I'm a Saints fan and I would agree that at present your backs are better than ours. I'd take Briscoe over Meli & Gardner and like Yeaman. Turner will improve us as he'll provide something we lack - pace! Shenton has been affected by his injury suffered in teh GF and isn't the same player at the minute and Wellens divides opinions amongst Saints fans never mind opposition....I still rate him though!

Ellis was not brought in as a replacement for Manu....clearly the club had planned to keep both, so it is a blow for the club

He hurt his arm??!! Has this affected his pace??

If it had been a knee injury for example, then they can be hard to come back from, but dont think arm injuries can have the same excuse. I think he is a pretty average centre and never seen the hype with him

Like i said, its some peoples natural reaction to down play some ones ability and importance once it looks like they are going.
Still not official yet though, so fingers crossed.

tell that to Kosh

he has just moved the goal posts to suit his point. ellis was clearly brought in as an addition to the squad not as a replacement for Manu. Plus we aint won anything with Willi in the side so feck him lets get rid!!

I think we're getting hung up on the semantics here. It's clearly a disappointment for the club and will require some replanning of our recruitment and retention. He'll be difficult if not impossible to replace like-for-like so that may mean changing the planned composition of the squad to compensate. Given that we have plenty of time and - apparently - cash to spend on fixing things I don't consider it a blow. I have confidence that the people in charge will still come up with a [iteam[/i that will be as capable of challenging with or without Manu in it.

The way some folk are going on (not necessarily you BTW) you'd think that this has completely torpedoed any chance of us winning anything in the next decade or so.

Give it a few months and it will be another RLfans myth that we released Manu in order to sign Ellis. Fact.

We have done everything to keep him, 3 year deal on a good wage. He wants go, that's up to him. Dissapointed, but that's sport.

Still missing the point I see.

Never mind - you go ahead writing us off because one player has left.

Got to admit some of the feck him posts have really shocked me...
He will be a massive loss no doubts, both Ellis & Manu would have been a spectacle to watch and clearly AP, Gentle & Bomber felt the same, hence improved offers etc...
However what is done is done, hopefully some good will come out of the cash available.

It really won't.

Why? He's decided he doesn't want to play for us any more so why should anyone give a flying one about him? In fact I'm surprised that those who seem to think it's a huge blow for the club aren't more angry with him TBH.

Its all well and good drawing in 3/4 men but theres no benefit if he's wrapped up and doesn't get the off load out.

I've said before that the better teams know how to mark Manu out of the game by doubling up on him, it was more noticable when all our plays were down the left or we played the set move "give it to manu we haven't got a clue".

Good player but we can move on, as others have alluded to plenty of other teams have won stuff without him so theres no reason why we can't.

Granted I haven't read all 77 pages but the strongest comment I've seen (that still comes nowhere near what you've said above) is that it would be a blow to lose one of our best players.

Lets hope the same vitriol is aimed at Briscoe then when he goes

He dislocated his elbow...

Oh dear...

we've already got people saying we replaced Manu with Ellis. Including you.

Likewise I haven't seen any comments that come close to your assertion that his leaving is being played down. And I [ihave[/i read all 77 pages. Like I said elsewhere, maybe people are getting hung up on semantics.

Dislocated elbow, he's never been lighting fast and what pace he has isn't the issue. his confidence is shot and he's not comfortable yet with the arm - Cunningham had the same injury and for 12 months was a shadow of the player he was, he was able to adapt his game though...i'm not convinced Shenton can.

Apologies for derailing what is a Manu thread!

In the literal sense we have. At no point have I even suggested that was the intention.

He goes with my best wishes, been superb for us. I won't be saying f**k him or playing down.his importance. I'm sure Ellis expected people like Manu to be here too.

The club have done their best but maybe he wants a new challenge for 2 years.

Depends how and when he leaves. If he doesn't see out the remainder of his contract I certainly won't be wishing him well, for instance.

But then I'm a vindictive old git.

Who is writing us off?? i think you were the one who said we had won nowt with Manu in the side!
I am hugely disapointed that we look like we are going to lose a player of Manu's quality to one of our rivals, i am not angry with the club at all they have done all they can. I am mystified by the players decision.
The thought of him and Ellis in the same side was a mouth watering prospect to say the least and would have being one of the cogs to take us to the next level and to compete with the best.
It just suprises and amuses me how people can say this is not a 'blow' to the club.
Lets hope with the signing of Ellis we can attract other top players for next season.