Simply not good enough

[Router1977]

With tonights game now confined to the history books, so what have we learnt....
1) The lack of big game mentality and mind set still exists.
2) Man for man not as good as the opposition.
3) The spine of the team not at the same level of the opposition and the 2017 squad.
4) The winning formula and togetherness that was the 2017 squad is not evident.
5) Recruitment in key positions poor when previous quality players have left the club.
6) We have not hammered a team since Leeds in 2017 at home.
7) Saints where white hot tonight and Cas did not turn up so always a mismatch.

On this performance it seems we are still missing the right formula. Has winning 4 out of 4 hidden bigger flaws in our setup which was highlighted tonight......

When did our half backs last make a clean break and score from it?
Is Peanut any better than Turner? I agree that he is steady under the high ball but does he do enough in the attacking line......

The golden ticket was Zak. He set the line and dictated the play along with Gale which set the platform for the forwards to make the yards.

Did Powell really want to loose Zak? If the truth is known I think he would have given him one last chance after serving his ban. Its amazing that since we have not had Zak in our line up, we have struggled to be ruthless in attack and defence.

I know that nothing is won in March but we said that last year and look what happened in the Semi Final......

Whatever the answer, then it needs fixing up and fast.

[RonnieGibbs'forearm]

Plenty of good points. The Matautia point is interesting. He is a solid fb and I like him. Definitely better than Turner but does he do enough in attack? Is it the halves that cause the issue? Not sure.

[nottinghamtiger]

We need to realise that however good Hardaker was in 2017, he spent his drugs ban developing a dependency on alcohol (and probably other substances too). He was never, ever going to return to the game and repeat his 2017 form. He’s already proven that he hasn’t changed and he just can’t resist pressing that big red button labelled “self destruct”.
At the moment, I’d take Mata’utia over Hardaker.
Losing Gale has been tough, but it’s just sport.
I do think we’re missing a couple of players. If we have the cash, I’d be looking to try and prise Hastings from Salford and use Rankin as a utility player. There’s the centre issue, but I get the feeling we are making do until we can sign Minns.
PS - When was the last time one of our halves made a break and scored? I’d say Trueman’s try late in that game!

[gateman]

on tonight's showing Saints could have beat any team here or abroad, they were hungry for the ball all big men running at pace I don't think one of there passes whet astray we gifted some ball that on a normal day we would not have done, we were easily 2ND best , saying that with the quality saints have in there ranks how they keep below the salary cap is beyond me

[flow]

[quote="gateman"]on tonight's showing Saints could have beat any team here or abroad, they were hungry for the ball all big men running at pace I don't think one of there passes whet astray we gifted some ball that on a normal day we would not have done, we were easily 2ND best , saying that with the quality saints have in there ranks how they keep below the salary cap is beyond me[/quote

cas could do same with marqee players alounce but we go for massive squad with out much quality past starting 15

[gateman]

Fiow one thing missing at CAS IS ££££££££££££££££££££, Saints have a millionaire backer a new stadium with corporate facilities plus bigger gates

[RonnieGibbs'forearm]

When you hear the rumours of the salaries of some of directors it makes no wonder we are not in a position to pay for top class players. If we want to compete for silverware we must have a replacement for Gale and a centre.

[old cas lass]

Fiow one thing missing at CAS IS ££££££££££££££££££££, Saints have a millionaire backer a new stadium with corporate facilities plus bigger gates

So how did we manage it in 2017.

[dancas88]

Something needs to change if we are unable to bring a centre in. As good as peanut has been at full back he could sort our centre problem out if turner is ready. Until we able to bring a centre in at least. Having said all that the amount of tackles we dropped off last night just isn't good enough and no centre in the world would sort that out

[derbystiger]

Fiow one thing missing at CAS IS ££££££££££££££££££££, Saints have a millionaire backer a new stadium with corporate facilities plus bigger gates

So how did we manage it in 2017.

We spent 150 grand for a quality player - he was the difference

[HuddsTigers]

Fiow one thing missing at CAS IS ££££££££££££££££££££, Saints have a millionaire backer a new stadium with corporate facilities plus bigger gates

So how did we manage it in 2017.

We spent 150 grand for a quality player - he was the difference

Which came from a court case and recompense for a winger that left.

[Casmania]

Saints have huge debts, mainly accrued due to the new stadium. In addition they have made significant losses wheras we have made a significant profit.
The salary cap is covered by central funding, hence the more level playing field. Marquee players are in addition.

