Will Saints Miss Ryan Morgan?

Saints 2019 squad is one player lighter today after Ryan Morgan joined London Broncos on loan. The Australian centre heads to the capital on a season-long deal after spending two seasons with Saints.

Initial reaction from the fans suggest he won't be missed. With Kevin Naiqama arriving from Wests Tigers this week there had to have been some doubt about how much first team action Morgan would have seen had he stayed. Announcing the move Saints Grand Fromage Mike Rush alluded to that by seeming to confirm that Naiqama is here to play as a centre. That was always the likeliest scenario despite some speculation that the Fijian captain could fit in at either fullback or wing. All of which may have left Morgan to fill the Matty Smith role of highly paid star on the sidelines.

Be that as it may we may yet have reason to lament Morgan's exit. Nobody quite knows how the Naiqama signing will work out. His quality is not in question but there's always an element of risk in bringing in NRL stars with big reputations. For every Ben Barba there's a Josh Perry. We need Naiqama to hit the ground running and, perhaps more importantly, stay healthy to ensure that he becomes the upgrade on Morgan that we hope and expect he will be.

Another worry is the dark mutterings coming from social media about the future of Tommy Makinson. The England man has just won the Golden Boot as the international player of the year and was perhaps the key man for Wayne Bennett's side in the recent 2-1 series victory over New Zealand. His recent admission that he would one day like to try his luck in the NRL has got the cogs whirring among the rumour-fanciers. It is believed he is still in Australia with some suggesting that he will not return without an NRL deal in his back pocket. Makinson has this coming season remaining on his contract and may well honour that. He will still only be 28 at the start of the 2020 season which still leaves him potentially at his peak for a tilt at the best league in the sport. But might a player who has already suffered two serious knee injuries in his career want to strike while his proverbial iron is hot? Brad Fittler might not have heard of Makinson but you can rest assured that those in charge of recruitment at NRL clubs will be a touch more enlightened. His performances for Engand will not have gone unnoticed and it will be a surprise if he hasn't had at least tentative offers.

The decision to allow Morgan to depart could leave Saints vulnerable if injuries hit. That would only be exacerbated should Makinson find the lure of the NRL too strong. Adam Swift and Regan Grace offer depth on the wings but if there are any problems with Naiqama or Mark Percival then there isn't the same level of talent at centre. Matty Costello has let nobody down in his young career but he still represents a significant step down in class from Saints other options, including Morgan.

Morgan is an under-rated, often under-appreciated performer. Many fans haven't forgiven him for his brain explosion in the Super League semi-final at Castleford last year. Having crossed for what looked to be the winning score in the final minutes Morgan gave away a needless penalty for obstructing Michael Shenton as the pair chased a kick towards the Saints try line that neither was ever going to reach. Some fans wanted Morgan out there and then as Saints went on to lose to Luke Gale's extra-time drop-goal. Some of the abuse he received was puerile at best and vile at worst.

Yet the former Melbourne Storm man is a defensively reliable centre whose attacking instincts have often been curbed by the imbalance of the Saints attack. Much of the good attacking ball seems to arrive on their left edge with Morgan and Makinson often reduced to scraps served up on last tackle kicking plays. Meanwhile, we saw in the Super 8s defeat to Wigan in August how much Morgan's defensive qualities can be missed. Morgan left that game in the first half with one of a series of concussions which plagued him throughout 2018. When he did Wigan continually attacked the space he had left down the right edge of Saints defence. It was a key to a result which further highlighted Saints vulnerability to others. By the time Warrington edged Justin Holbrook's men in the semi-final it barely qualified as a surprise.

Morgan probably won't pull up too many trees in London. He's not a difference maker by himself and you probably won't find him topping the try-scoring charts in 2019. The Broncos could struggle and if they do there will be those who will use that to support the belief that Morgan isn't good enough for a Super League contender like Saints. But I can't help but think that Holbrook's side would be in a stronger position to contend with Morgan than without him.