Saints 82 Salford Red Devils 0 - Review

A detailed analysis of this one seems superfluous. This was not a real game. Not at Super League level at any rate. The competition’s launch had much to like about it. Leigh’s 1-0 win at Wigan after Super League’s first ever 80-minute 0-0 draw. Ok so it was stupefyingly boring but very exciting for history buffs and people who don’t like seeing the ball passed. Aside from that there was another golden point thriller as Hull KR sneaked past Castleford, a very promising performance for Hull FC in beating Catalans Dragons and Leeds going down 14-12 to the division’s new old boys Wakefield Trinity. 

Sadly Saints’ 82-0 rout of what was basically a Salford reserve side could not provide its share of the drama. The result was never in doubt once Salford boss Paul Rowley had named a 17-man squad of virtual unknowns on Thursday lunchtime. In the event only 16 were named on the day. The more observant among you will note that a match day squad consists of 17 players. Eighteen if you count the concussion sub who can take to the field if a team loses a couple of players to failed HIAs. This was a side which had seemingly been selected to make a point and not with the intention of competing for the win. 

Accompanying the selection was a club statement explaining that a reserve side would be fielded due to salary cap restrictions placed on the Red Devils. Salford have had a tumultuous winter plagued with financial issues. Those issues seemed to have disappeared when Swiss business man Dario Berta cleared the debts and - so we thought - completed a takeover of the club. There would be no need to sell off the likes of Nene McDonald, Tim Lafai, Kallum Watkins and Marc Sneyd after all. Unfortunately the league’s authorities decided that as Berta’s takeover of the club had not quite been ratified by Thursday the cap restrictions would still apply. 

On the face of it it looks like Rowley has taken particular umbrage to this ruling and emptied his pram of its toys. Salford played a much stronger team in beating Midland Hurricanes 46-10 in the Challenge Cup last week. Nobody seems able to explain why they couldn’t have at least played a side of that sort of strength at St Helens. In his pre-match interview Rowley cited not only the salary cap situation but also injuries for his selection. He made the claim that his job is to protect his players. That’s a bold position to take when you’re sending a group of novices out to face one of the most successful teams in the game. There is a very reasonable argument to be made that this game should not have been played. Always destined to be a miss match - it also presented serious questions about player welfare.

Rowley’s choices ruined this game - whoever is at fault - and have sparked an RFL investigation into whether his decisions constitute bringing the game into disrepute. Salford and Rowley have very likely not heard the end of this. 

As any fan knows - and according to the old maxim - you can only beat what is put in front of you.  Saints did that alright, scoring 15 tries on their way to establishing a record margin of victory for a Super League game. In his post game offering Saints head coach Paul Wellens tried to make us believe that his side had played the game in exactly the same way they had planned to before they knew of Salford’s team selection. 

Fifteen offloads tell a different story. The 2024 version of Saints - before the arrival of Lee Briers and Eamon O’Carroll as assistant coaches and before Rowley’s apparent meltdown - managed an average of 8.5 offloads per game. We can all believe that the figure doubled because the two new coaches have persuaded Wellens that off the cuff rugby is the way forward, or we can put it down to the fact that the opponents were catastrophically out of their depth. 

The main intrigue in this Saints performance once the competitive edge had been removed was the performance of the new signings. Tristan Sailor, Kyle Feldt and Lewis Murphy all made their Super League debuts for Saints and all found a way over the try line. Sailor helped himself to four of the 15 scores. He looked on a different planet at times but given the Salford selection he was on this day. Yet it can be safely said that he provides a badly needed injection of pace. You can see that even relative to his new teammates he is lightning fast. Murphy too looked fairly swift on the left wing before a tight hamstring saw him withdrawn after around an hour. 

These two can give Saints an extra dimension in 2025 while Feldt was every bit the reliable presence he was in all those years at North Queensland Cowboys. In many ways you could not have found a player who does all the things we saw mastered by the now departed Tommy Makinson. 

