The injury will have had a huge bearing, no doubt about it. I like the lad, I really do and it feels like he will go on to be an international halfback and have a great career but the billing he gets is huge sometimes for a kid just starting out. I think it’s the links to Oz, at the same time as Welsby being talked up for an NRL gig, that pricks up my attention. I’m not sure he’s ready for that yet and maybe that just comes back to missing most of last season. They’re a similar age but it feels like Welsby is well down the track in comparison when it comes to development, experience and ready made talent. I’d put it this way, if Welsby left, I think that would sting badly and to get as good a replacement would be extremely difficult. I don’t think losing Dodd would be half as difficult to get over (as things stand).

Very early days for Wire IMO. I’d take a fit and firing Saints side to hunt Vaughan down in games and close Williams off and the rest would fall after that. Maybe Maguire being put in to that side kicks them on even further and I’ll readjust my opinion after that.

Dodd playing in that saints side has had it easy almost especially compared to Smith in 2019 for example.

He's obviously a great player btw, but that explains the high billing.

Agree about Welsby leaving hurting us massively.

Ironically we have a Welsby identikit MKII in the Academy at the moment. Wigan were well in for him but thankfully he chose Saints. Rogues knows who he is- Harry Robertson.

I first saw him in the U16 Saints v Wigan scholarship game when him and Jack Farrimond from Wigan were the best two lads by a distance. He’s a few years away yet though.

Heard the name but not seen anything of him. Only seen a few minutes here and there of Farrimond and he looks a real talent. As you say though, there’s a long way to go before first team rugby yet, so anything could happen with any of them. Wigan seem to like the young centre, who is around the same age, I think he’s called Nathan Lowe? You probably know more of him than me but I believe he’s another good prospect.

He played FB that night but is obviously a centre.

Practically all the team from that night now play for the Academy. It’s a special team this current Wigan Academy one, some outstanding kids.

https://www.totalrl.com/st-helens-fail- ... owles-ban/ Has the RFL done away with the frivolous challenge rule? If they have, they can expect a lot more appeals.

https://www.totalrl.com/st-helens-fail- ... owles-ban/ Has the RFL done away with the frivolous challenge rule? If they have, they can expect a lot more appeals.

To be fair we are assessing each ban on its own merits. This one was appealed not in relation to guilt but more with the grading so I don't think it was frivolous. We were never going to win this one given the reaction from us winning the one last season that meant he could play in the GF.

I appreciate Knowles has previous and should know better but there is still no real consistency when you see similar type of incidents not being punished. Bennison took a knee to the ribs in the act of scoring on Friday and nothing was said yet Warrington have had three 8 point tries already.

You see it in the NRL too. Kafusi has just been banned yet Sua'ali'i did one that was worse against NZ Warrirors and was only fined. They made a big deal out of it on NRL 360 as the Dolphins used that tackle as mitigation but failed in the downgrade.

4 games for that is ridiculous

100%

It is if it is a first offence however, repeated transgressions warrant a greater ban.

I agree it is far from perfect which is annoying. My view it that repeat offenders should be dealt with more harshly, a bit like the English justice system should work