That Saints Pod 2025 Episode 11

🎙 That Saints Pod – Episode 11
Hosts: Graham, Darren, Ste O
Special Guest: Ste B
In this week’s episode of That Saints Pod, Graham, Darren, and Ste O are joined by a familiar voice — Ste B — who jumps on board for a guest appearance packed with insight and passion. The team unpacks St. Helens’ last two matches, starting with the gritty 6-0 away win at Leeds, where defense reigned supreme and resilience was the word of the day. Then it's over to the home defeat against Leigh Leopards, as the panel debates what went wrong, from discipline to decision-making, and whether Saints are struggling to find consistency. Expect honest opinions, a few laughs, and plenty of Saints passion as the lads break down the talking points, key moments, and what’s next for the Red V.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello, I'm Graham Connory fan. Welcome to that Saints podcast.
Well it's the hope that gets you. We're back. We're back.
Join us for some counseling and a couple of bits.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Come on, nice.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
John, John.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Lack that sticker?

Speaker 4 (00:25):
What it's going to the screen?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
What's he going Foray?

Speaker 4 (00:31):
He's trying to keep the score out. Well, here we are.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Who's with us to talk this through? Stay offers back?

Speaker 4 (00:39):
How Steve.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Good God, good to see you back. Darren Rigsby. Darren
Rigby is with us.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Hello, good evening, nice to see you.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
And a couple of holidays and a couple of lads
on shifts. So where we've drafted in a guest. The
man is responsible for everything. He's responsible for all being
involved in podcasting. Steve Beach, how are you mate?

Speaker 5 (00:59):
I'm gonna changing them to John Bennison. I'll forget a
little bit more time that John Benison gets the bitch.

Speaker 4 (01:08):
I'm doing fine, tanks claiming every week and it's been absolutely.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Super We're doing our best. We're doing our best in
trying circumstances I think, which we'll try again.

Speaker 4 (01:20):
A bit later. But let's go back.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Let's go back a few weeks we were in can
I say optimistic mood? Last time we had we've done
three on the bounce. It wasn't going too badly and
we were looking forward to Leeds away which was a
bit of a strange game or just just for the
just for the fact, for the match it was Leeds
Neil Saints six try from Owen Dagnall and a penalty

(01:43):
go from Johnny Lomax.

Speaker 4 (01:45):
And not much else to report that we won six.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
It was a brilliant.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah, but again, I mean a lot of the attacking
issues that were show most of the season was only
evidence in that one was that one moment of class
from Dad Noll and that was really what de sided
the game.

Speaker 4 (02:04):
Yeah, yeah, Darren, do you think be your thoughts?

Speaker 3 (02:07):
I thought it was gritty and dogged. I don't leads.
Leads weren't great. They made a lot of a lot
of errors, they didn't certainly capitalize on them. But Saints, Yeah,
I thought that the defense was absolutely fantastic, absolutely superb.
But you know, like you said before, the one try

(02:30):
and the lack of other chances has been a running
theme through twenty twenty five. So but yeah, good, good
result away from Leeds. You know, it's always yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
I think the last last show we were discussing the
fact that ayman O Carol a Peace who's done a
bit of a stella job on the defense. We can't
really complain about that. We look solid even though we've
got so many changes all the time, we still defend
pretty well.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's keeping it being games most of the time, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah? At yeah, yeah, stay Steve, what were your thoughts
on this one?

Speaker 5 (03:04):
To be honest, they came came to that game off
the back of the whole winner and it was a
similar sort of sort of resilience as it were, and
as the lads have said, they defended really really well Leeds. Though,
considering that we turned them over at Totally Wicked a
few weeks before, you would have thought they'd have.

Speaker 4 (03:23):
Come chatting out the blocks to beat Okay, was it
really honest? So on the back of that, it was
it was full. You know, it's a really big crowd.

Speaker 5 (03:35):
You know, it was from sales point of view, you know,
it was that was the massive positive positive. The downside
is obviously is not being able to get more points
on the board, and that's obviously the themes that's run
through the last couple of seasons, really haven't they.

Speaker 4 (03:50):
Well, it's becoming it.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
It's becoming a serious problem at the moment because if
we can't you know some of the if you're going
to concede a couple of tries, we're not going to
win a game, are we current right?

Speaker 3 (03:59):
I think the induction of and By and Lomax in
our arms it just massively slows us down. But I
think at the moment that seems to be the tactics
whereby we Hadham at Hull it worked.

Speaker 4 (04:13):
You know.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Then Wellens is saying, well, we can't change a winning team,
which you're like, Okay, we go to Leeds it works again.
You know, we win there. But if it wasn't for
Sailor and Dagnoll, I think we would have been probably
struggling because that ball out from Sailor for missing out
the player, I think it was Ryan Hall around he ran,

(04:36):
he ran out around the back pass and Dagnall he
had two or three men to beat the absolutely fantastic
young kid that he is. He's going to be, you know,
the next sort of Percival. I think for what I liked.

Speaker 5 (04:50):
About that was the fact that he didn't just go
for the corner. He spawned because he knew yeah, yes.

Speaker 4 (04:56):
He spun and got down.

Speaker 5 (04:59):
The other thing from that game particularly was match Lee's
an absolute blinder he did.

Speaker 4 (05:04):
The other was Morgan Knowles. I thought that that sort
of game Morgan note the old Morgan Knowles, but.

Speaker 5 (05:12):
It gives away so many pallets for just charging in
and you know, with shoulder charges or head tattles or
what have you know, because he wants to dominate. But
he was so sort of controlled. It's probably one of
the best game to have.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
To be fair to Morgan, he could easily have put
the top back on the pen this season because he's
got that Australia deal in his back pocket. But he's
given his given his chair. He's been one of the
better players in every single game.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
Less not Morgan Knowles for everything else he is. He's
a great professional, is the very consistent performer. I think
those two that you mentioned and Knowles, the performance kind
of sub up the team because they're really really good
defensively and workout putting like what fifty odd tackles in
that game, but they're attacking out put his basically zero

(06:01):
LEEZ gets about fifty meters a game, which is it's
not great? Is it?

Speaker 4 (06:06):
That's not great?

Speaker 2 (06:07):
So we need more from I think an attack, but
defensively I.

Speaker 3 (06:10):
Think they both played eighteen minutes as well, didn't they?

Speaker 2 (06:14):
That game is a massive, huge.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
Another another player that I thought did really well because
we had what's his name, Daryl Clark went off with
a head injury.

Speaker 1 (06:27):
I think he got a smashed elbow in the face
of a legskin attack on.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
So I thought Burns coming on did an absolutely sterling
job till then he got a knock and I think
was it Wingfield that came on you? So from from
that point of view, when you look at what we had,
well what the coaching staff had to deal with on
the pitch, I thought, you know, to get a win,

(06:53):
no matter whether it was six points, two points, whatever
it was, I thought it was it was a good
result and I couldn't really grumble at it too much.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
There was significant disruption in the game, to be fair,
and that we relied on the defense to to to
win the game effectively.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
Well, it's a great result because I wasn't in that game.
I wasn't very confidence about being leads. They were on
fire with you Warrington and okay before that, so I
was thinking we could be a bit of bother it,
but the defense was was so good that we managed
to scrape through.

Speaker 4 (07:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
I don't think anybody in the ill leads for a
long time.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
Huge in the in the context of the playoffs and
getting in that top six.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
Yeah, fair comment comment which gave us a little bit
more optimism for the For the visit of the League
Leopards last Thursday night, well hm hmm, let's put it
into context. They haven't won, they haven't won this century. Apparently.
It's forty three visits for forty three years apparently. But

(07:57):
what what what a time to potentially throw in arguably
your worst performance of the season. Do we think it
was that bad or the worst one?

