We finished really well in 2017, a split second from the GF. We have a great squad and too many backs to make a static 17.

What are your thoughts.......


23 Ben Barba/1 Jonny Lomax
2 Tommy Makinson
3 Ryan Morgan
4 Mark Percival
19 Regan Grace
6 Theo Fages
7 Matty Smith
8 Alex Walmsley
9 James Roby
10 Kyle Amor
11 Zeb Taia
12 Jon Wilkin
13 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook
14 Luke Douglas
15 Morgan Knowles
16 Luke Thompson
17 Dominique Peyroux

5 Adam Swift
18 Danny Richardson

20 Matty Lees
21 Jack Ashworth
22 Jake Spedding
24 James Bentley
25 Aaron Smith
26 Liam Cooper
27 Ben Morris
28 Josh Eaves
29 Rob Fairclough
30 Matthew Costello

1. Barba
2. Makinson
3. Morgan
4. Percival
5. Grace - I'm still not 100% sure on Grace. There's something about him that I don't like but I can't quite put my finger on it.
6. Fages
7. Richardson - I think Smith will start the season but Richardson come in eventually.
8. Douglas - see Amor
9. Roby
10. Amor - think he's a better starting prop than off the bench
11. Taia - needs to play left side
12. Wilkin - keep him away from the middle and let him play as a second row should
13. Knowles

14. Walmsley
15. Thompson
16. Peyroux
17. Lomax

Bentley, Richardson, Ashworth, Lees, Swift to come in.

To start the season:

Barba
Makinson Morgan Percival Grace
Lomax Richardson
Douglas Roby Thompson
Taia Peyroux
Knowles

Fages Wilkin Amor Walmsley

Hopefully we will also see some of the kids like Bentley and Ashworth stepping up, and along with Smith, Swift and Smith add some real competition for places in the team above. The team isn't perfect but there's lots of positives for next season

Does everyone think that Smith isn't going to do it for us? He had some pretty up and down games last season.

For me there are three questions which need answering.

1) What do we do with Lomax?

Barba is clearly a better fullback, and has to play there, but where does that leave Lomax? See next question.

2) What's our halves combination?

Unusually for a Saints team which normally goes into the season light on halves, we're 'blessed' with four first-team halves this year. Smith and Lomax offer - allegedly - stability and experience. Richardson and Fages offer speed and inventiveness. I suspect the tendency will be to play one of each pair. However, with a lot of salary cap involved, it's wasteful to have two first-teamers sitting out each week, and as Barba and Wilkin can cover the halves in an injury emergency, I can't see that situation persisting. I personally think all great teams have a steady half-back combination, so would resist chopping and changing. I'd go for Richardson and Fages, because we've seen what Smith and Lomax can do, and it's limited. Richardson and Fages have potential to become quite exciting.

3) Who's going to replace Wilkin in the pack?

I'm in no way as critical of Wilkin as many are, and I hope that he could give us one more season as an out-and-out second row before retiring on a Grand Final win. Will Bentley - who comes with great expectations - fill his boots by playing an understudy role this year, or will Peyroux get some glue on his hands and seize his chance?

Halves combination is key, but as ever, experience helps and we never know what the injury toll will be.

Lomax isnt a half, even though we long for him to be. The sad fact is, he is now surplus to requirements.

Richardson and Fages have to be our halfbacks.

I would also like to see Bentley given game time.

Regards

King james

I reckon Holbrook will look at a Lomax/Richardson combination with Fages on the bench to spell Roby and Lomax so they don't have to play the full 80 mins. If Matty Smith is the same as last season then no place for him until we pick up injuries.