Among the rest the squad is looking deeper than it seemed at times last year. Then, injuries bit and an uninspired Saints limped into the playoffs in sixth place. There’s no legislating for injuries (ask Rowley?) but as we start the season the squad is strong enough so that Agnatius Paasi, Moses Mbye, and Noah Stephens all missed out. There is serious competition for places for now. The only area of weakness looks to be scrum half where 34 year-old Jonny Lomax - a man who has suffered countless injuries especially to his knees - will still be relied upon. With that in mind it was perhaps a slight surprise to find that George Whitby did not make his way into the 17. It was arguably the perfect game for him to gain experience and hone his undoubted talents. You get the feeling that at some point we’re going to need him. 

But that’s nitpicking. Konrad Hurrell’s centre berth went to Harry Robertson who managed to score his third and fourth tries of his 11-game Saints career. Like Jack Welsby before him he is currently able to fit in at almost any position as he learns the game at this level. There were mistakes but even taking into account the opposition you wouldn’t worry about picking him at centre again when Saints visit Castleford at the weekend. 

Another whose contribution was notable was Jake Wingfield. Out with persistent shoulder problems since May of last year he has come back in at the start of the new season and showed some very encouraging signs. As the old adage would have it he may be like a new signing in 2025. If he can stay fit. He looked very lively here but again - he would. If he keeps his place in the 17 for the trip to Castleford it’s going to be fascinating to see how he goes given that he hasn’t faced top quality competitive opposition for the last nine months.

As well as Sailor’s four-try display there were doubles for Robertson and Morgan Knowles along with further efforts by Murphy, Lomax, Feldt, Joe Batchelor, Mark Percival, Curtis Sironen and George Delaney. Percival added 11 goals to take his personal points tally to 26 on the night. It was nothing but a procession, the only apparent upside of which is that Saints’ points difference has enjoyed a major boost. That was important last year in the playoff qualification permutations and it could very well be again. 

On the flip side - and leaving all the politics of it aside - it does leave Saints a little less than battle hardened going into the Castleford game. Wellens’ men have officially played two competitive games in 2025 but last week’s Challenge Cup win over the amateurs of West Hull and this fiasco haven’t come close to providing a proper test. The Tigers are a team Saints should beat but we’d all be happier to face the rabble that were knocked out of the Challenge Cup by Championship Bradford than the outfit who took 2024 Grand Finalists Hull KR all the way to an extra period. 

The stats from this one should probably be taken with the same large helping of salt applied to pretty much every other facet of this win. But for the record Alex Walmsley led Saints in metres made as he does so often. Walmsley made 215 and was one of eight Saints to break 100 metres. Salford’s best was the 83 made by former Wigan and Warrington man Joe Bullock. 

Defensively Saints were scarcely challenged. The busiest defender in the red vee was Wingfield with 24 tackles. Bullock was again Salford’s best in this category with 34 stops. That’s a decent individual effort but the 79 missed tackles by this scratch Salford outfit tell the story of their struggle. 

Struggling on and off the field, it is to be hoped that the Red Devils’ takeover and financial issues are resolved before they take on Leeds Rhinos this weekend. A repeat of the thrashing handed out by Saints to a team so obviously outclassed could be very damaging for the game.

Saints v Salford Red Devils - Preview

I’ve had to rewrite this. I had all the pieces in place. A hopefully witty opening about how much we miss Super League. Some background on the expectations of both sides for 2025. A reminder to you about how exciting the recent clashes between Saints and Salford Red Devils have been. It was all set up.  

And then Salford named their squad for their opening weekend visit to Saints this coming Saturday (February 15, kick-off 5.30pm). 

It gives me no pleasure to relay to you that what looked all set to be a cracking game to start the season has been ruined. It has been a difficult winter for Salford. A winter of discontent if you will. Amid financial turmoil it had been widely expected that star names like Nene McDonald, Tim Lafai, Kallum Watkins and Marc Sneyd would be sold off to relieve the burden. Yet when a takeover of the club was completed by Swiss businessman Dario Berta it seemed that the day had been saved. Salford would be able to keep these stars, remain competitive and continue to entertain with their expansive brand of rugby. 

They may still do that, but not this week. It turns out that the documents relating to the takeover have not quite been completed in time for this one. The upshot of that is that Salford remain under salary cap restrictions which prevent them from selecting a full strength side. Except the funny thing is they were able to name a much stronger side for last week’s 46-10 Challenge Cup win over Midland Hurricanes than they have managed for the trip to St Helens. 