Speaker 3 (08:07):
On top of my head, it was very poor and
I'm trying to think that some of them Warrington games
were poor as well, but maybe that's just because it
was Warrington.

Speaker 5 (08:17):
Yeah, wasn't some of that down to obviously having to
read Jake because of obviously from my nine pointed we didn't.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
Have a number nine.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
We wield me again.

Speaker 5 (08:28):
Yeah, yeah, you would have hoped, you know that you
might have been able to get one, Well, we had
we had.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
No hookers available.

Speaker 2 (08:34):
Yeah, James Bell was named in the twenty one and
was not.

Speaker 1 (08:38):
Played in the reserves on the weekend, so he.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
Maybe could have been and a makeshift nine straight.

Speaker 5 (08:45):
I think I was watched the week before, do you
know it was there was the Billy Boston and it
was showing you the crowd, and it panned across the
crowd and this guy turned around and that's Bell and
I got a photo. I'll show you later on time.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
What's Jim Bolder?

Speaker 1 (09:02):
And when I say, well, you do see a few
players in different games, don't you, But.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
It was.

Speaker 4 (09:10):
Yeah, you think obviously was missing person. Percy was a
big miss.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
Well, Percy came back for the Leeds game and then
he was missing again, didn't he?

Speaker 4 (09:19):
He personal played.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
I was his come back game, and and then he
got some sort of knock.

Speaker 5 (09:24):
He ended up in hospital on the drip. What happened
apparently was I don't know whether it's an infection or whatever.
Would whether it's because it was quite that leads game.
If it was really odd that that he knew that weekend.

Speaker 2 (09:38):
And he ended up in hospital, and it's a bit worrying.

Speaker 3 (09:40):
Yeah, they've had they've had a little baby as well,
so maybe he's just on two weeks.

Speaker 6 (09:46):
Maybe you're giving him paternity possibly, Yeah, I think it
was disrupt him from that point, so that certainly didn't
help going in against the team another team, well.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
Let's let's let's look at the well Lee have been
playing very well, because haven't they. They've just come off
the back of beating Wigan and.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
All, yeah, begin everyone's beating them these days.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Had his own team teams, end of the day, team
selection and bench selection for this league game. But that
was a bit it was a bit mind boggling for me.

Speaker 2 (10:22):
It was more muddle thinking when we go back to
the the inter game at Magic when the team selection
was like we were all scratching our heads because he
had low maps on the bench and then he pulled
better than off after that for an hour and he's
not played since I don't think it was the name
for this one, we didn't get on.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
It was another strange one because at the end of
the game Benson as a sub hadn't gone on and
young Cowan who was making his debut, got by my
reckon at seventy five seconds.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
Especially, we were playing with fifteen players in the rotation.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
And we lotched the head and a head knock with
and By in the first half, so we're playing with
Baly fourteen players.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
Then we had fifty because we had two subs available
to film, and then gets brought away, gets brought on
and doesn't get a scrumb off.

Speaker 4 (11:07):
It's it's for me, for me.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
I think, Wellen's got this absolutely terribly wrong. The you
were mentioned there about hookers before m By can play hooker,
so put him at nine. You've then got Whitby, who
can come in at seven, less destruction people playing in
you know, well, certainly Whitby is playing his preferred place instead.

(11:33):
You've got two backs on the bench. You've got Parsi
and Cohen on the bench. And like you said, their game,
we were only rotating two of them, and Whitby only
came on because better m By got a knock. And
you know I jotted down before when the day after
we played the the reserves game, and in the reserves

(11:56):
team had Hurl, Bachelor, Bell and again, so obviously that
like two of them, Bachelor and Bell quite easily could
have come on that bench.

Speaker 1 (12:07):
For thirty six hours later they're playing.

Speaker 3 (12:10):
The playing the playing on the you know, on the pitch,
hrrle if we was shrugging for a center. Put him in.
See how he does because at the end of the day,
he's playing the next day. And I do not understand
why we've got the Benison didn't even come on. It's
a wasted sub. It's it's hot, it's humid, and it's

(12:31):
intense against Lee and then forwards. I'm going to applaud
them all again, apart from Parsi, because I think Parsy
was pants. You know, I think meters, yeah, not many,
twenty six meters apparently in a game, and Cohen came

(12:52):
on for ninety seconds and made thirteen, So you know
that that in itself, But do you know, as a
young lad like Cohen, everyone wants to make make your
debut and do as best as you can. The poor
lad has made his debut in the last two minutes
of a horrible game. What the hell is Wellans doing? Why? Why?

(13:15):
Why put that young lad in that position? You either
say you'd either say I'm sorry, mate, this is not
the time for you to bring you on, and I'm
going to keep you off. There's no point, there's no
point in putting him on. It's it's ridiculous. And this
is this is my frustration with Wells again. It's like, well,
you know, one step forward, were two steps back now.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
But everybody's rotating the forwards with most teams have minimum
three forward on the bench and they're rotating the forwards.

Speaker 4 (13:41):
We're hammering ours.

Speaker 3 (13:44):
It's only going to come, you know, bad, at the
end of the season when we're trying to compete for
the playoffs and everyone else has been rotating, rotating, and
we have been absolutely flogging them, and we'll be goosed,
will be goosed again.

Speaker 1 (13:57):
This is the problem that's the season has happened effective.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
But we don't have to, is my point, because we've
got these players who are playing in the reserves. The
next day, put them on the bench and make them
earn the money.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
But we've got just the facts of the game. It
finished Lee sixteen Saints four. We've got to try it
from Harry Robertson literally in the last the last player
of the game. And if that had happened, the Charlie
hadn't made that mistake on the drop ball in the
last minute, we'd have been nilled at home by Lee,
who weren't great and they were given basically two soft tries.

Speaker 4 (14:28):
In my view, that would have been first time in
Super League that would have been at all.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
We haven't been at all but ten years since Theatos
game Y Girl turned up.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
I think we were nilled. We were nilled last year
against Wigan in the Magic Weekend. I think.

Speaker 4 (14:47):
We've nil at all. Put it. Put it again. The
defense actually wasn't that bad.

Speaker 3 (14:55):
It wasn't until we got tired, and we got tired
because we're not rotating our players enough. And it's catch
twenty two, isn't it if you don't rotate your players,
especially forwards, you know parts He missed that tackle where
he got the first try and then the second try.
Felt went up for the ball and knocked on And
to be fair, I thought Felt had a terrible game.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
It was he was.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
Awful in this game.

Speaker 4 (15:18):
I think it on his hands on admit that.

Speaker 3 (15:20):
But everyone makes mistakes, and.

Speaker 4 (15:24):
Yeah, do you think it's one of them? Do you
think it's one of those?

Speaker 5 (15:28):
With being a you know, sort of a season professional,
he's got to take more on.

Speaker 4 (15:34):
It's shuretless type.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
I think, to be fair, to be fair to him,
he was out for ten weeks, whether whether that's his
fault and half fault or it's just one of those things.
He was out for ten weeks and he's got to
make he's got to get into the game again. I
think he only had one one game before this one
since he came back one and a half maybe, And.

Speaker 2 (15:53):
He's a winger and he's basically playing fullback because he
defuses everything, doesn't he.

Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah, generally he's been very he's been very good.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
He's been very good. But I think in this game
he made four crucial errors. There was one he did
a he took a player off the ball, which resulted
in them getting to two points. I think from the penalty.
May be wrong with that because I I can't remember
whether he kicked it or not. He he didn't take
a ball, which meant Sailor got pinned behind the beyond

(16:24):
the goal post because he didn't catch it. He did
a dropout and it went out on the fall, so
they got a penalty in front and then they kicked
two points from that and then he and then he
knocked on at the end for them to score that
what what was the winning try? So for me, felt
was really poor in that game, but everyone else, and

(16:48):
I do like felt as a player.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
I don't think he's I don't think he's had many
bad the game bad games, But I think more concern
to me watching it and sitting there so founded by
found initially and by by seventeen minutes I was. I
felt like I was on my own world. What people
had laid off park parking, Parking was behind me with

(17:10):
a big, big chestick cat on his face. We never
looked like scoring. I don't I can't remember a break.
I can't remember making a break.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
I think the first twenty minutes it was pretty nip
and tuck, and we we had a lot of possession
on Lee's line.

Speaker 7 (17:27):
And then.

Speaker 3 (17:30):
But they were saying that the I can't think of
the forwards name. We had totally gone oh, delaying, delayey, delayey,
first ranging the ball up to what was nearly near
enough shoulder, which then obviously meant as soon as he
impacted it pops out. And I think that was the
turning point then for Lee. Then going right will bounce

(17:52):
up the other end.

Speaker 1 (17:52):
And when they looked pushing, they looked comfortable defending against us,
I thought, yeah they did. I don't think they were
concerned about we were going to do.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
It was just a test of physical stamina, wasn't it.
But I don't have to actually do anything, you know.

Speaker 1 (18:07):
I sat there thinking we were back to the bad
old days of five drives and a hoof yeah, because
there was not there were no more clever kicks.

Speaker 2 (18:15):
Or we just don't create anything. No, no, no. In
that game in particularly, we didn't create anything. We haven't
become a lot of points. When we went in the
whole game about thirty point the game we got six.
So we've we got like twenty three points in the
last three games.

Speaker 4 (18:32):
Disastrous.

Speaker 5 (18:33):
I think that times in the certainly in the early
in the second half, they just went into panic mode
and became very unstructured, and it was like they were
trying to play basketball stuff when there was no need
for that particular time. It was a bit too early
to try that sort of stuff. From a lead point
of view, the overseas players, you know.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
The island, they've made so fantastic, they've made some I
think we need a couple like that.

Speaker 5 (19:00):
And I was thinking the other day, I don't think
we've had anybody like that since will its allow that?

Speaker 2 (19:08):
Is it?

Speaker 1 (19:12):
Off top players top players them.

Speaker 3 (19:16):
Yeh, he's fantastic. He's fantastic and if they keep them
to be fit, you know, for the rest of the season.

Speaker 5 (19:26):
Yeah, they're going to be in with a real shelt
think Lock, Lock and Lambs terrific.

Speaker 4 (19:31):
He's coming into.

Speaker 1 (19:34):
Early and they've got this Gareth O'Brien is very steady
and what he does, and they've got that. The Hook
is a terrific player. Yeah, I love him.

Speaker 4 (19:42):
I hate him.

Speaker 1 (19:43):
He's Yeah, he's a.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
Bit for me some glortering areas, but it's a big impact.

Speaker 4 (19:49):
You just make a lot of impact.

Speaker 5 (19:52):
Yeah, so action, But it's I don't think, I mean,
there's as much as it was disappointing, I don't think
it was unexpected to a certain agree, was it. I mean,
I suppose the style of effort could have been better,
But at the end of the day, I suppose.

Speaker 1 (20:14):
It's another game against one of the top half teams
that we've lost, I think be in.

Speaker 2 (20:18):
Leeds though we might have been a bit more optimistic,
but that was obviously.

Speaker 7 (20:23):
Well yeah, I mean at it's not just the Yorkshire
version of us at the moment inconsistently, But if you
have to question that again, the team selection and the
tactics because we're pretty pretty quickly in that game we
were just five drives and a kick.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
I thought that the team selection was terrible. I just
don't know what. I just don't know what Wellons was thinking,
Like you alluded to before, the bench was a fast.
You know, you can't you can't hope to compete with
with Lee when you've you've got two backs on the bench,
and certainly not when you you know you're not rotating

(21:01):
the players even if you I don't know what the
tactic there was because for me, Benson's never getting on
that field terms of rotation.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
All we had was Parsy and warmly taking turns to do.

Speaker 3 (21:13):
But Parsy came on and he was blowing already, Yeah
he was. He was blowing. He was you know, he
was on his ounches and it's like, what the blood.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
You know, you've only just fifteen minutes.

Speaker 3 (21:25):
Fifteen minutes you don't make an impact.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
But now he's in the moment, he just looks like
Miles Off.

Speaker 4 (21:29):
It said that, Yeah, it's just it's a totally different player,
isn't he.

Speaker 1 (21:34):
But it comes back to this point that after the
four in a row, when we were thinking, are we
going to carry are we going to carry on with this?
Wolf had gone and we just carried on playing a
style of play that Wolf had initiated with what he'd got,
got the best out of it. But everybody, everybody knows
how to play against that now they no nobody, even

(21:55):
even the lesser teams are quite comfortable defending against it
because they know what they're going to yet.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
But we haven't got the players to do it as well.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
And I think that's what yeah, yeah, so if the
players can't play that, because that that relies on tremendous
defensive intensity eighty minutes solid, and we ain't got that.

Speaker 2 (22:14):
But also taking chances, creating chances, which we're not doing
clinical and we're not.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
Well Wellsby is a big loss in your attack. But
you know you've got you've got the sailor. But again, Whitby,
you know he's been dropped. He's been brought on because
and By got an injury.

Speaker 1 (22:33):
He wouldn't have been playing.

Speaker 3 (22:34):
He wouldn't have been playing, So it makes your question, well,
when would have he? When would have it's going to.

Speaker 1 (22:39):
Take him another games, which he's going to take him
three or four games, to get to get back into it.

Speaker 3 (22:45):
Yeah, Harry Robertson, give him the ball because he can
do stuff.

Speaker 1 (22:50):
But he's only getting the ball when he shoulder with
the winger on the touch line. Or you've got three defenders,
bang bash. You know it's coming back to slow halves exactly,
which is your first point ten minutes ago. If your
halves are too slow and there's no variety in the
in ther game, that's what defense is going to do
to you.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
You're just going to push away distribution from half as.

Speaker 1 (23:13):
Well some of the passing from that catching it above
your shoulders behind you. That slows everything down. You have
to wonder what they've been practicing sometimes.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
I'd like to think, though, that the plan was always
to put them by hooker at some point and bring
whip beyond well, I must have I don't know.

Speaker 1 (23:30):
It might not have been.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
Might No, I think I think it probably was. But
why not start and buy at hooker, start with being
the halves and even have wingfield if that's your preferred
persons coming at nine off the bench.

Speaker 5 (23:45):
Because last last week, when I knew those two Burns
and Clark Cloud were going to be out, I thought
straight away tonight and then get it's the least disruption
for starters.

Speaker 4 (23:58):
You know, you play your somebody who can play that.

Speaker 1 (24:01):
You've been your scrum half in a scrum half, and
you put long Max to standoff where he's been most
of the time.

Speaker 4 (24:08):
Because the other thing is that then you've got two
portent kickers on your side, don't Moses. And he went
to seven because of the h when we were going
fine with Whitby at seven.

