Wellens

Makinson

Shenton

Meli

Foster

Leon

Lomax

Perry

Roby

Graham

Wilkin

Flannery

TP



Subs

Sia

LMS

Clough

Wheeler

Ok Pete, I'm going to challenge that. I don't think Leon is important to what Saints do and win. The fact we are only 2 points of the lead this year shows that. Also since Leon came to Saints, we have had a noticable drop in our creative play and this has been our driest spell trophy wise for some years.



Now I'm not laying this all at Leon's door, but I just don't think he is as critical as people make out. He is stunning when on form, but how many key games has he played in where we have seen that stunning ability. I like Leon, but I just think we lose more playing him than we gain. We get some more of what Lomax and Roby already provide. Roby provides those strong quick darts from dummy half and Lomax attacks the line just as well. If we did not have one or the other of these 2 playing then Leon would walk straight into any side. However, given a fit roby and Lomax, what we need is a strong kicking game IMHO. This is something Leon does not provide. It's not just Gaskell and Wheelers kicks are long, on the whole they generally find terra firma and give the chasing pack real oppertunities to pin their opponent back. On the odd occasion Leon will give a booming 40/20, but so can Wilkin and even Roby. Getting Wheeler and Gaskell to try this would not take much.



Any way that's why I have opted to leave out Leon.

That could be something to do with the fact that Pryce has been playing first grade for donkey's years whereas Gaskell has only just begun? I'm sure they will play second phase in the u20s too, but not at the same pace with the same demands and skill level required for first grade.



I don't understand why some fans compare experienced, international level players with newbies. Gets on my boobies, it does.

Oooh. That's risky!







I don't understand your point about creative play. Could you expand on that? I mean, I don't understand why Leon's arrival and a drop in creative play (whatever you mean by 'creative play') are in some way linked.





I think back to the 2010 season and we looked 100% better with him in our team. He also came up with some intelligent play: I can still see his solo try from the scrum against Wigan, which undoubtedly helped us to win that match. I thought he was brilliant last season, stepping out from under the shadow of Longy, and I was very much looking forward to seeing him kick on this season given that he would be the senior halfback. That we have continued so well without him is in part down to the quality of youth we have (thanks in part to the quality of youth coaches we have), in part to the quality of senior coaching staff we have and in part thanks to the commitment of the senior players. Remember, prior to his injury, Wello had been asked by Simmons to chime in as a third halfback in order to assist Lomaskell. Their success in that partnership was a team effort, not simply down to them. They were too inexperienced to be thrown in without on field support. Leon does not need that kind of on field support. We have desperately missed his experience and leadership at halfback.



I would have picked Leon in my own team if I was convinced he would actually be fit enough to return to the field but I'm not convinced. If he does become fit enough to return, one thing I would do is rotate him in some way with Gaskell because I don't think Gaskell should lose out on the experience he has been gaining at first grade this season. He needs to have the opportunity to build on that experience.

I think Leon is the sort of player that can break games for us. In tight games he can split a defence and we not got anyone else IMO who can do that.



That's why he's so important IMO.

I'd be happy with Pryce slotting into the wing or centre, allowing Lomaskell to continue as our half back partnership for the season.

Anyone who thinks Gaskell is on the same planet as Leon at the moment is deluded. We are going to win nothing for 2 or 3 years with Gaskell at half back. It would be far better to resign Leon, provided he can get over his current injury as we would have the short term quality we need to be competitive in Pryce and Lance and also the long term sorted with Gaskell and Lomax.

Well obviously. Gaskell has only just started out. That doesn't mean he won't develop rapidly. Look at Foster. He has developed at an incredible pace. Granted, both of the halfback positions are harder than the wing but the principle remains the same.

I agree mate, I honestly believe that Leon could be the difference between us winning a cup or not this year.

There has been an ominous silence since Pryce had his scan last Monday.

It's been confirmed.





















He's pregnant.