Ryan Brierley, Deon Cross, McDonald, Esan Marsters and Jayden Nikorima were among the regulars who helped Salford see off the Hurricanes but none of them will be involved this week. Clearly the Challenge Cup is a different competition so it may be that the same restrictions do not apply in the cup. But if the conditions are the same for both the Challenge Cup and Super League then what we could be seeing is Salford trying to goad the league into lifting whatever restrictions still remain, or else they are throwing a massive strop at the fact that those restrictions still apply. 

Either way this is a pretty horrific way to start the season for anyone who can see beyond the fact that Saints’ chances of winning are now extremely high. But there are wider implications for the sport. This game is due to be shown live on the BBC. It would have been another great opportunity to showcase the sport on free to air television. Now it is very likely to look terrible to that audience, and more importantly to anyone within that audience who is new to rugby league. Blowouts aren’t usually pretty.

A near full strength Saints side are highly likely to put the proverbial cleaners through Paul Rowley’s side. We may see lots of tries and bucket loads of points scored but the competitiveness is very likely to be absent. Salford have effectively named a reserve side which I can only list with very little accompanying information. The only three players I have even heard of from their flimsy 17-man party are former Wigan forwards Joe Bullock and Tiaki Chan and ex-Leigh man Ben Hellewell. Quite what they have done to deserve to be included I don’t know.

It’s probably going to get ugly for the away side which raises all sorts of questions about the integrity of the competition. Saints have an unforeseen opportunity to give their points difference an immediate boost while presumably (and hopefully) other clubs won’t get that as the Red Devils’ paperwork is eventually sorted out. Points difference could be the difference between making the playoffs or not, between getting a home playoff or not, or even winning the League Leaders Shield or not. It’s a terrible, terrible look for the sport to have this happen, particularly on the weekend that the competition gets under way. Yet in many ways it is the most rugby league thing in the world. We probably shouldn’t be surprised.

What I can still tell you about are the 21-men selected by Saints coach Paul Wellens. The only real notable absence is that of Konrad Hurrell. The former Leeds man signed a one-year deal for 2025 and - when fit - will be expecting to start at centre alongside Mark Percival. For now the Tongan is out which is slightly worrying given that his involvement in last week’s 38-0 Challenge Cup win over the amateurs of West Hull was the first time he had featured since a 20-18 defeat to Salford on June 23 last year. A troublesome neck and spine problem kept him out of the latter part of 2024 and there have to be question marks about his consistency of availability this term.

Harry Robertson occupied one of the centre roles in the absence of Percival against West Hull and may do so again. Like Jack Welsby before him the talented Robertson has shown both an ability and a willingness to fill in at any of the positions across the back line. And do so with great effectiveness. Welsby should start at fullback allowing new signing Tristan Sailor to operate in the halves. 

Jonny Lomax returns to the fold and is most likely to partner Sailor now that Lewis Dodd is in the NRL. George Whitby will be hoping that this is a genuine breakthrough year for him but he misses the cut despite the state of the opposition. As much as it is an opportunity to rack up the points it’s also a chance to protect anyone who Wellens thinks might need it. Thirty-four year-old Lomax is in that category but as the only recognised half he will surely start.

Tommy Makinson is now in France with Catalans Dragons so a competitive debut for ex-North Queensland Cowboy Kyle Feldt looks likely. On the opposite wing Jon Bennison could get the nod as one of Wellens’ trusted favourites but my hope is that the speedier Lewis Murphy - brought back to Super League after an unsuccessful stint with Sydney Roosters - will get a chance to display his attributes. In particular his pace, as that is a commodity which Saints have been lacking in since Regan Grace and Kevin Naiqama departed the club.

Up front there are options at prop with all of Alex Walmsley, Matty Lees, George Delaney, Noah Stephenson, Agnatius Paasi and Jake Wingfield included. The latter was another who featured at Sewell Group Craven Park last weekend but until then he had not played since a 60-4 win at Castleford on May 10. He could be like a new signing this season having only made 19 appearances over the last two campaigns combined. He’ll need to prove his fitness but if he can stay healthy he could be a big asset this year.