Speaker 3 (24:20):
So but then, like you said before, Benison on the bench,
what's the point stick you've got? You know, Cohen fair enough,
get him on the bench, give him a chance, because
to tell you what, even in them two minutes, he
looked like he to go. And he's a big lad,
you know. And then even if you then put Bell
or bachelor in that in that mix and don't bother

(24:41):
with Benison because he's it's a pointless substitution, absolutely pointless
unless you think one of the wingers is carrying a
knock which about someone possibly, but who knows that. I
just don't. I just don't understand it at all. I
just don't understand what we were doing.

Speaker 2 (25:00):
I feel like something going on behind the scenes with
them too, because they both agreed to leave and go
to Hull as he written them off because he's just
not he doesn't seem to be wanted to use them
at all. And they're plenty good enough to be in
that square.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
Well, they're plenty good enough to be in that team.
Yeah the minute, Yeah, but I mean this is part
of the problem is going to come on to Now
every other team knows what they're doing next year, knows
who the coaches, knows what's happening. Fans are informed, they
know what the plan is. Even Castleford have just sat
the coach and told them what's happening. Our pr we

(25:33):
have nothing. We don't know anything that's happening. We don't
know who. We actually don't know who the coaches next
year because Paul Wellens his contract is.

Speaker 4 (25:40):
Up this year.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
I'm not convinced that they know though.

Speaker 1 (25:43):
Well, you might be right, but we've also got the secret.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
I just think the band going to clue.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
The two assistants have longer contracts on the coach, which
is bizarre to me and always was bizarre when when
it was first announced. We don't know who the players,
what players are we talking about? We were thinking of
signing who might be signing. There's no there's no gossips
and rulers, but he's on about wanting another contractor Cameron
now after the success he's he's not picked for the Origin.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
Played well the Origin game. That's it that transfers can transfer.

Speaker 3 (26:13):
There was an a the other day saying, you know,
he's sort of gone back on his word that he's
moving Super League because after a stellar performance in the
State of Origin and why you know, why would you.

Speaker 2 (26:25):
We've had we've had great Origin players before, well didn't
really work out.

Speaker 3 (26:29):
So like was an Origin player.

Speaker 1 (26:39):
Well Moses and apparently got a coaching John back home.

Speaker 4 (26:45):
I heard rumored, but I don't know whether that's so.

Speaker 3 (26:49):
We've got just we've got we've got major issues.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
We've got him as much, I don't think, because he's
not he's not all that is he But you're going
to replace him?

Speaker 1 (26:58):
But we know, But we also know that Bell Bachelor
and Knowle's definitely gone. Huddle cannot, under any circumstances, surely
be given a new deal. If and By has got
a coaching job, fair enough, good luck to him. There's
five that are in the arguably well Huddle and there
is an exception there's half a dozen of the younger

(27:21):
lads are off contracts.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
There will be thirty six, will.

Speaker 4 (27:25):
Be long watchill be thirty five and getting getting slower.
God love him.

Speaker 1 (27:30):
He still puts his efforts in and tackling, but it's probably.

Speaker 5 (27:34):
The Leeds game was probably one of his best games
he's and I think he was really reaved up, especially
when he asked the referee not to let the.

Speaker 2 (27:46):
I think he adds a lot defensively and in terms
of organization on the attack, maybe, but he doesn't got that.
But what.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
He's lost, his whatever pace he hard has gone, hasn't it?
But understanding that is a huge apping your squad. It's
a massive gap of squad and certainly if you're trying
to continue a run of success, it ain't going to
happen when you're losing that many in the squad.

Speaker 3 (28:11):
Well, the issue you got is as well is if
they're relying on some of these kids coming through, they're
not giving them a chance, as has proved versus Lee
when he's giving Cohen alluded to it before two minutes
on the pitch. If that you know you, I just yeah,
I used to think we would square one.

Speaker 4 (28:29):
We also used to think we're unlucky with injuries, but
we've had that many.

Speaker 3 (28:34):
But you're flogging players because flogging and flogging and flogging
the same place and lacked. And imagine you know, a
couple of weeks, God forbid you know someone like Alex
worms to get picks up an injury, because then we
are buggered. Then we are absolutely bogered.

Speaker 4 (28:50):
We've got now go forward in the fore.

Speaker 3 (28:52):
And and this is you know, you're quite right in
your statement there about just there's no pr Well, come on, Saints,
we said it before was the future vision of who
were signed.

Speaker 1 (29:06):
We know, we know that we've got some very good youngsters,
no problem. But six good youngsters out of a squad
that you need to say, twenty three twenty four is
not going to be enough.

Speaker 2 (29:19):
You can't there anywhere being the requires standard by next season.

Speaker 4 (29:23):
Probably not that isn't it's a balancing acting that.

Speaker 1 (29:27):
We're totally out of whacking in the squad, balance, aren't we?
Because I can't think.

Speaker 3 (29:33):
We've only had one player mentioned that apparently were signing
and now apparently that's not going as a question over that,
So who are we signing? Because I don't know, I
have not got Scooby Doo. I don't think anyone here
has a Scooby Doo.

Speaker 1 (29:46):
We were signing then there are normally some solid rumors
flying around this time here, but there aren't at the
moment's nothing.

Speaker 3 (29:53):
There's nothing, and you know it's it's worrying because aim
Manus came out the start of the season said, yes,
we've not spent the full salary cap this season, but
we will one we spend the full solar cap in
twenty twenty six. Well, they've got some work to do
to fill that solary cap because half and we're going.

Speaker 2 (30:10):
We're going to give PARSI rise.

Speaker 1 (30:13):
Respect up to the cap. Yeah, Mike Crush has got
to rise. Yeah, well has been giving a rise. But
it's almost, as I dare say, we're not. We're not
rewarding failure just yet. But there's an argument that we
have been.

Speaker 4 (30:27):
But I can't. My concern as a fan and I've
been oh God, now do this again.

Speaker 1 (30:34):
Now this is me. I'm sixty plus years of watching.
I don't see where we're going at the moment.

Speaker 3 (30:41):
I don't think anyone does great. I don't think anyone does.

Speaker 2 (30:44):
I don't think we're going to get to where we
need to be with this coach. I think now we
need to rebuild, but I think we need somebody else
to be in charge of the rebuild. I think the
best thing would be for him to season and then depart.

Speaker 3 (31:01):
But I have said this on previous shows Stee that
if we are in a rebuilding position and Wellens is
not going to be their next season, one or two
things has to happen. Either you go right, Wellens, there's
a two year deal, and now we start this rebuild
of getting a good team behind you. We're going to

(31:22):
give you the full cap because at the end of
the day, what other team that are challenging for trophies
and not spending the full salary cap. That's an argument
to well why you know, why aren't we spend the
full salary cap and why aren't we backing Wellons Because
it's that old thing of as a local lad, he'll
do his best. We'll, we'll, we'll, we'll try and save

(31:42):
save save there, or you say right, we're not having
Wellens next season. And for me that has to be
thank you very much for all you've done, Wellens. And
I know this is harsh because I love Wellons to
bits absolutely superb player. But I think that's got to
be now, you can't build for next season. Wellens is
still there, chicken egsit. So you've got to say, however

(32:07):
harsh it is if he's not going to be there
and we one, no, he's not going to be there
next season. If that's the case, then for me in
the next sort of month, you've got to say, thank
you very much, mister Wellens. We will pay you to
the end of the season. Breers, Oh, Carol, you are
running it to the end of the season, and then
whoever is taking over can then have a stamp on

(32:27):
who was signing for next season, because how can we
have a coach who we don't know is there next
year signing and potentially looking for players next season?

