Tonight's Game - Team for Thursday

[Flash]

Sorry you're right ,forgot about smithies ,I'd still leave him on bench as he gives too many penalties away and yes I went to Huddersfield!!

254 tackles and 5 penalties, less than 1 every 50 tackles he makes. Compare that with Cooper 117 tackles and 6 penalties or Lees 174 tackles and 5 penalties. It is a fallacy that he gives away too many penalties. I am willing to have a 10p bet that, as a percentage of tackles made, he is at the lower end of the scale compared with other forwards. I will leave it to Morley to calculate

I would also add that at least one of those penalties wasn't a penalty in the memory of man!

[Mike]

Smithies has given away more penalties this season (5) than in the whole of 2022 (4), so that is a concern but he’s comfortably in our best 13. We really do under value players like him in this country. Saints fans and ex players have managed to blow up the billing Morgan Knowles gets but Smithies makes more ground, has a higher workrate in attack and defence and makes less errors but isn’t spoke about in such glowing terms. The fact he’s a few years younger cannot be dismissed either.

As for this weeks team, the French to fullback and Field to 6 change should be from the start. Cust is way off and we need these 2 around the ball as much as possible and around each other.

I’d go-

French
Miski King Wardle Marshall
Field Smith
Byrne Powell Ellis
Isa Farrell Smithies

Subs
Cooper Havard Pearce-Paul O’Neill

We need to be tight on that right side, so I’d bring Isa back in. They have Lam, Leutele and Charnley over on their left and they’ve been going well. We have to cut out the errors and daft penalties or it could be a long night.

I’d go-

French
Miski King Wardle Marshall
Field Smith
Byrne Powell Ellis
KPP Farrell Smithies

Subs
Cooper Havard Singleton Cust (as hooking rotation now Sam is running more, and to cover back line injuries as SO)

[Suzieb]

I don’t think that KPP should be any where near the team he has been given his chance and not taken it isa in to tighten up our right hand side

As I’ve previously stated on here when we have had Cust KPP and King on our right hand side we do look vulnerable the left edge is Leigh’s best edge

[Gerrumonside]

It’s interesting to see how many want Miski in with French at full back and jai in the halves.

[nathan_rugby]

It’s interesting to see how many want Miski in with French at full back and jai in the halves.

Why is it interesting?

[the pieman]

Sorry you're right ,forgot about smithies ,I'd still leave him on bench as he gives too many penalties away and yes I went to Huddersfield!!

254 tackles and 5 penalties, less than 1 every 50 tackles he makes. Compare that with Cooper 117 tackles and 6 penalties or Lees 174 tackles and 5 penalties. It is a fallacy that he gives away too many penalties. I am willing to have a 10p bet that, as a percentage of tackles made, he is at the lower end of the scale compared with other forwards. I will leave it to Morley to calculate

I would also add that at least one of those penalties wasn't a penalty in the memory of man!

and i think 3 of those were in 1 game, as the commentators were rattling on about it

the noises about Smithies at the minute, sound very familiar to when SoL 1st came through. He's no Faz, he's not a leader, he's not a captain, he's not this or that. No he isnt, he is his own player, who has a different skillset whether we like it or not, and the calls for him to be dropped really show how little some people know about the game IMO

[Wintergreen]

Obviously we all see things differently, but Smithies would be one of the first names on the team list if I was picking it.

[archiekeith]

It’s interesting to see how many want Miski in with French at full back and jai in the halves.

Why is it interesting?

Why indeed. Personally I find non of this "team picking " interesting however other posters do for whatever reason. The only interest I have is the team that takes to the field,and plays to their best capabilities. Hopefully we'll win

[Southern Softy]

I'd be fair to Miski and say that after probably the worst first match by anyone for Wigan, he did look decent when he got some chances last season.
I an baffled by people's choice of the blunt instrument that is Byrne because I can't see what he brings to the team. His tackling technique is iffy and likely to cause penalties for high shots and he seems to die with the ball without making significant yardage.
As for the halves, Field was noticeably more quiet (apart from creating that final try) when he moved there against Salford and (if fit) I think we look most dangerous when Cust on the right and Smith on the left are in tandem. I don't think we're ever going to solve the conundrum of how to get the best out of both Field and French when that are both in the team wherever they play.

[josie andrews]

254 tackles and 5 penalties, less than 1 every 50 tackles he makes. Compare that with Cooper 117 tackles and 6 penalties or Lees 174 tackles and 5 penalties. It is a fallacy that he gives away too many penalties. I am willing to have a 10p bet that, as a percentage of tackles made, he is at the lower end of the scale compared with other forwards. I will leave it to Morley to calculate

I would also add that at least one of those penalties wasn't a penalty in the memory of man!

and i think 3 of those were in 1 game, as the commentators were rattling on about it

the noises about Smithies at the minute, sound very familiar to when SoL 1st came through. He's no Faz, he's not a leader, he's not a captain, he's not this or that. No he isnt, he is his own player, who has a different skillset whether we like it or not, and the calls for him to be dropped really show how little some people know about the game IMO

Spot on Pieman