Looking a row further back Saints are now without the retired Sione Mata’utia and the released Sam Royle. That increases the likelihood of Matt Whitley earning a start although both Curtis Sironen and Joe Batchelor are available. Morgan Knowles starts his testimonial year amid suggestions that he will join former coach Kristian Woolf at the Dolphins in the NRL from 2026 but for now he’s still the preferred choice at loose forward ahead of the versatile James Bell. Moses Mbye is equally adaptable and will possibly continue to spell Daryl Clark at hooker. 

The saga that is Salford’s salary cap issues pretty much makes this a gimme for Saints. The only remaining intrigue lies mainly in how Wellens chooses to line up, in how ruthless he allows his charges to be and in what has changed tactically with the arrival of Lee Briers and Eamon O’Carroll as assistant coaches. I’d be inclined to keep the foot to the floor and try to amass some serious points but that aim has to be balanced against the need to protect the players for what will be the sterner tests ahead in a long season. 

It’s not quite in the circumstances we’d like but it’s good to have Super League back all the same.

Squads;

Saints;

1. Jack Welsby, 2. Kyle Feldt, 4. Mark Percival, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Tristan Sailor, 7. Jonny Lomax, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Curtis Sironen, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Moses Mbye, 15. James Bell, 16. Matt Whitley, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. George Delaney, 20. Lewis Murphy, 21. Noah Stephens, 26. Harry Robertson.

Salford Red Devils;

Bardyell Wells, Ben Hellewell, Charlie McCurrie, Ethan Fitzgerald, Finley Yates, Harrison Hope, Jack Gatcliffe, Jimmy Shields, Joe Bullock, John Hutchings, Josh Wagstaffe, Kai Morgan, Logan Lagar, Lucas Coan, Nathan Connell, Sean Murray, Tiaki Chan

Referee: Jack Smith

Video Referee: Liam Moore

Season Preview 2025

The Story Of 2024

If you want the shortened version then it’s an alarming slide into mediocrity. But let’s see if we can add some detail. After all, alarming slides into mediocrity don’t just happen. Do they? 

Saints had suffered a last gasp semi-final heartbreaker of a moment in 2023. Paul Wellens’ side’s last act of that season was to helplessly watch on as Sam Tomkins sliced through some tired defence to go over and put Catalans Dragons in the Grand Final. It ended a run of four consecutive Grand Final wins for the red vee, but at that time there were few people doubting that they would be right back in contention at the sharp end of 2024.

Saints did make the playoffs - extending their record of being the only side to have reached the Super League knockout stages since the concept was reintroduced in 1998. But the scraping on their way in was audible as they finished in the sixth and final spot available. It was their lowest league position in 30 years since finishing eighth in the 1993/94 season. 

A chronic lack of pace scuppered Saints time and again, particularly during a five-game losing streak between June 23 and July 26. Champion sides don’t tend to go on five-game losing streaks. Pessimism prevailed. Despite the aforementioned lack of pace Wellens did not escape criticism. His religious devotion to the conservative style of play employed successfully by his predecessor Kristian Woolf was also a huge factor in the slump. If you haven’t got the speed to go around your opponents then you had better come up with something better than five drives and a kick. 

As we have seen before the goodwill offered to a playing legend while he attempts to iron out the flaws only goes so far. You get the feeling that 2025 is a decisive year for Wellens. The arrival of another ex-player - Lee Briers - after successful spells as number two at Wigan and Brisbane has given many hope that if nothing else we’ll see a bit more in the way of entertainment around the back of Tesco this year. But even if that happens will it be enough to keep Wellens in charge?

In the end Saints’ exit from the playoffs - although arriving early at the first hurdle - was surprisingly respectable. Those who feared a shellacking from third placed Warrington under first year head coach Sam Burgess instead saw their side go down by just a single point. George Williams’ drop goal proved the difference. Gallant indeed, but viewed in the context of being 16-4 up at one point it could also be argued that it was a massive disappointment. 

Warrington also ended Saints’ interest in the Challenge Cup, only rather more emphatically at the quarter-final stage. Wire came to town in mid-April and ran all over Saints to the tune of a 31-8 trouncing. In a season of disappointments this was perhaps the biggest. Saints had already suffered defeats to Salford Red Devils and Catalans Dragons at that point but few saw the thrashing handed out by Warrington coming.