Speaker 2 (32:36):
Is that the reason we are we don't know who?
Possibly they don't.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
Club A club's argument to that would be, it's not
poss job to sign the players.

Speaker 4 (32:46):
It's possibly not.

Speaker 1 (32:47):
It's the German and.

Speaker 2 (32:49):
But local lads and the teams are well, you knowrouble
if that happens, I think, but.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
I think I think the issue there is it if
Paul Ones could turn around and say, well, they didn't
get me the players I wanted possibly I haven't been back.

Speaker 3 (33:07):
Yeah, because we've already been told they're not spending the
full solid cap. So if we're not spending some full
solid cap, like I said before, how can we hope
to challenge wigging whole k are And we're even going
to throw Lee into the mixed now, you know what
I mean? Because they were a top team and you
can't hope to compete against these teams, which we've not
done for the past twelve months because longer, arguably the

(33:30):
longer now we've not beat any of them. So how
can we compete?

Speaker 4 (33:34):
The question?

Speaker 3 (33:35):
The answer is we can't compete. So you know what
do we do now?

Speaker 2 (33:40):
Is it?

Speaker 3 (33:41):
Sorry, mister Wellens, that's it. We were now planning for
the future because for me, it has to be that
cutthroat because we'll be sitting here in twelve months time,
if Wellens has gone, we'll be still in the same
situation where we've not rebuilt. We need to start the
rebuild now, and I think I said that about two
months ago on this podcast and we're still in the
same possession.

Speaker 5 (34:01):
Is there a case of they should be looking over
Australia for you know, the assistant coaches, which we've We've
always had nine of them.

Speaker 4 (34:09):
We've had.

Speaker 1 (34:12):
Wolf Well, Daniel Anderson wasn't was he was he a
head coach when he came the Warriors.

Speaker 2 (34:18):
The other two were just assistance I think for the
game to say, and they were very successful.

Speaker 4 (34:25):
And you look at the ass model, isn't it. Yeah?

Speaker 5 (34:27):
You look at what they call it the is it
the guy at leads is it Brad tremendous job and
the guy the whole as well? One plat considering what
he was he was dealt at the beginning of the season.

Speaker 3 (34:40):
One coach certainly, which will be available from the end
of the season, will be the Solford coach. And I
tell you what, I tell you what give him what
he is.

Speaker 1 (34:50):
What he's done with various Salford squads has been well.

Speaker 3 (34:53):
They have not had a scene, So you know, maybe
he could do the same for us.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
I can't believe we'll stick around there, the problems they've got.

Speaker 4 (35:01):
I should have throw a spanner in the works. He should.
That was about Steve McNamara.

Speaker 8 (35:06):
Not amazing.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
That's even worse than Wolfball, isn't it?

Speaker 2 (35:10):
Sta morning as it is about bringing Steve.

Speaker 1 (35:16):
They can argue that he's had all the money in
the world because they've got no salary. Cat where he's
been coaching and look where they are, you know they
I think.

Speaker 2 (35:26):
This year was a disaster under him, but overall he's
But I don't like to startle the player again.

Speaker 4 (35:34):
He's another one that served his time in the.

Speaker 2 (35:40):
Roosters for us.

Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, yea, yeah, I think I think that sadly, I
think that's the answer. But whether you whether there's anybody
springs to mind. There was a rumor that the guy
at Penrith I can't remember his name, and I was
was being sounded out.

Speaker 2 (35:55):
But the seventeen clubs out there, so you've got seventeen.

Speaker 4 (35:58):
There's probably thirty fourists.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
Isn't poor Rollo at Solf for the I mean, if
there's if there's no one in the n r L
that you can go and get, which by the sounds
of it and rumors, you know, we were looking at
one and that's been bend Off. I'd certainly be knocking
on Paul roll his door if Wellens is not staying,
because again we don't know.

Speaker 1 (36:20):
Would you would you look for a director of rugby
above Wellens.

Speaker 3 (36:24):
Like rich Richie Marler, like.

Speaker 1 (36:30):
I'm trying. I'm trying to think of the way that
the club might not want to show Wayne that might
I want to sack.

Speaker 4 (36:38):
Well, I don't know, I don't know what you.

Speaker 2 (36:42):
Undermine him too much?

Speaker 1 (36:44):
Well, I think he's always been a great coach at
number two, whether of reservations as to whether he actually
make the number one slot as a head coach if
he was brought something was brought in at a boat
level above him.

Speaker 2 (36:58):
Well, what qualities do you think he lacks to be
a head coach if he can do the assistance, because
obviously tactically he must be a shoot. It was very
good tactically as a player, wasn't he player was faultless?
So he knows the game?

Speaker 4 (37:12):
Is it?

Speaker 2 (37:12):
Because you don't? Do we not think he's a very I.

Speaker 4 (37:15):
Think I think it's part of this this problem is
because he's been here.

Speaker 1 (37:21):
If he's come in from the outside, it's a different
ball game. If he'd gone away to Australia for a
couple of years, coach somewhere else and come back to
players he didn't really know as such and was a
head coach, it's a completely different ballgame. So having been
with these players every day, do.

Speaker 5 (37:40):
You think there's too many players that he already knows
because he's he's played with.

Speaker 3 (37:48):
I was just going to make that point whereby I
think Saints needs to bring in a new rule if
in future, any future player, any player that progresses out
of retirement and then goes and coaching, they should there
should be a minimum of ten years before you can
be a head coach, because then that eradicates any link
that you've got with any of the squad players. Well

(38:10):
though thereabouts it should, do you know what I mean?
And there should be that real because wellens, he's played
with some of them people, and you are bound. So
it's like any workplace, have a loyalty to your mate.

Speaker 4 (38:21):
So there's a lack of ruthlessness.

Speaker 3 (38:23):
I think so, because then you know he's maybe I love.

Speaker 1 (38:30):
The bones and I thought it was a fantastic wasn't
my favorite players, but it's it's always going to be.
You hope the hometown profit thing, isn't it? You can't
There's very few were successful with the hometown club where
they player.

Speaker 4 (38:43):
I can't think of anything in rugby ley off the
top of the head.

Speaker 1 (38:46):
John Wayne went away and went away and come back,
you know, it's gone away and marriage somewhere else and
learned somewhere else, and you can't I don't know whether
it's when it goes wrong, you can't seem to fix
it with the same people you've got no outside experience.

Speaker 4 (39:01):
I don't know if that's a that's harsh. No, I
don't think that's I think I always said this from
other places, haven't you?

Speaker 5 (39:07):
And then bring those experiences back to if you're gone back,
because if you're going any job, whatever you move, if
you're doing the same type of job that you used
to do in you take your experiences from your previous
job with you, or you learn by any anythings that
gone and you left last yob and you think, I'm
not going to do it that way.

Speaker 4 (39:27):
The different ways.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
I always look at the difference just a book made
almost immediately.

Speaker 4 (39:33):
I mean, I know he had them coming through with
the time.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
I think, I think, but his idea, but I think
I think, with essentially but broadly the same squad, he
turned it around fairly quickly. And that's because he's coming
from the outside with a different view, doesn't know the players,
and and and a lot of players can rest and
the rest subconsciously rest on the roles.

Speaker 2 (39:55):
That's another consideration though, Wasn't it like we wouldn't have
got Barber if in the coach. Do we want somebody
who's got that kind of.

Speaker 5 (40:06):
Yeah, you do need something like that, don't you, Because
I think that's what happens, that's happened with and having
because Burgess is never as coach as long.

