Chris22

I think standards of refereeing are largely similar to how they have always been. I haven't noticed a great deal of improvement or decline over the years.

I only heard this mentioned in commentary of the Catalans v Leigh game last week so took it at face value. Looking a bit deeper, I've seen this article saying Trout will be in the next squad. And then there's this on the RFL website but not sure how up to date it is.

Walters is a fair shout. Haven't seen enough of Trout to make a judgement but Wane did call him up to the training squad, so he must be in consideration.

Because they're the best props we have, in my view, and we need props on the bench.

Assuming all are fit, I'd be tempted by this. Welsby Marshall Farnworth Wardle Burgess Lewis Smith McMeeken Litten Thompson Pearce-Paul Nsemba Radley Havard Lees Knowles O' Neill I know Wiliams is captain and Wane won't leave him out but I couldn't do anything that put Lewis at 6 (I hope Lewis isn't on the bench as that is a waste of a spot. He starts at 6 or nothing for me). We have good options on the wing, centre and backrow. Hooker and prop are problem position. I don't think Havard and Lees are up to it against the Aussies.

Back to the point of the thread, Hull KR, Wigan, Leigh and Leeds look secure to me. Before the weekend I thought Saints and Warrington. I'm now less sure about Warrington as a gap is opening up. I'd now say Wakefield for that last spot but things can change, especially if Warrington get their act together because they have a lot of winnable games.

Our win on Friday was very significant. If we beat Salford, Castleford (x2) and Huddersfield as you would expect, I think we only need 2 or 3 more wins from the other 8 to guarantee a play off spot (from Leeds, Hull FC twice, Leigh twice, Wakefield, Wigan and Hull KR).

I'm sure I've seen the opposite. Will try and find an example.

If you do it at the play the ball the referee would say no advantage and award a penalty. Agreed if the ball is clear of the ruck though.

I did see the incident and it was as described. Walmsley took the ball up and lost it, Salford picked it up. We (Saints) held the Salford player down and a set restart was given. We continued to hold down and a penalty was awarded. We then challenged the call of a knock on against Walmsley, successfully, and were awarded a penalty. Effectively, Saints gamed the system. James Vella said if the challenge was unsuccessful, then it was a professional foul, implying a Saints player would have been sin binned. We must have been very sure if it was a ball steal to take such a chance. I'm surprised more teams don't knock on after being given a set restart to give them the option of kicking a penalty.

The idea in theory sounds ok. But in practice, you can just see a situation where arm waving would be penalised on some occasions but not others, leading to cries of inconsistency. I'm more in favour of letting referees use their discretion, which should make the sport easier to officiate.

Given this is being reported by several sources and the announcement is imminent, it sounds legitimate. Wonderful and long overdue recognition!

A tough choice but I'd say Sean Long for Saints. So many clutch moments. The kicks to win the 1999 and 2002 Grand Finals, three Lance Todd trophies - a proper big game player. Agree with other mentions of Sculthorpe, Newlove and Coote. I wouldn't put Lyon in there. As incredible as he was, the fact he was only here for 2 years and I think 2006 would have happened even if he wasn't here means I wouldn't class him as our greatest signing. There's a very strong argument for Coote too. In the years before he arrived, we were nearly men. When he arrived, he brought that defensive steel, killer cut out ball and kicking option that, in my view, was central to our 2019-2022 dominance. Not as flashy as others but without Coote, I don't think that dominance happens. I've only been watching in Super League era so just based on what I have seen.

Another point to remember is that in sport not everyone can succeed. All of the points mentioned in this thread are valid but as one club rises up a league, another one will fall. It's the nature of sport All of the community engagement and off field investment is great but there is always a ceiling without a successful team on the field (or at least relatively successful). Now the hope would be all clubs raise their standards and we get a better product but the reality is out financial instability means as some clubs rise, others face financial hardship and fall down.