I've just been thinking about how many of the 2012 Saints would get into the 2006 line up. Even though that 2006 team was the best I've personally seen, you'd still think 6 years later we may have improved on the odd position.

Fullback:

2006: Wellens
2012: Wellens

No doubt Wello was in the form of his life in 2006 and despite him not being nearly as bad as some on here make out, his performances have certainly declined since then. Not a criticism, just a fact of life.

Wing:

2006: Gardner, Meli
2012: Gardner, Meli

I'd say they're both about the same as they were really. Maybe Ade has upped his individual game but doesn't get the credit due to playing outside a poor centre.

Centre:

2006: Lyon, Talau
2012: Shenton, Wheeler.

Not much needs to be said here.

Halves:

2006: Pryce, Long
2012: Hohaia, Lomax

2 bona-fide game winners replaced by a stand off who doesn't want to know and a hooker/full back playing at 7.

Props:

2006: Graham, Anderson, Fa'asavalu, Cayless
2012: LMS, Laffranchi, Puletua, Perry

It's quite painful looking at that. Only TP would have a sniff of breaking into that foursome

Back row:

2006: Hooper, Wilkin, Scully
2012: Wilkin, Soliola, Flannery

Scully was struggling by now but was still light years ahead of Flanno. Soliola would probably have made that 17 in 2006 because Anderson wouldn't have stood for him shooting out of the line all the time

Hooker:

2006: Keiron
2012: Roby

All things told you'd say it was fairly even despite them having very different games

Squad members:

2006: Fozzard, Gilmour, Vinnie, Roby
2012: Flanagan, Clough, Jones, Foster, Gaskell, Dixon


Makes bad reading doesn't it. How the 2006 squad was kept around the salary cap was incredible. How the 2012 earns the full cap is equally incredible.

You have to account for changes in tax and paying players via image rights, not to mention the offers available from the NRL v SL in those days compared to now.

That's why there is so much emphasis on building your own as there simply is not the loopholes any more, unless you are going to be an consultant as well as a RL player.

But this is 2012 not 2006 - there is no point saying how much better it was then because we are in the here and now.

Is there no point talking about any of our history then? It's a comparison to see how good we had it back then, and maybe to look at what we need to become challengers again.



Good points although I'd argue that Wigan, Leeds and Wire are all better off now than then.

I would imagine not 1 single player from 2012 would get in the first 13 of the 2006 team, Roby, Lomax and Soliola/Puletua probably be bench players.

Saints 2006 would do to Saints 2012 just what Wigan did at the weekend. Mercilessly take us apart with incisive attacking moves and a punishing defence. Wigan, this season, remind me of us back in 2006.

I would imagine Saints 2006 would have beaten Wigan 2012 by a similar score to last week, Saints 2006 would have beaten Saints 2012 by a similar 75 - 0 scoreline all those years ago.

...unless, seemingly you're Warrington.... or Wigan when they need a personalised bespoke loophole creating to keep a player...

Anyway, the point is pointless as standards have declined substantially in the game even since 2006. Never mind current Saints being able to match Saints 2006 - I very much doubt any other team in the league would have given them a game either. You'd have to put together a "best 17" from all players around today to stand much chance of finding a current GB team that could have beaten Saints '06.

Makes depressing reading does'nt it? But it's just transisition look how low Bradford and Wigan have been after dominating. It's no good supporting them when they win everything if your not gonna bother when they have tough patches.

Perry might've made it in the props. He would've been around 24/25 and not sure on when he played for Aus but he has so he might have been still at international/SOO level.....maybe.....possibly...

You're right to an extent. Standards certainly have declined. I just looked back at that team and to see us recruit no-one of at least similar standard to the players we had is disappointing. Graham, Anderson and Lyon were complete one offs and unreplaceable in the 2012 climate. But to see the likes of Shenton, Flannery and Hohaia in place of Talau, Gilmour, Pryce, especially when two of those players are still running around (and are British) shows bad player selection.

Agreed that losing Gilmour seems ever stranger with every passing year. But as I've said many a-time, Shenton was by far the best centre out there at the time - he still is if he can reclaim form/fitness. I'd love to know who people think we could have signed instead who would have been any better... And as for Hohaia, clearly Pryce wanted too many years and £s for us to be able (or want to be able with his injuries) to pay and, with Eastmond being off, we were desperate for a half and Hohaia was just simply the best candidate available without a transfer fee. Again - who else was there available that, without the benefit of hindsight, we would have signed at the time instead? Those signings haven't worked out and our team has been lessened as a result, but it's more down to luck and timing and the fates and the inexorable decline in GB player quality than it is to the oft criticised Saints recruitment policy.

Ryan Atkins?