Speaker 4 (40:16):
As it's got an all in his backside.

Speaker 1 (40:17):
Honestly, this is the truth.

Speaker 2 (40:22):
Car crash worse than us.

Speaker 4 (40:25):
I mean, he could stay at home and the other
two guys in the box. Well, it's it's only the
main periods over. It's gone, isn't it. Yeah? The one.

Speaker 1 (40:31):
Actually, he's actually damaging his chances to get another job
at the minute.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
He was promoted as the coach on very flimsy evidence.

Speaker 4 (40:38):
He's a motivator. I don't doubt super motive from a coach,
I don't think so.

Speaker 2 (40:45):
Not a tactician is here, I don't really not much
of an authority figure either at the moment. People look
up to as a player, but as a coach, I'm
not not too sure people are respect him his playing
career because it was outstanding, but as a coach, it
really I.

Speaker 1 (41:00):
Don't, and I'm not sure instills any fearing to anybody.

Speaker 2 (41:04):
That goes back to the point about his mates being
in the team. So that's not the case. It's gonna
be difficult.

Speaker 3 (41:11):
But like you you compare Wellons with Wolf. I'll tell
you what I know. I know I'd rather be my coach,
you know what I mean, because I'd probably get away
with more from Wellens than would Wolf. And you know,
and that's maybe a bit disrespectful for to Wellens, because
I know he's a really nice guy. But you know,

(41:31):
it's like anybody, you know, if nice guys don't always
make the best the best coaches to a certain point.

Speaker 4 (41:39):
But you look at Alford. Alford was a really nice guy.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
Yeah, but.

Speaker 4 (41:45):
He still had you know, you could go so far
and then you're about to put it down.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
And authority and respect.

Speaker 3 (41:52):
But still I think I think the players respect Wellens
because look a look at what happened after Magic Weekend
versusly you know, he's got the players back in the
like Jack wellesby saying, you know, it's it's on us,
it's not not well and so you just don't know,
you just don't know what what goes on on the
training field behind closed doors. But at the end of
the day, were everyone here, all the fans love Wells

(42:15):
a bit and we all wanted to succeed, But at
the moment I just don't.

Speaker 1 (42:21):
There's definitely a we don't want to shoot Bambi element
to the whole thing. Isn't that It won't change my
opinion at.

Speaker 2 (42:31):
Them both because of what they did as players. That
doesn't mean that necessarily they're fit.

Speaker 1 (42:36):
To be hoping against. Hope still turns it around, but
at times with.

Speaker 3 (42:41):
Him another one year deal, they just can't. They've either
got to go two years and we're building and we're
sticking with Wellings and that's what we're doing, or they've
got to go. I'm sorry, that's it.

Speaker 1 (42:52):
Move on a backlash.

Speaker 3 (42:55):
There will be a backlash. There will be a backlash.
But you can't said it before on this pod. Who
who in any profession can work off year to year
to year. You know you've you've got to build and
you know you've got to do that.

Speaker 4 (43:12):
You can't.

Speaker 3 (43:13):
You can't just go one year. Well, what's going to
happen next year? I don't know yet. See how you
go well? Straight aways under pressure? Straight away is under pressure,
he's making decisions to fix the short term rather than
fixing the long term.

Speaker 2 (43:26):
One of your deal shows the players that the club
isn't certain.

Speaker 3 (43:28):
About correct, we've already had that. We've already had that,
you know which again, whether he's making decisions for the
short term just to get in by which off the
evidence of the past few weeks, we're just we're just
doing what we can to win.

Speaker 4 (43:42):
Mm hm. It's getting to very very tricky situations, interesting,
isn't it.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
It's squeaky one time.

Speaker 4 (43:49):
We still do in the mix.

Speaker 1 (43:51):
I was I was just going to come on too
that the next three games entirely winnable. Cast at home,
Wake you away and the Giant at home.

Speaker 2 (44:01):
Now aways tricky, tricky.

Speaker 1 (44:03):
They're playing well basically, Yeah, playing well, but I think
we only need about another six points.

Speaker 2 (44:09):
Yeah, and we've got cast twice at all cast.

Speaker 4 (44:11):
Twice, and we've got a whole khole.

Speaker 2 (44:16):
Field got they're winnable games three.

Speaker 4 (44:18):
Six games, six seven left. We've got wigging against Pies,
wig Pies. We've done. We've been done by what we've
been done three times.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
Again.

Speaker 4 (44:33):
Yeah, the other five only aways the other game, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (44:37):
Five you've got against casts, you've got others Field, Salford
and and.

Speaker 1 (44:43):
We've got we've got five points on the seventh team.
So we're gonna make We're gonna we need.

Speaker 2 (44:48):
Because we lost in the one. That's complicated things a
little bit. But I don't think any of them saw
that coming. Whole beating wigging complicated. It's not think we
make it because like you say, we he what thirty
points wins?

Speaker 3 (45:03):
I mean, obviously we want to make the six, but
are we going to have any chance in the Grand final?
Really with the team that we've got.

Speaker 1 (45:09):
The irony is is that even if we got our
full team back, and we've never had a full set
of backs all season at all. We've always had people
out in that back line would be quite exciting and
quite pacy, but they're never going to get the chance
to play the way we play.

Speaker 4 (45:29):
If we used it.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
But if you remember last season, we came into the
playoffs and we scraped him by the skin of our teeth,
didn't we? And then we started then we started then
turning around, throwing the ball around like I've never seen before,
and I'm like, well, the how's this bit?

Speaker 1 (45:45):
All the year?

Speaker 3 (45:46):
You know what I was excited and we still got beat.

Speaker 5 (45:52):
So do you think in these three games they should
give the likes of Cowen and some of the others
I'll run out, Well, well, there's two arguments, because it
gives the lands plane now were burned out, and it
can only increase the pace at our pace.

Speaker 1 (46:08):
It can only increase the speed of the game.

Speaker 4 (46:10):
I think that. I think it's the halves that's the
major problem.

Speaker 1 (46:13):
To get the how your halves create the space? Don't
they effectively serving they play? And if we're carrying on
with Moses and Johnny, it's gonna.

Speaker 2 (46:25):
We need.

Speaker 4 (46:27):
And it makes it easy to defend against, doesn't it.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
That's an alternative nine when Clark comes back.

Speaker 1 (46:32):
By me, I suspect that Clark should be back.

Speaker 2 (46:35):
You're going to I think those two cast games at
almost is the time to do it.

Speaker 4 (46:38):
Well.

Speaker 2 (46:39):
At the start the season about targeting the Wakefield game
for Whitby's debut, we claimed that it had always been
the plans. But with targeting games Castle for the games
at home from the billion and anybody else that they
might be coming through it.

Speaker 3 (46:54):
Yeah, because that's kind of just saying that in itself
is ridiculous. Not what you've said that in itself, and
I remember the interview. Now we're saying we always tageted
weightfield that itself is ridiculous. Why come out with that comment,
because if a young lad is playing his absolute heart
and soul out in that training team, put him on
the bloody pitch. If your mate, we've got five weeks

(47:18):
to wait until you can even think about making your debut.
Just joke he thought it was good enough.

Speaker 1 (47:28):
Is a question that is that we really need to answer.
Let's just assume we're the coach. What's the answer for
after the squad? What's what do we do? What have
we've got to do to.

Speaker 4 (47:41):
Change this round?

Speaker 3 (47:42):
What with the squad?

Speaker 1 (47:43):
What we've got them?

Speaker 4 (47:44):
Innu It.