The 2025 Recruits 

With a squad that is ageing (and slowing down) before our very eyes there has been some attempt to address that with the recruitment for 2025. Kyle Feldt isn’t a young man but he has been one of the most consistent wingers in the NRL during the last 12 years with the North Queensland Cowboys. He’s pretty much a like for like replacement for Tommy Makinson on the right flank. 

Makinson’s 14-year stay with the club yielded five Super League Grand Final wins, a Challenge Cup success and a World Club title. And the small matter of being the best player in the world of international rugby league in 2018, thus picking up the Golden Boot. When he wasn’t in the lineup you noticed. Now he’s in France with Catalans Dragons it’s vital that Feldt brings his best form.  If he does then he will do the hard yards under territorial pressure and he’s a fine finisher. Not Makinson, but an able replacement.

Addressing that chronic pace issue Saints have also acquired fullback or stand off Tristan Sailor from Brisbane Broncos. Son of former Broncos and Australia winger Wendell Sailor, Tristan’s speed is a desperately needed asset. The fact that he made only 16 appearances across two seasons at the Broncos is a slight worry, but then Saints don’t have Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam standing in his path to selection. The hope is that he will gel effectively with Jack Welsby and make Saints much more dynamic in attack. 

The final recruit is another speedster from the NRL but of the English variety. Lewis Murphy made his name at Wakefield Trinity, impressing enough to catch the eye of the Sydney Roosters scouts. Sadly, he failed to make an appearance for the Roosters in the whole of 2024 and has returned home. Still, we’ve seen enough from his time in West Yorkshire to know that he can shift a bit. His arrival is a boost to those people sick of seeing safe but unspectacular Jon Bennison occupying a wing spot. When he didn’t play in 2024 we were left with Tee Ritson, a slower than advertised operator for whom the Championship is arguably the definition of a ceiling. 

So Who’s Out?

As well as Makinson there are a couple of other notable departures. Lewis Dodd believes his own press enough to have taken the bold step of joining South Sydney Roosters while Sione Mata’utia has retired from the game aged 28 to pursue other opportunities. 

The buzz around Dodd began when his nerveless drop goal secured a World Club Challenge victory over Penrith Panthers at the start of 2023. Since then his overall contribution has been underwhelming. The debate raged throughout last year on the reasons for that. Was it the achilles injury he suffered a couple of years ago or was it the shackles placed on him and the team by the uber conservative Wellens? We will no doubt find out by keeping an eye on the NRL this term. 

Meanwhile for Saints it means that one of Sailor or Welsby will be paired in the halves with 34 year-old Jonny Lomax, currently held together by blue-tac. Still, Moses Mbye is still around and he was arguably Saints’ most impressive field general throughout 2024. If all that fails then youngster George Whitby waits in the wings.

The other members of The Departed are a mixture of fringe players, youngsters and recruitment disasters. In the latter category Waqa Blake had a fine NRL career behind him when he arrived at Saints at the start of 2024. Yet to call his performances underwhelming would be a monumental understatement. 

The former Penrith Panther and Parramatta Eel endured a woeful year in Super League. We all remember his mystifying failure to score at Leigh when given the freedom of the Sports Village. That was the nadir but the truth is that his one season at Saints was littered with performances which can only be described as half arsed.  He was so poor in fact that he has not been able to secure a deal with either a Super League or NRL club and will spend 2025 with the once mighty Bradford Bulls. Which is kind of fitting when you consider how far both player and club have fallen. A perfect metaphor, the pair deserve each other.

Sam Royle was always going to struggle to get game time in a crowded second row unit. Even with Mata’utia gone he still had Curtis Sironen, Joe Batchelor and Matt Whitley to contend with. Royle made 28 first team appearances following his 2021 debut. He is a steady performer who never let anyone down in that time but nor did he convince you that he was ever going to dislodge any of his more illustrious colleagues from the 17 on a regular basis. 

Ben Lane (2 appearances) and McKenzie Buckley (1 appearance) are the others to leave the club although it has recently been announced that Jonny Vaughan and Dayon Sambou have agreed to join Wigan from 2026 when their contracts expire. In the context of new deals for Harry Robertson, Whitby, Noah Stephens and Owen Dagnall it is perhaps a surprise to see Vaughan make the move. He had a breakthrough year in 2024 making eight first team appearances. 

What’s The Expectation?

