Congratulations are of course in order for Tommy winning a world cup winners medal. BUT! Big concern for us Wigan fans is the fact that he was moved from half back because of his inneffectiveness, and NZ definitely looked miles better with Nathan Fein at scrum half.
We have 2 hookers for next year, we need Tommy to operate at half back. Big worry for me. Tommy's kicking game is woeful, and I can't see us being anywhere near good enough in the halves.
Didn't want to rain on his parade, but he was the first to admit that he was poor at scrum half.
tommy leuluai ???
Re: tommy leuluai ???
I agree and what is worse I think we will play a scrum half at stand off (Smith) to accommodate TL at 7.bertina wrote:Congratulations are of course in order for Tommy winning a world cup winners medal. BUT! Big concern for us Wigan fans is the fact that he was moved from half back because of his inneffectiveness, and NZ definitely looked miles better with Nathan Fein at scrum half.
We have 2 hookers for next year, we need Tommy to operate at half back. Big worry for me. Tommy's kicking game is woeful, and I can't see us being anywhere near good enough in the halves.
Didn't want to rain on his parade, but he was the first to admit that he was poor at scrum half.
Now someone will say the Wigan play the game it makes no odds if you are a six or a seven but that IMO depends on whether or not the player can operate that way.
I don't think Smith can. He is not IMO going be be a great support player (like Edwards was at 6) but is instead a player with some guile who could put a player like Edwards away through a gap. He needs to be the dictator of the plays to do this like a good 7 not the 50% of a team both trying the same thing on different sides of the pitch.
I personally think the ideal combination would be Smith at 7 and S Tomkins at 6.
Which of course leaves no place for a player who has just won a world cup medal in the halves because he won it playing better in another position.
So should he play back up 9 to Riddell? Can't see him wanting to do that and McIllorum would have to make way so it then becomes a question of whose future we invest in, a young British hooker or that of an overseas player.
Dave
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THE 18th Man
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- Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:27 am
Re: tommy leuluai ???
we cant all start questioning tommys abilty just because he had a bad couple of games
FACT
- pat richards missed some kicks in the world cup - doesnt make him a bad kicker
- trent barrett had a bad start to the season - doesnt make him a bad player
- england rl had a terible world cup - but the players involved are good players
so far tommy leuluai hasnt let us down and i dont see that happening soon, he is a world class scrum half and great player and we need to give time for his new partnership with tim smith to work
FACT
- pat richards missed some kicks in the world cup - doesnt make him a bad kicker
- trent barrett had a bad start to the season - doesnt make him a bad player
- england rl had a terible world cup - but the players involved are good players
so far tommy leuluai hasnt let us down and i dont see that happening soon, he is a world class scrum half and great player and we need to give time for his new partnership with tim smith to work
Re: tommy leuluai ???
THE 18th Man wrote:we cant all start questioning tommys abilty just because he had a bad couple of games
FACT
- pat richards missed some kicks in the world cup - doesnt make him a bad kicker
- trent barrett had a bad start to the season - doesnt make him a bad player
- england rl had a terible world cup - but the players involved are good players
so far tommy leuluai hasnt let us down and i dont see that happening soon, he is a world class scrum half and great player and we need to give time for his new partnership with tim smith to work
Sorry but he is not a world class scrumhalf and he is at best a decent player. He has not set the super league or wigan alite and I dont think he will. That is one of the reasons we have struggled last season, he couldnt direct world champions around the field so what chance Wigan.
Re: tommy leuluai ???
What a ridiculous thing to say!!slimshady wrote:he couldnt direct world champions around the field so what chance Wigan.
Gareth Thomas before his first game: "You wanna spend 10 mins getting smashed up by these guys..Big dudes here.."
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THE 18th Man
- Posts: 1310
- Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:27 am
Re: tommy leuluai ???
well you need to stop living in the past slimshady and stop comparing current players to past players. were never gonna have the standard we use to have and he is not in super league to set it alite, he is there to play for 80 minutes and give 100% which he does. he is a great player and we could do alot worse
Re: tommy leuluai ???
Dave: I think tommy may well end up at 6 with smith at 7 this season. Tomkins as backup 6/7 and phelps backup 6.
If one of our hookers gets injured then tommy may shift to backup 9 depending on form.
It seems we have options in most positions this season. We're not choosing between world class players in every case, but the second choices don't weaken us that much.
It seems to me that we won't be outstanding this year, but we should be consistent even with quite a few injuries. Our price of 10-1 for the minor premeirship seems generous to me - looking at st helens squad you can't help but think if they get a couple of injuries that 6 game slump they always seem to have is not going to end with a 12 game winning streak. They could finish 4th or 5th.
Its going to be an interesting if not glittering year IMO.
If one of our hookers gets injured then tommy may shift to backup 9 depending on form.
It seems we have options in most positions this season. We're not choosing between world class players in every case, but the second choices don't weaken us that much.
It seems to me that we won't be outstanding this year, but we should be consistent even with quite a few injuries. Our price of 10-1 for the minor premeirship seems generous to me - looking at st helens squad you can't help but think if they get a couple of injuries that 6 game slump they always seem to have is not going to end with a 12 game winning streak. They could finish 4th or 5th.
Its going to be an interesting if not glittering year IMO.
Re: tommy leuluai ???
Why is it ridiculous, they tried him at scrumhalf and when he couldnt do it they moved him to hooker.gpartin wrote:What a ridiculous thing to say!!slimshady wrote:he couldnt direct world champions around the field so what chance Wigan.
Re: tommy leuluai ???
Every other team in super league has a scrumhalf who directs them around the field, what past players have I compared him to? He may give 100% for 80mins but if he is not as good a player as the opposing scrumhalf so what. If that is the standard your going to except then we will have another great season.THE 18th Man wrote:well you need to stop living in the past slimshady and stop comparing current players to past players. were never gonna have the standard we use to have and he is not in super league to set it alite, he is there to play for 80 minutes and give 100% which he does. he is a great player and we could do alot worse
Re: tommy leuluai ???
The world cup just highlighted he is limited when playing 7 IMO. Several people have had reservations about him as a 7 based on his last two seasons performances in that position not just two games in the world cup.THE 18th Man wrote:we cant all start questioning tommys abilty just because he had a bad couple of games
To answer the bit on bold that is one thing the world cup proved he is not.so far tommy leuluai hasnt let us down and i dont see that happening soon, he is a world class scrum half and great player and we need to give time for his new partnership with tim smith to work
Dave