Speaker 1 (47:46):
Is this season dead, So we just practiced with the youngsters.
Got a chance.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
Playoff system makes it possible, if not likely, that we
can still win it. Also because other teams might have
lots of form, more injuries or whatever else at that
time of year. It happens even again, but well.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
We've seen what happens with Wigan. What happens we're wigging
without the likes of French fields. You know, if it
feel gets an.

Speaker 4 (48:13):
Injury without without.

Speaker 3 (48:15):
Mikey Lewis, so, yeah, you're right, there is hope there.
But we've not beat a top sixteen from the last
twelve months.

Speaker 1 (48:24):
We count, we count leads.

Speaker 3 (48:26):
They weren't top six of course they weren't to sell.

Speaker 1 (48:30):
We're not from eighteen then, aren't we?

Speaker 3 (48:32):
But this is what this is what's happening with us.
This is what's happening with us as fans at the
moment we get excited off the back of results, off Salford,
others Field. You know it will happen now where we've
got Wakefield, we've got Cast, we've got others Field, and
everyone goes, oh we're back here we go where we go,
and then we'll play Wigan and get absolutely trauced. We'll
play all absolutely tramps and then we're like it's all
doom and groom.

Speaker 4 (48:52):
It's isn't it looking though?

Speaker 5 (48:55):
Wellsby is going to be back sooner than talk about
it being back earlier than.

Speaker 1 (49:01):
But isn't that the danger? You know, your top superstar
bringing him back early? Are you bringing him back just
to give yourself a half a chance or something? You're
doing some damage I don't.

Speaker 2 (49:12):
Know, careful, Yeah, you don't want to do anything that's
going to You.

Speaker 1 (49:17):
Know, initially he was told sixteen weeks and this game
is only about week eight, isn't it sixty weeks at
the time, until I think the playoff game two months
away from that.

Speaker 3 (49:33):
I think, I think, whatever whatever happens between now and
the playoffs, I think if we've got young kids, that
we've got to give him a go, and we've got
to start rotating our squad because we've been flogging the
same players over and over and over again. There's players
I know Will Roberts has been playing for Witness, but
I think he's just got injured, which is sad, but
I'd love to see Will Roberts coming and giving Yeah,

(49:55):
give Will Roberts a chance because you know, got to
mate who's a Witness fan. He said, before you've got injured,
he was playing really really good rugby and like even
like Owen Dagnall, you know, we didn't liked they only
came in because he was going on about and then
he came in because of injuries. Why not throw him
in there every now and again and see how we
go and say, sorry, felt, you're having a week off.

Speaker 4 (50:17):
I think.

Speaker 1 (50:20):
He does it come back to the fear and the
coaching set up of of of throwing these kids having
the security of.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
What he suggested and dropped a big nail like a
Kyle felt and put a youngster in and we lost.
I think then he would get absolutely pelters.

Speaker 3 (50:38):
But then that short term vision of a one year deal,
he's trying to save himself.

Speaker 1 (50:43):
Well, that's that's the you know, that's the that's the
position yourself. It's it's the stability. The lack of stability,
isn't it?

Speaker 3 (50:52):
Yeah, goes round and around, doesn't it. So what's the
answer square somewhere something for the club? Trying to say?
What the hell is going on? Again?

Speaker 2 (51:02):
You know?

Speaker 3 (51:03):
Who are we signings? Who's coming? Who's going on? Not
just rumors?

Speaker 1 (51:09):
Wa'ts the plan?

Speaker 3 (51:09):
What's the plan with the coaching staff?

Speaker 4 (51:11):
Or if you're not going to tell us anything, what
what's your reasoning behind he?

Speaker 3 (51:16):
Why are you not telling us?

Speaker 4 (51:18):
Is it? Because if you've got leg reason, fine, I'm.

Speaker 2 (51:21):
Sure because deals haven't been done yet and they've got ideas,
but deals haven't been done with anything. It could be that,
but I don't know. But I haven't got a lot
of faith. Is that.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
I've not got a lot of faith. That is that
and that's that's the most as a fan, that's the
most frustrating thing because they'll tell you what, when it
comes to October, they'll be banging on my door three
hundred quid out of me, which you know, this.

Speaker 1 (51:49):
Is the way, this is the way to be fair.
That sts have always done their business, that the announcements
for next year and contracts will come out just as
it's season ticket time. But this is a different year
the last the last few years, it's been one or
two changes. Now we know there's ten. It's it's up
to ten first team squad, sixteen players of contract, sixteen

(52:11):
players in total contract.

Speaker 4 (52:13):
It's a lot, which is massive, it's huge.

Speaker 2 (52:16):
You can't players players. If you do, you're not going
to get anywhere because you need time to jealous a
team exactly exactly.

Speaker 1 (52:23):
But that's that's what makes this season even more of
a worry for us long standing supporters. Prior to this,
we've been able to at least some long term, longer
term planning. Now it just like it looks starting to
look like reactions to things, which isn't what we need.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
So you should strengthen when you're already strong and we
haven't done that.

Speaker 1 (52:42):
We've given players bigger contracts into the mid thirties, which
is not being ruthless. And whether I can understand the
the fine line between loyalty and ruthlessness in sports management,
but it is it is a cutthroat business to whether
you like it or not, it's.

Speaker 3 (52:59):
A fine line in it. Cause again, the standout player
for me who didn't sign a deal years and years
ago one hundred percent should have signed a deal was
leg Illmore because he went on to have another about
four years at the top of the you know, the
top of his game. But like you say, it's a
fine line. I think he went to Bradford and Wakefield

(53:19):
or did he come from brad I think he definitely
went to Wakefield from Yeah, I think he was at
Wigan Bradford or and then Wakefield. I think maybe went
to Hold. I don't know, I can't remember. But you know,
there is a fine line.

Speaker 1 (53:37):
With with that, but I think I think you can
you do need a lead from the top. Yeah, you
need you need your chief exec or your chairman to
be to be talking to fans or to be talking
on the club TV and had an interview say yeah,
this is where we're at, this is what we're doing.
Appreciate the fans that are getting anxious and whatever, but
trust us we're doing something just insulted us insulted that

(53:58):
we are the noise.

Speaker 4 (54:00):
Welcome to the outside Noise podcast.

Speaker 1 (54:03):
Maybe we should change the name of the podcast that
saints Noise.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
I feel like he's totally you know, there's a bit
of disconnect with the fans.

Speaker 4 (54:10):
And.

Speaker 5 (54:12):
I think that's always been the I've always said, and
I think I've said this to you, so it must
be a couple of season.

Speaker 4 (54:19):
Yeah, he takes a lot of credit when we get
good signings and you but when around there's no word
to be seen, you know what I mean some of
these notes that interviewed the other day that.

Speaker 1 (54:36):
That was awful.

Speaker 4 (54:37):
Absolutely ages he's shown as fair as it were in
that respect.

Speaker 3 (54:42):
Do you know what it's like? Anything, isn't it? People
make mistakes and people make good choices, that make bad choices,
but at the end of the day, make a choice
whatever whatever it is.

Speaker 1 (54:54):
People know what the choice is, you.

Speaker 3 (54:55):
Know, because I you know, as as fans, you just
want to know what's happening. And if we're saying in
one Blake again, Great, let's have him in because he's
ripping it up.

Speaker 1 (55:06):
It's easy, it's easy for the clubs that fans are doing.

Speaker 4 (55:10):
What's happening. You just got that.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
Backwards?

Speaker 4 (55:20):
That was it was? That was that was something else
that wasn't it?