There is always a high level of expectation at Saints even if the evidence of the previous season would seem to advise caution. When you have won as regularly as Saints have and when you’ve never missed a playoff series you don’t get a pass for a season or more of quiet underachievement. There’s no time for cruising when you’re serving a fan base which has developed an increasing amnesia on what it’s like to be also rans.

Bringing in Briers and former Bradford boss Eamon O’Carroll to help Wellens has only heightened the optimism among many. And besides, we can’t be as bang average as we were last year, can we? 

What Will Really Happen?

If Saints repeat last season’s ennui then it’s very hard to see Wellens making it through the year. The anticipated change to a more entertaining style of play may help him but ultimately it’s a results business. On the plus side Super League hasn’t been at its strongest in recent years. Without a spark Saints may still prosper just because of the sheer depth of their squad compared with most others. And can the likes of Hull KR and Leigh go again and feature in the big playoff games come September? 

A policy of cautious optimism might be the path for Saints fans to take. A pre-season shoeing by Salford in Morgan Knowles’ testimonial hasn’t steadied any nerves even if that was a Saints side shorn of half of its regulars. There’ll be huge pressure on Wellens to overturn that result when the Red Devils come to Saints for the Super League opener in a week’s time (February 15). He won’t shirk it, but as we sit here today there have to be major doubts about his long term future at the helm.

Up The Jumper - Are modern tactics killing our game?

I should have written this sooner. In the midst of Saints’ four Grand Final wins in a row between 2019-2022 I was one of the few dissenting, often mocked voices who wasn’t fulfilled by the ride. Now, with Justin Holbrook and Kristian Woolf part of our history and on the back of two straight titles for our friends over the hill it’s just going to be viewed as sour grapes by many. Especially with trailing in meekly in sixth place. But indulge me, you never know.

I’m not sure it began with Saints’ unprecedented run of success but the game has changed for the worse. It has gradually become a stulted and frustrating spectacle since the advent of full-time professionalism in 1996. Change is  healthy - even if I am personally spooked by it in both my personal and working life - but there’s been a definite shift towards a more conservative style not only at Saints but across the sport. Perhaps I feel it more keenly with Saints because they are my team and because I grew up watching them in an era when entertaining people rather than winning trophies seemed to be the preoccupation. But I think Paul Wellens’ side are far from the only culprits.

You could make a very obvious argument that the move towards a more safety first approach has improved standards. If you could match both at their peak the Saints teams of my youth would very probably be blasted off the park by even the underwhelming rabble led by Wellens last year. The 2024 Saints would be too strong and powerful for a side fitting in games between shifts at the warehouse. Or the office for those who had managed to acquire a couple of O Levels. Yet they would also be undone tactically as the current mob pound down the middle - risk free - dominating possession even more thanks to the old boys’ penchant for an improbable offload or a chip and chase. Yet I know which I’d rather pay to watch.

Woolf was only one of many coaches to have success through minimising risk.  This really started in Australia. Even as I enjoyed seeing the Saints of the 80s fail gloriously by pushing the envelope it was clear at international level that the two hemispheres adopted differing philosophies. Back in then it was said that not only did the Australian Test teams of the day have greater depth to call on but they also employed a more rigid style of play which usually gave them a competitive advantage. Great Britain had stars like Ellery Hanley, Garry Schofield and later Martin Offiah and Jason Robinson who were arguably the equal of any Aussie in their position. But what we poms didn’t have was a mentality which prized winning over putting on a show. And I didn’t mind that. It was far more enjoyable to watch and the victories we did manage to pull off were all the more memorable for it.

Minimising risk is now the be all and end all. The most successful coaches all know that in the professional era - when the physical gap between teams at the top is narrower than in days gone by - errors can be critical. Fatal even. If you can all but eradicate them you can dominate possession. If you can do that then you are statistically far more likely to win. Eventually the team that has spent more time on the more physically draining activity of defending will run out of gas. I don’t know who it was but somebody once described the Australian State Of Origin games - now considered the highest level of the sport even above internationals - is just 34 blokes running at each other until one of them falls over. This is possibly an extreme way of phrasing it but it is largely true. The dullards on Sky Sports and the BBC don’t call it an energy battle for nothing. 

