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Firestarter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:25 pm Better to start a tackling hooker and bring an impact hooker off bench meds...... tommy is perfect ( bench)and keep smith at 7

What clubs still do this?

What clubs have ever actually done it for a prolonged period and had success? Other than saints with KFC/Roby and Leeds occasionally doing it with burrow, it seems to be few and far between.

With the reduction in subs I’m of the opinion having an interchange hooker could have a negative impact.

nathan_rugby wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:30 pm

Firestarter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:25 pm Better to start a tackling hooker and bring an impact hooker off bench meds...... tommy is perfect ( bench)and keep smith at 7

What clubs still do this?

What clubs have ever actually done it for a prolonged period and had success? Other than saints with KFC/Roby and Leeds occasionally doing it with burrow, it seems to be few and far between.

With the reduction in subs I’m of the opinion having an interchange hooker could have a negative impact.

its not about what other clubs do nathan...... its about playing to our strengths....... sam will put in a big tackle count from the start( compared to tommys big hits)....... if we were playing against a top side and jacko got injured at the beginning, who would go into the halves with lockers out and no tommy/powell on the bench? French? Maybe...... but we would be in trouble in my book....... play to your strengths is all im saying

Firestarter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:37 pm

nathan_rugby wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:30 pm

Firestarter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 8:25 pm Better to start a tackling hooker and bring an impact hooker off bench meds...... tommy is perfect ( bench)and keep smith at 7

What clubs still do this?

What clubs have ever actually done it for a prolonged period and had success? Other than saints with KFC/Roby and Leeds occasionally doing it with burrow, it seems to be few and far between.

With the reduction in subs I’m of the opinion having an interchange hooker could have a negative impact.

its not about what other clubs do nathan...... its about playing to our strengths....... sam will put in a big tackle count from the start( compared to tommys big hits)....... if we were playing against a top side and jacko got injured at the beginning, who would go into the halves with lockers out and no tommy/powell on the bench? French? Maybe...... but we would be in trouble in my book....... play to your strengths is all im saying

do you think we would have beat huddersfield comfortably if we hadnt had smith on the bench? We will never know but my guess is definately not

Nezza Faz wrote:And with the Salary Cap restrictions you can't have a "star" in every single position, for purely financial rules. You do need a player that complements the make-up of the rest. And we do have some cover at '9' with TL and the very promising Burough ?

Hooker is one of the key positions which in a salary cap sport a team should invest in. Not use the cap as an excuse not to.

That said I think Powell will see his career out here because in my opinion IL & Rads are too soft. Under ML he’d be long gone even if ML had to work under a salary cap but I don’t think Wigan have any intention of trying to find a better 9. That ruthless and constant search for improvement in any position doesn’t seem to characterise this regime. Were it to with the production line of talent we have alongside it I think we’d dominate and would have won even more than we have under IL.

DaveO

Would you say Powell has improved this season despite 5 games in?

ancientnloyal wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:44 am DaveO

Would you say Powell has improved this season despite 5 games in?

In my opinion he has improved but hes still a way off what you would consider a top player in his position.

Clark
Roby (even at 34)
Mcshane

All easily ahead of him

id probably argue you could add to that list

Wood
Houghton
Leeming

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:24 am

ancientnloyal wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:44 am DaveO

Would you say Powell has improved this season despite 5 games in?

In my opinion he has improved but hes still a way off what you would consider a top player in his position.

Clark
Roby (even at 34)
Mcshane

All easily ahead of him

id probably argue you could add to that list

Wood
Houghton
Leeming

Would you have a top class hooker at the expense of Hastings or G.Burgess?

The booze hound wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:46 am

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:24 am

ancientnloyal wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:44 am DaveO

Would you say Powell has improved this season despite 5 games in?

In my opinion he has improved but hes still a way off what you would consider a top player in his position.

Clark
Roby (even at 34)
Mcshane

All easily ahead of him

id probably argue you could add to that list

Wood
Houghton
Leeming

Would you have a top class hooker at the expense of Hastings or G.Burgess?

No but id question whether we need French/Hardaker/Escare - all Superleague standard full backs. Id argue we would want to keep Hardaker as a centre but then the likes of Hank and Bibby are questionable recruits. Tommy/Lockers/CLubb all would be sacrificed too personally so while i appreciate its a salary cap sport and you cant have stars all over the pitch your 9 touches the ball more than any other player during the game so its a great starting spot for spend

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:43 am

The booze hound wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:46 am

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:24 am

In my opinion he has improved but hes still a way off what you would consider a top player in his position.

Clark
Roby (even at 34)
Mcshane

All easily ahead of him

id probably argue you could add to that list

Wood
Houghton
Leeming

Would you have a top class hooker at the expense of Hastings or G.Burgess?

No but id question whether we need French/Hardaker/Escare....

Me neither. I wouldn't question that we need French and Hardaker, I reckon they're both integral to our teams potential success (and both excellent value cap-wise I guess).

ancientnloyal wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:44 am DaveO

Would you say Powell has improved this season despite 5 games in?

He's not as rigid as he was under Wane and runs the ball more but his pace and passing are no better than previously. So if that = improvement yes but it's all relative to his contemporaries and we still have a key position occupied by a player who's main attribute is 100% effort (as Sarge was).