[fords]

When you hear the rumours of the salaries of some of directors it makes no wonder we are not in a position to pay for top class players. If we want to compete for silverware we must have a replacement for Gale and a centre.

Roberts money should be spent on Hastings (23). Him and trueman (19) were set for many years to come.

Get rid of Maher, Ellis, Aston, Egodo and bring in a centre and a winger if possible or even just a top class winger (have we signed Lineham ?. Could look something like

Turner
Lineham
PM
Shenton
Eden
Hastings
Trueman

[old cas lass]

Fiow one thing missing at CAS IS ££££££££££££££££££££, Saints have a millionaire backer a new stadium with corporate facilities plus bigger gates

So how did we manage it in 2017.

We spent 150 grand for a quality player - he was the difference

So one man does make a team.

Tbh I believe myself that losing hardacre as put us back 2/3 years.
He made hell of a difference, especially in attack.
Doubt we’ll ever get back to the champagne rugby of 2017, just glad I was alive to see it.

[derbystiger]

Fiow one thing missing at CAS IS ££££££££££££££££££££, Saints have a millionaire backer a new stadium with corporate facilities plus bigger gates

So how did we manage it in 2017.

We spent 150 grand for a quality player - he was the difference

So one man does make a team.

Tbh I believe myself that losing hardacre as put us back 2/3 years.
He made hell of a difference, especially in attack.
Doubt we’ll ever get back to the champagne rugby of 2017, just glad I was alive to see it.

I’m with you OCL, losing Zak has put us back a few years. One or two world class players in a solid squad do make the difference. Like him or loathe him, Zak was world class that year for us.

[HuddsTigers]

Losing Zak makes no difference to our ability to defend.

We have gone from having a right edge of Minikin, Webster, Roberts and McMeeken to Minikin, Foster, Rankin and Holmes.

A Minikin who is a shadow of the 2017 player, his confidence looks shot. Foster who isn’t a centre, Rankin who is half decent but not as defensively solid as Roberts and Holmes who doesn’t look fit and isn’t a right edge player.

A full back can only do so much - it’s the 12 in front that are the problem. Even the best full back in the world wouldn’t have altered that last night.

[old cas lass]

Losing Zak makes no difference to our ability to defend.

We have gone from having a right edge of Minikin, Webster, Roberts and McMeeken to Minikin, Foster, Rankin and Holmes.

A Minikin who is a shadow of the 2017 player, his confidence looks shot. Foster who isn’t a centre, Rankin who is half decent but not as defensively solid as Roberts and Holmes who doesn’t look fit and isn’t a right edge player.

A full back can only do so much - it’s the 12 in front that are the problem. Even the best full back in the world wouldn’t have altered that last night.

Sorry hudds I disagree.
Hardaker was the master of organising our defence and what was infront of him.
He read the game like a book.

Not saying we would of won last night with hardaker, but I think our defence would have been more organised.

[derbystiger]

Losing Zak makes no difference to our ability to defend.

Come on Hudds, you can’t really believe that it makes no difference? Yes, we had better players on the right, but Zak organised everything from the back. He was constantly marshalling his players and putting them where they needed to be. He did make a difference.

[fords]

Losing Zak makes no difference to our ability to defend.

We have gone from having a right edge of Minikin, Webster, Roberts and McMeeken to Minikin, Foster, Rankin and Holmes.

A Minikin who is a shadow of the 2017 player, his confidence looks shot. Foster who isn’t a centre, Rankin who is half decent but not as defensively solid as Roberts and Holmes who doesn’t look fit and isn’t a right edge player.

A full back can only do so much - it’s the 12 in front that are the problem. Even the best full back in the world wouldn’t have altered that last night.

Sorry hudds I disagree.
Hardaker was the master of organising our defence and what was infront of him.
He read the game like a book.

Not saying we would of won last night with hardaker, but I think our defence would have been more organised.

yes but the players in front of him still have to tackle. Which in 2019 they seem to have lost the ability to do so.

[HuddsTigers]

That’s what forums are for. But look at the Hardaker at Wigan now. That’s what we would have had, had he wanted to stay.

When Lomax and Taia are running over the top of your right edge from five yards out because they don’t move, I don’t think any full back could have saved or organised that. It’s just rank bad defending. Also a problem that has been flagged several times that other than Milner (who misses more than he hits, and when he does hit we usually get penalised) we have no line speed, nothing. No one wants to attack the attacker in defence.

Compare Saints to us last night again - they were up and at us, in our faces.