Liam Byrne

[Exiled Wiganer]

Have we found the new Matty Smith or Sam Powell?

Whatever you do, you must never ever let anything go.

[Soul Kitchen]

Have we found the new Matty Smith or Sam Powell?

There has to be a scapegoat, it wouldn't be Wigan!

[Mass]

Don't think Byrne did much wrong in Friday. In my opinion his defence was solid whilst on the pitch. He certainly didn't let anyone down.

I know he didn't do big minutes but neither did the majority of the replacements.

I know everyone is entitled to their opinion but the only person he needs to impress is Matty Peet. If he picks him then I'll 100% get behind him as I would with anyone who pulls on the Wigan shirt.

[buttmonkey2]

I think that fans are missing the real point here.

There's been criticism of some players, most of whom have either been banned for some period of time or just not been able to get into the first team. With no reserves it must be extremely difficult to (as they say) hit the ground running, straight into the first team and also display some level of "form" for the players concerned

[EagleEyePie]

I've said many times on here that many props don't really hit their peak until their late twenties. Some props show early promise but take a while to fulfil it.

Byrne reminds me a bit of Gil Dudson. Gil had plenty of size and showed some early promise but never really kicked on until later in his career when he started playing well for Salford and then got a move to Catalans.
Robbie Mulhern was a really promising player when he was younger but floundered a bit until he moved to Leigh and had his breakthrough year at 28.
Romain Navarrete was a starter in a Grand Final for us when he was younger but his career seemed to go backwards until he got another chance at Catalans when he was 28.

Lots of people are critical about him not kicking on but arguably it's just par for the course. Props who mature early like Ethan Havard are a rarity. Most seem to have slow progress, maybe go through a few different clubs in their mid-20's before finally starting to fulfil their potential. Perhaps Byrne is just one of those players. Of course some players never fulfil that potential. Brad Singleton is probably one of them.

I think the issue for Byrne is that he was a guaranteed starter for the club for a few years when our front row was a bit weak. His value to the club was probably quite high at the time. Now that we've thankfully strengthened our front row he's almost certainly not as valuable to us anymore. That probably means we're paying him more than he's worth to us but if a club like Leigh or Salford were looking for a prop he'd almost certainly get a better deal there as a player who could improve their team.

Whatever happens in the future, he's at the club this year and there are worse props we could have as 5th or 6th choice. He's had a good run of form in the past, there's no reason why he couldn't do the same again.

[mickali1]

I've said many times on here that many props don't really hit their peak until their late twenties. Some props show early promise but take a while to fulfil it.

Byrne reminds me a bit of Gil Dudson. Gil had plenty of size and showed some early promise but never really kicked on until later in his career when he started playing well for Salford and then got a move to Catalans.
Robbie Mulhern was a really promising player when he was younger but floundered a bit until he moved to Leigh and had his breakthrough year at 28.
Romain Navarrete was a starter in a Grand Final for us when he was younger but his career seemed to go backwards until he got another chance at Catalans when he was 28.

Lots of people are critical about him not kicking on but arguably it's just par for the course. Props who mature early like Ethan Havard are a rarity. Most seem to have slow progress, maybe go through a few different clubs in their mid-20's before finally starting to fulfil their potential. Perhaps Byrne is just one of those players. Of course some players never fulfil that potential. Brad Singleton is probably one of them.

I think the issue for Byrne is that he was a guaranteed starter for the club for a few years when our front row was a bit weak. His value to the club was probably quite high at the time. Now that we've thankfully strengthened our front row he's almost certainly not as valuable to us anymore. That probably means we're paying him more than he's worth to us but if a club like Leigh or Salford were looking for a prop he'd almost certainly get a better deal there as a player who could improve their team.

Whatever happens in the future, he's at the club this year and there are worse props we could have as 5th or 6th choice. He's had a good run of form in the past, there's no reason why he couldn't do the same again.

That, for me, sums it up perfectly.

[NICKYKISS]

I think the crackdown on head contact, combined with Byrnes tackling technique is making this a tricky time for him. Forget the Percival tackle, that can happen and generally I think he’s been running the ball ok recently but everything looks a bit ‘safe’ defensively and that’s understandable after the Good Friday ban (which was hugely excessive) and then that yellow card in the first tackle of the game at Huddersfield. We can afford to be patient with him with guys like Thompson, Havard, O’Neill and Ellis playing so well and defending tough around the middle.

[DaveO]

Have we found the new Matty Smith or Sam Powell?

He’s not that bad.

Not sure why you’d lump Smith in with Powell anyway. The only criticism I can recall of Smith was over his goal kicking which at the time was justified as it was poor. I don’t think anyone thought he wasn’t a good enough player unlike Powell.

[Exiled Wiganer]

The only “issue” about a player like Byrne is whether he is value for money. I would pick Thompson, Havard, Du Pree, Mago, Cooper and Hill ahead of him, but having a 7th prop is useful (and I appreciate we have other players out on loan who could play prop). If he is paid in line with not being a top 17 prop then that’s fine by me.

Moreover, there was a time when he played much better than he has this season, and if he was hitting those heights regularly then he would be much closer to the top table.

Honestly, given how great we are at the moment, I am not losing sleep about anyone in the squad. Just in awe of their levels of collective performance.

[Flash]

Have we found the new Matty Smith or Sam Powell?

He’s not that bad.

Not sure why you’d lump Smith in with Powell anyway. The only criticism I can recall of Smith was over his goal kicking which at the time was justified as it was poor. I don’t think anyone thought he wasn’t a good enough player unlike Powell.

I think you may be confusing Matty Smith with Harry Smith there Dave.