Re: Paul returning to league

[mrs_carney]

pie eaters posted:
No but if the time came to put gleeson or goulding into the squad and they have to go against somebody as good as Hape or Talau i wonder who is going to come out on top :conf:

Well if you dont let them play they're never going to progress to top standard are they? :eusa17:

[Exiled Wiganer]

Not sure how the HP thread went in this direction, but on Paul's coming back, I cannot see that he would be worth the money he would cost - it could work out, but it would take him so long to get fit again, we could not afford to wait around.

On centres, good centres can emerge in their teens - Newlove played for GB at 18ish. Gleeson may struggle against Hape or Lyon (wouldn't anyone?), but could well hold his own against a one trick pony like Talau.

I would love us to sign another back - a utility like Panapa or Ged Byrne would do - but it's better to be short of oldsters there than at prop and second row, which did for us last year.

[the grinch]

wigan wont sign henry paul for the simple reason we dont need him.its nice to have an expierienced player who can cover a couple of places but he wont be happy being used like that. and i wouldnt want to drop any first team players to keep him happy.

[El Rifle]

yep thats spot on. If Paul came back and wasnt a starter he would be voicing his concerns upsetting the squad. and if orr got dropped he wouldnt be too happy upsetting the apple cart.
I for one would love to see Paul back at Wigan. Give him a preseason to loose some weight. Henry Paul is a legend i believe and the problem is you cant move a stand off to union. just like harris its too complicated a position to walk into. Then you move him to centre to use him, so he has to put on weight etc and slows down.
He may have a bad attitude but most genius' do and henry paul has some genius in him, you have short memories if you dont agree!

[DaiJones]

Never mind Paul being too old, according to the offical website Thomas Coyle is 106 years old in January..surely he won't be up to the rigours of first team football in Super League

[superleague]

DaiJones posted:
Never mind Paul being too old, according to the offical website Thomas Coyle is 106 years old in January..surely he won't be up to the rigours of first team football in Super League

i agree at that age

[DaveO]

pie eaters posted:
No but if the time came to put gleeson or goulding into the squad and they have to go against somebody as good as Hape or Talau i wonder who is going to come out on top :conf:

But how will Saints youngsters do against Richards and David V if it is Lyon and Talu who get injured?

All teams face the same problem. No team can have strength in depth across the park due to the salary cap regulations and 20/20.

As to Paul, well you keep saying he is a great player. My opinion is he was a great player and signing him now would be as great a risk as signing any other RU player of his age.

I actually think that if we need someone to step up for a few games as a stop gap if our centres are injured, then we are better served by letting Gleeson and Co get some game time than bringing Paul out of retirement.

If our centres get season ending injuries then you can kiss goodbye to another season but the same applies to any club. Loose your first choice centres for the season andt it will be curtains whichever club it is.

Dave

[Exiled Wiganer]

To reinforce the point, last year Bradford turned the corner once Hape got back. Leeds' season went downhill as soon as Senior was injured.

I wish we had brought cover for them, though, as Richards is relatively untried at centre, and DV has been very ropy so far. Still, there must be a chance that DV will be able to run quickly again, and recapture his Kiwi form, and that Richards plays every week as well as he does in the Grand Final.

[mr g]

El Rifle posted:
yep thats spot on. If Paul came back and wasnt a starter he would be voicing his concerns upsetting the squad. and if orr got dropped he wouldnt be too happy upsetting the apple cart.
I for one would love to see Paul back at Wigan. Give him a preseason to loose some weight. Henry Paul is a legend i believe and the problem is you cant move a stand off to union. just like harris its too complicated a position to walk into. Then you move him to centre to use him, so he has to put on weight etc and slows down.
He may have a bad attitude but most genius' do and henry paul has some genius in him, you have short memories if you dont agree!

I think it may take more than a pre season to get up to speed. You could still argue that Iesten Harris is still nowhere near where he was when he left Leeds.

I don't doubt that Paul had genius, he was a legend, but i would be dubious about him coming back expecting a regular place yet not being fit enough.

[Martin Taylor]

I pity the fool that gets on my plane. Mr g is right, Paul was a legend, but we have to remember that he is now an old man. It's like Balboa, he was a great fighter but his time has past.