BOWEN

[Wandering Warrior]

Bowen has played well in most games, but his work as games have been the ones that mattered, especially the ones that involved winning a trophy like the world Club Championship and the Grand Final.

For that reason together with his age etc, I am inclined to agree that it might be worth playing Sarginson at Full Back with Thornley at Left Centre.

Once again I agree, he's a short term stop gap and expect him not to play as much next year.

[markill]

Only played once for Australia and the big games this season he's not had good games

He played in the best competition in the world for a decade, he played Origin several times and represented his country albeit once (better than 99.9%) and you have the temerity to suggest he is not a big game player

Based on what people have seen this year how can you do the eye roll thing? Bowen's worst games have been big games other than the Huddersfield game where it was his first for us so still some pressure on him. WCC, semi final, final, he didn't deliver what we would expect from a 'star signing'. I think it's reasonable for people to think he isn't a big game player on that basis, no matter how many big games he has played in before coming here.

He is still a top player with magic in him though and if his dummy worked or the offload was taken we wouldn't have this thread I don't suppose. By the way folk, we've all watched him dummy like that all year so was anyone surprised when he chose to do that? Bateman maybe was but I wasn't. Any pass could have been intercepted too. Just a shame we didn't score.

[Wigan_forever1985]

i think the main issue with bowen is he is one of those players who when he plays well he is world class but when he plays badly he is terrible, sometimes he catches everything under the sun and sometimes he looks like he has ritchie mathers syndrome. You would expect at his age and experience a greater amount of consistency

[devon jim 1]

Whatever hes done in the past is irrelevant. We are paying him for now,and so far not a roaring success.The kids look better.

The kid he replaced certainly was!

I second that Kitt. Jl your entitled to your opinion the same has anyone else(including Menpond)

[Wikimann]

Im a devotee of all things Oz/NRL/ARL for many many years & watch almost every NRL game via prem sports & even go back to when the winfield cup was only available on Micron video! He was very ordinary in the last couple of NRL seasons for the Cowboys hence his release & i remember telling friends in Wigan last year i didn't think he was a particularly great buy. The 2007 origin series was 7 years ago btw & can't be used as a selling point now. He looks decidedly dodgy under any high ball (he's no Minichello or Slater!) & was dreadful against wire in both games for mine. His decision making at times is very poor & often puts us under needless pressure as he's prone to a bobbly fumble near his own line. Im never interested in big line breaks against mediocrity,thats irrelevant,a fullbacks priority is safe hands with a fully laden dump truck bearing down on you!

[sheepsteeth]

worst game he as played for us . He was a glory seeking idiot instead of passing that would have got us back in the game with a good chance. Roby mom your having a larf Farrell was best player on the pitch by a mile

This

[OAMJSONA]

worst game he as played for us . He was a glory seeking idiot instead of passing that would have got us back in the game with a good chance. Roby mom your having a larf Farrell was best player on the pitch by a mile

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[Sutty]

worst game he as played for us . He was a glory seeking idiot instead of passing that would have got us back in the game with a good chance. Roby mom your having a larf Farrell was best player on the pitch by a mile

This

Agree entirely. However, on the play before this, when we broke down the left, we had a man overlap and decided to take the tackle / cover defence got across. When, if we'd passed to the winger it would have probably resulted in a try.

At the end of the day there were loads and loads of ifs, buts and what ifs, but it's the same in every game. I think it's unfair to single one player out.

Also, when the kick went through that Flower was chasing and the ball popped up to him, if that had stayed in his hands he'd have scored and we'd have probably gone on to win. Instead, he got clattered, while we were trying to pick up the loose ball and we all know what happened after that. That's how fine the margins between success and failure are.

That said, I agree that Bowen doesn't instill any confidence when challenging a high ball. He was looking round for someone else to take the bomb, that Makinson subsequently scored off. Instead of attacking the ball and plucking it from the air, like any other top class fullback would have done.

[adiddy]

Ok so Bowen didn't have his best game on Saturday, but he still had quite a solid performance for mine. Ok he had a couple of fumbles and should have passed out to the winger instead of cutting inside and taking the tackle, but by no means is he a bad player!!! A few posters had put that Farrell was mom, yet he should have passed to budgie for a definite try but went on his own and got tackled. Gelling made a break should have passed to Bowen who incidentally would have scored under the posts, but instead gelling took the tackle. If Bateman had taken Bowens pass we might have scored, instead he knocked on. If a player had backed up charnley we would have scored, no one near him, move breaks down. Same again when green made a break, no one with him. Yes Bowen wasn't great on sat night but then again neither were some of the other players!!! Let's stop singling out individual players and agree that despite being a man down we were still capable of winning that game and collectively we didn't have the skill or composure to do so!!!

Matt