It’s not just at the very top where set completion is king. Although they are not as good at it the risk free possession game has filtered down to the lesser teams. A team that makes two passes from the ruck is considered expansive these days. But even in games between sides with lower expectations the tendency is to stick to one. The role of the hooker at dummy half is lauded because he has become what passes for the most creative force in the side. Halfbacks - scrum halves in old money - are for tactical kicking.

The timing and accuracy of your number nine’s passes straight from the play-the-ball are crucial in allowing he forwards running on to it to make ground and get their team down the field. If you have James Roby and Alex Walmsley in these roles for over a decade you’ll go far. Roby had a great all round game but Walmsley lives and dies by how many metres he makes, all slavishly calculated in this data heavy era. Like Roby he’s a legend of the game but I’d argue that he doesn’t have the power to take your breath away in the way that George Mann did. But what did he win I hear you ask?

The open, exciting rugby league of my youth is considered naive and far less likely to succeed now. Consequently there is far less attacking variety in the game. When teams get into the opposition 20 metre zone they might abandon the up the jumper stuff but it’s replaced by a predictable attacking structure that has become almost uniform across the sport. One ball handler  runs sideways vaguely threatening the defensive line. As he does so one potential receiver runs the line for a short ball but invariably becomes a lead dummy runner whose job is to attract defenders to create space for another runner who goes ‘out the back’. There is precious little variation on this to the point where the ball almost always ends up with the wingers to apply the finish. What’s more, all wingers tries essentially look identical. Even the flying finishes pioneered by Tommy Makinson when the rules were changed to make the corner post part of the field of play have become humdrum as so many others have perfected the skill.

The amount of stats and data now available to coaches and other employed analysts contributes further. The obsession with completion rates trumps any desire for anything off the cuff - even among most fans. The position of most supporters is that if their team has won a big game then they have been entertained. And if they haven’t they don’t care. Log on to your team’s Twitter after every big game and there will be scores of posts lambasting anyone guilty of a rare attempt at creativity that hasn’t come off. Ask the coach about it and he’ll lament that ‘we lost our structure’ or - to quote one of Wellens’ more berserk favourite criticisms of the dullest Saints team in living memory in 2024 - ‘we tried to score on every play’. We haven’t done anything like that since Neil Holding’s pomp. And I don’t mean with a microphone.

As the tactics have changed so too have the roles of the players and even the way they shape their bodies. They all look the same to the extent that Sione Mata’utia played prop, second row and in both centre positions in 2024. It’s not because he’s some kind of Swiss army knife of a player. It’s has more to do with second rowers and centres becoming indistinguishable from each other in much the same way that props and loose forwards have latterly. 

Ball playing loose forwards like Hanley, Paul Sculthorpe, Andy Farrell and Kevin Sinfield have been phased out of the game altogether. They are just not produced by youth systems any more. Everyone is a battering ram - a situation exacerbated by the amount of interchanges now available to coaches. 

These are necessary for player welfare but do nothing to improve the spectacle. If defences don’t tire they will be ever more comfortable to defend the predictable attacking raids they face. Many foamed at the mouth at the defence on show in Saints’ 8-4  2020 Grand Final win over Wigan. I felt that - save for it’s incredible denouement of the Makinson drop-goal hitting the post to set up Jack Welsby’s astonishing winning try - it was one of the most boring games of any sport I have ever seen. Unlike many Saints fans I have never sat through it again since writing the review for these pages.

You may feel that much of this is nostalgia from a child of the 80s. But there are some things about that era that I don’t miss. One hundred year old grounds with no accessible toilets or refreshment kiosks spring to mind. Nor do I miss the first come-first served, let them in free attitude towards wheelchair users at the time. I’d much rather pay for my ticket and have good facilities and a great view than be let in for nothing but have to get in an hour before kick-off in all weathers just to make sure I’d be able to see the pitch. And professionalism has at least stopped Wigan from winning everything even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. 

However I genuinely feel like the game is crying out for a club to achieve success a different way. Another evolution needs to happen. At a time when we are trying to compete with other sports for new eyeballs tedium is the last thing we can afford. Dare I say it more change. Even if it isn’t Saints, won’t somebody please win a title by taking risks, having an actual centre or loose forward in their side or by being chock full of pace instead of power. 

At the moment it feels a long way away.