentor to our younger lads the better. We're loaded with young kids and every successful team has a good mix of youth and experience.

We do need to change it up in the #1 shirt and hopefully we'll start that transition gradually in the new year.

^^^^^^^^^^ THIS

I'd be happy of we approached it like Wire have with Brett Hodgson and Stefan Ratchford/Chris Riley this year

I notice the club hasn't allowed comments on the article. Can I just put it on record here, it's absolute sentimental folly and as a rugby decision it's one of the most retarded I've seen in years and that's saying something given McManus' horrendous record with recruitment and squad building over recent years.



Have they. Who? Do tell.



I don't doubt he is. If I ever want to show my kids a beaten player impersonating an ostrich and swearing at the referee until he's purple I'll show him Wello. If I want to show my kids how to sprint at jogging pace whilst a player scores 12 feet away from you, before turning to moan at someone else, I show them Wello. If I want to show the kids how to be a black hole in attacking, I'll show them Wello. If I want to show them how to be shown up by lumbering props, I will show them Wello. He's inspirational. If we want to be all gushy and sentimental for once (When it wasn't needed for other ageing players like Gilly and Leon) give him an ambassadorial role, a community role or a coaching role. Why waste salary cap money on a player that is holding us back?



Wellens, Gardner, Meli. Youthful Eamon? Really? He offers an unbreakable record for Grand Final losing gaffes more like. I don't mind him staying to be honest, we're unlikely to be in any Grand Finals for him to lose, and he's pretty good generally in the other matches.



In terms of tries he's been successful. Defensively and in the role a fullback should play in attack he's been poor and is holding the club back massively. Why not just admit that?



Is it? Is it really? It's given the fans of other sides a good giggle, but that's about it.

Retaining Wellens is nothing short of a disaster unless he's signed for peanuts .. and I mean literally

With who exactly? The likes of Makinson, Gaskell, Lomax and Hohaia are so experienced now they don't need their hands holding. The time to do that was 2 or 3 years ago when Wello was showing obvious signs of decline.

We don't need him around 'mentoring' the kids either, have you seen his body language on the field? He sulks round shouting at people and swearing at the ref.

Meli.

For crying out loud.

Swift would be my choice. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have retained him at all myself but wouldn't be too distraught if it was worked with mentoring someone through.

Is he the only player at the club at the moment who qualifies for the £50k exemption due to 10 year service...??...

Ade Gardner also qualifies as does Jon Wilkin.

Until there's someone better, either at the club or one the market, it makes perfect sense to retain Wellens. Solid, reliable, scores tries,hardly ever injured and makes very few mistakes. His stats stand up to any fullback in the comp bar one.

It's upto one of the youngsters to take their chance to oust Wellens when they get a chance and make themselves undroppable, something they've failed to do so far.

How will we ever be able to prove someone is better if they never get to play there? I'd have Makinson, Swift , Hohaia playing 1 before Wello for starters.

Great news about Clough.

I also feel Wello should be gradually phased out of the team over the next 12 months but he will be great to have around in the meantime - we can all see his faults but despite what the more clueless sections of our support think he has a lot to offer the side. There was never any doubt he was to be retained so keep the fake outrage in check.

Hopefully Meli will be phased out of the team next year too, preferably when the big games are on so we can reduce the amount of mistakes he makes. Flat track bully.

How exactly are they meant to oust him if no one EVER gets a chance there?

Tommy Makinson's performance in the Grand Final should have meant he got a run there, but Wello's been at fullback from week 1 of his return from injury, with Hohaia playing the 2 games he missed. Quite how those kids are meant to prove anything is beyond me.

Wello is probably the 4th or 5th best choice at fullback now. Hohaia, Makinson, Gaskell, Lomax, Swift etc would all be a better option next season than Wello.

Absolute disaster for me,all three.

A statement of intent from the club that lacks any ambition and smacks of sentimentality and nepotism.

Clough - Three years is for someone who is tearing it up not plodding.
Compared to Mossop and other up and coming forwards, he has nether the size
or aggression to compare. He is not a line breaker either unless reversing into the tackle
is line-breaking.


With Ade still on board we have retained the GF back three that has been exposed
time and again since 2007.

An opportunity to provide opportunity to youngsters and to free cap space to buy
pace and flair. Another opportunity missed.

Just cannot believe Meli has been retained.

Fullback has universally changed as a role a good 3-5 years ago and Saints
steadfastly refuse accept this and persist with Wellens.

I would feel my hands were being tied behind my back if I were Nathan Brown,

Clough is a decent player and someone who won't be on a top salary. Every squad needs a player like that and he can also play in the back row too. He's no world beater, but I don't mind this at all.

Wellens - he's had a reasonable season to be fair, certainly not as bad as Saddened suggests and certainly not our worst player, but I agree that full back is such a pivotal position these days. You need someone who is quick, has good footwork and reads the game well. Hohaia or Lomax could play this position as could Swift or maybe even Makinson long term. I'm not sure I can see Wellens in any other position either. People say back row, but we're fairly strong there especially with the arrival of Manu.

Meli - he's our most dangerous back which says alot about the quality of our backline. If he plays at Centre, I don't think it's a particularly bad move. On the wing, he can be an absolute nightmare for us.

A terrible move resigning these proven quality players that are better than anything else available on the market at the moment. I think we should have shown our ambition as a club by releasing them all and signing 3 or 4 16 year old kids from the National Leagues instead. Or really put out a marker for our burning drive to compete at the very highest level by signing some unborn foetuses as well.

Could not be more pleased with this news; excellent forward planning giving Clough a three year deal. I know that in the past I have bagged Meli but to be fair to the guy he really has impressed this term and probably deserved a two year deal; but club policy etc etc. Wellens should play less next term and fill in as a utility player when needed to steer the ship as it were. If this proves successful then who knows for 2014. [size=150Macmanus and co[/size

It's all about how Brown uses them as to whether this is good or bad. I don't think Brown has had his hands tied, if he did not want them we would not have signed them.

There has to be a hand over of the mantle from Wellens to the next FB, but I can see Brown doing this, we all say great things about those who could replace, but if we got rid of Wellens and played them and they were all a nightmare then how silly would we look. If we just play Wellens every game then it's not a great deal.

Meli is as devastating going forwards as he is at slip ups in grand finals, but again it's about where Brown will use him. Jones Turner Meli Garder gives us some grunt in the centres and some speed outwide.



Clough as our key prop this would be a bad deal, but we have no idea what money, he is getting paid and quite frankly his stats don't lie.

Who's the top try scorer this year?