Speaker 1 (55:26):
But ideally on paper that squad is not bad.

Speaker 3 (55:31):
Yeah, we've got a good if everyone's fit, we've got
a good team. And you know we've got we've got
depth like you know, you forget about players like Cross
that have come in.

Speaker 4 (55:40):
He's a good lad.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
I would like to I don't think he's good enough,
but he's a good squad player. So if we have
injuries enough, no, I don't think it's quite there. But
on the day, you never know, you never know what
could happen.

Speaker 2 (55:57):
Well, yeah, I said before, in the playoff system a chance,
I don't think if it was in an ideal world,
I had signed three or four, at least three or
four players actually starting plays.

Speaker 4 (56:09):
Where Steve, where's your priority for signings? Then what do
you think?

Speaker 1 (56:12):
What do you think when if I give you three
what your three most important signings?

Speaker 4 (56:17):
What we need?

Speaker 2 (56:19):
Stand off? If player there? Because Johnny for me is
the bit of a busted fludh second row and lose
forward with Morgan leaving. Yeah, there'll be the ones. I
think center. We're okay with Cross because we've got personal
and Cross Now Robertson can play there as well, so

(56:42):
we've got not bad cover there.

Speaker 4 (56:44):
Grandma.

Speaker 2 (56:44):
If we got Whitby, maybe maybe the other one.

Speaker 4 (56:48):
To kind of another half back and experienced stuff.

Speaker 2 (56:51):
Also met the agument if we signed one, whether his
progress to.

Speaker 3 (56:55):
Read out it was absolutely off contracts go on then,
go on, just to bore you of your big enough Yeah,
James Bell and Joe Batchelor, John Benison, Jake Burns who
had hundred percent sign again Leon Leon Cohen, he's just

(57:19):
on that then knows Will roberts who we mentioned before,
Conrad Hurroll, Morgan Knowles, which we know about, Moses and
by Ignacious Parsy definitely not Samba and Vaughan who we
believe is going to the other side, the dark side. Curtis.
You will look at Curtis Cyron and which which which

(57:44):
we've got to sign in Jake Wingfield for me, Matt Whitley,
Borderline and t Ritson definitely not.

Speaker 2 (57:54):
There's probably about two of them names re signed. J Burns,
Sydon the others.

Speaker 1 (58:02):
Well, not for me, I was.

Speaker 3 (58:03):
Saying, but as young as you think is it's mid
twenties and five, yeah, sixteen players.

Speaker 1 (58:09):
He's only coming there signed to of those, he's only.

Speaker 4 (58:11):
Coming to the squad. He's only coming from.

Speaker 3 (58:16):
Who do you signed? Only Burns, Turns and Serene? Everyone
waity I signed?

Speaker 8 (58:24):
Well, he was, yeah, yeah, if you can get a
decent replacement for that, I've not been But that's that's
a massive that's half your squad.

Speaker 4 (58:37):
As any other club. Let sixteen players go out of
contract ever.

Speaker 5 (58:40):
Probably wanting to mid season because it's getting somebody else
and it's another prop coming in or something, another pang
un signed for next year, isn't it though, somebody coming
in with.

Speaker 3 (58:59):
The prop.

Speaker 2 (59:01):
Sam Stone went there earlier in the season from I
don't know they do that. He refused to play for
Soult and end up wanting to same week.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
There's that Sam Sam essay. I think he's just signed
for a hold now. We tried to sign him from
Wakefield a number of years ago when Wigan came in,
but i'd be certainly knocking on his door.

Speaker 2 (59:22):
Players to Workfield. Yeah, he is a yes, a player
he's a SA player for me. Yeah, I mean it's
all actually, and he loves aflow outrageous things and he's
got he's got great player.

Speaker 1 (59:38):
He's a player.

Speaker 4 (59:39):
Why don't we find these players we used to used to?

Speaker 1 (59:42):
I suppose, Yeah, that's the thing. It's a big it's
a big job, and I'm just I just like to
see us.

Speaker 3 (59:50):
That's the worrying thing because nothing nothing, there's not even
any rumors.

Speaker 1 (59:54):
Because but the thing is, because it's that big a switch.
Now you'd think we'd know something.

Speaker 3 (01:00:00):
I'll take at least two or three. You might be thinking, right, well,
they're coming all right in that positionsession. But the more
it goes on, you're thinking, are we signing any players?

Speaker 1 (01:00:11):
And we've got a coach in Theory out of contract
in in November December.

Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
And no rumors in the social media age is like.

Speaker 4 (01:00:21):
Strange. Literally nobody knows anything, which makes it even more.

Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
But usually if no one was somebody making it up.

Speaker 3 (01:00:31):
Not even that should we start one, we can start
Some said that.

Speaker 1 (01:00:38):
I mean you look at you look at the state
of the of the game. In Australia, Penrith were four
times and look at them. The bottom of the league
now and then nearly a.

Speaker 2 (01:00:44):
Little bit higher up. Now. Yeah, they started really badly.

Speaker 1 (01:00:46):
They struggling, They lost a load of players and lost
a big chunk of the squad and looked where they
were second to bottom but most of the season. So
hopefully that won't happen next season. But the way we're going,
where we're going then design.

Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
For that isn't it is the top teams to like
somebody else have to go like the NFL in America.
It's like just turn taking as long as.

Speaker 4 (01:01:08):
You know you're not gonna be relegated, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:12):
That's that's a whole other issue. Discuss Why have I
am disappeared that Nigel world has been reinstalled in? How's
that happened?

Speaker 4 (01:01:24):
The strange world we live? This is still it's still
Isn't he got the finance purse? I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:01:31):
I tried to think he's the RFL German again bringing
back let's trust.

Speaker 5 (01:01:39):
I think what does I do for Bradford Super League
is absolutely unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
I think, ironically, I think it's one of the owners.

Speaker 4 (01:01:48):
Isn't it the moment to put on one side?

Speaker 1 (01:01:51):
As they say ironically a week off might do a
bit of good at the moments.

Speaker 2 (01:01:56):
Can't lose.

Speaker 3 (01:01:56):
We can't.

Speaker 4 (01:01:57):
We can't lose two points.

Speaker 2 (01:01:59):
And then we got cast all you have thought we'd
lose at least until the week after that.

Speaker 3 (01:02:02):
I'm not saying anything because I said this last season.

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Yeah, so you banned you. We're banning from you from predicting.

Speaker 2 (01:02:09):
Have shown some signs of improvement. It should have been wigging.
And they did beat Warrington, so they're not totally lost
cause they were at the start of the season.

Speaker 4 (01:02:19):
But you think at all, even thought this last summer, didn't.

Speaker 2 (01:02:23):
I think our defense will get us through that game
was hopefully with a.

Speaker 1 (01:02:27):
Few back, we might have a bit of a bit
more on an attack. We might score more than twelve points.

Speaker 2 (01:02:31):
I don't think it'll be pretty, but I think we'll
we'll gueak home in those two games.

Speaker 5 (01:02:35):
You gotta think it's let's get the points, because we've
got the points. It doesn't matter who we're playing. Get
the way the way are the works?

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
Get the points? Yeah? Yeah, Okay, Well, I thank you
very much. We'll see you again in a couple of weeks.
And it just leaves me to say thank you to
Steve for filling in for us.

Speaker 4 (01:02:51):
Yeah, no problem, but all thanks to Darren.

Speaker 1 (01:02:53):
No problem and stay offered, thank very much, and try
and enjoy your rugby league because we sometimes did.

Speaker 4 (01:03:03):
I used to sell, then marry