Very sad day :(

[Panchitta Marra]

The only reason why Rocky hasn't been playing at HB is a very simple one, and one that sticks out like a massive sore thumb.

Smith is a very good player no doubt, he has a very solid kicking game, but age wise he will be 28 in July I can see him finishing his career at Wigan.

In the mean time I would start Rocky at stand off but it won't happen for the reasons I will explain later. With Williams coming off the bench at hooker, or even starting at hooker to give Mac a rest in certain games, I've always seen Williams as a hooker, he has the build and characteristics as a hooker as he does tire in the last quater of games.

For whatever reason the split halves around the POB have been knocked on the head, it is now and easy to read structure, no inside passes, no switch of play, no variety, whatever to happened to our short side play with SOL and Farrell? Not seen that all season. So with this in mind a player like Rocky in the thick of the action rather than out the back from a second man play older than the dinosaurs would benefit from variety and keep the opposition second guessing.

This brings me on to Rocky, Smith is a passer very very rarely you will see Smith take on the line, I can count on one hand this season Smith has done this. He has great pass selection and with the much quicker elusive player in Rocky on his outside he would have a field day no doubt.


But it's his defence that worries SW, at Wigan the halves are expected to do as many tackles as a prop forward the number of tackles Williams/ Smith have made this season is embarrassing Rocky does not fit into SW way of thinking from a defensive POV. At fullback the defence part of things not including positional play, fielding kicks, contesting for high balls is minimising the one on one tackles through the defensive line this is why he selects Rocky at FB given his obvious attacking prowess.

SW feels Rocky is not up to the hard hits and 15-20+ tackles a game expected of the HBs this is why Rocky will NEVER get an opportunity to play there, and if and when somewhow he does for whatever miracle occurs he will be so rusty he won't set the world alight either.

Excellent post God.

Smith's defence has been extremely suspect of late too, shipping in tries from his poor efforts technique, timing.
Nothing much negative is said about this, whereas other players have been lambasted for their errors.
Are people seeing the real picture with smith?

[No straw damn us]

Just to nail my colours to the mast here. I am very pro Hampshire as my posts over the last four or five years will testify. I was also very pro Kevin Brown when most of the Wigan fans were on his back. He didn't have Hampshire pace but his vision and passing ability was always first class, he the ONE we should have kept. My only concern is playing Hampshire and Williams together too soon and probably ruining either one or both of them. Wigan fans are very unforgiving and won't give them time. They, expect, no demand, success and don't mind at what cost to young players reputations. Hampshire and Williams have time on their side, please let's be patient with them. The last thing that either of them need is to to be forced out of the club due to unneeded pressure. I always look at the way Burrow and Maguire were handled compared to say Brown and Robinson or Lomax and Gaskell. The weight of expectation on those four players was too much for them at their young age and they had to be moved on or to a different position. All were excellent junior players.

[THELAST3YARDS]

Gaskell is light years behind Hampshire in terms of ability I think and Lomax never looked comfortable at 7 for me.

Wigan's problem is that they have Smith on a long term deal on presumably very good money. It would be a big call by Wane to drop him, especially as he was England 7 last season. I don't think Wane is a gambler and will lose Hampshire in time because of this.

Factor in Sam Powell having a contract for a few years then I think the writing is on the wall re Hampshire.

[cpwigan]

Different era though No Straw

Personally I think George and Rocky are potentially the best combination we have had since Gregory and Edwards. Both are that good IMO and I know you make your post with very best intention (you always do)

However, lets consider the scenario; We have an established near international hooker, we have either the best player/LF OR a very good experienced beyond his age alternative LF. So these 2 young players are not being thrown in at the deep end; they are in a stable very successful club (nothing like what Brown/Robinson faced) and they have the right support in other key positions. George will have already had a season under his belt.

People talk about Sam Tomkins. Anybody remember duty of care Noble doing his best not to play him whilst nearly destroying Tim Smith. Sam when he got his opportunity, got just shy of 50 games as a half back his then preferred position before switching to fullback.

NO player with as much talent has been given so VERY FEW opportunities to play in his position of choice. He could have been given at the very least half a dozen games to a dozen as a half.

NOBODY INCL WANE WILL NEVER KNOW IF ROCKY IS A FIRST TEAM HB, NOBODY WILL KNOW IF ROCKY AND GEORGE ARE the DREAM PAIRING UNLESS WE GIVE THEM THE CHANCE.

You/everybody knows my views of Wane being a moron in many ways well George and Rocky is A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF HIS BEING A moron./ According to Bilkos stats, George and Rocky are the most successful halfback pairing in reserve grade as far back as Bilko has records for. Will it translate to first grade, I think so.

YOU and I and many here sat watching Sam destroy lower grades but never getting a go until somebody got injured and the then coach had no choice. People question Rocky physically and say Wane think he is not up to the demands physically. WELL on that basis, under Wane, Sam would never haver got an opportunity in first grade.

Odd isn't it that Wane was more than happy to have small players like Sam or Nick Stanton destroy reserve grades just to make Wane look good.

You know my view on Wane I will rest on that BUT

NOWHERE in our history has a player of such talent been given so few opportunities in his preferred position. 2 IIRC might be 1 + 1 SUB IIRC. Worse, if Smith does get injured we all know what happens then; Sam P

[No straw damn us]

At the time of Brown and Robinson we had the likes of Radlinski, Craig Smith, Terry Newton, Andy Farrell, Terry O'Connor, Mick Cassidy and Brett Dallas in the team. Probably more experience than we have now.

[medlocke]

At the time of Brown and Robinson we had the likes of Radlinski, Craig Smith, Terry Newton, Andy Farrell, Terry O'Connor, Mick Cassidy and Brett Dallas in the team. Probably more experience than we have now.

That doesn't matter though as age is overrated

[Wiganer Ted]

I'd imagine Rocky will be in the 17 for Friday. It's how Shaun Wane is working.
Bowen in until he has a bad game, then Hampshire in until he has a bad game, then Bowen again and so on.

SW needs to shake it up. Harris, knowing SW, will have sussed that Hampshire will be at full back after the Saints debacle. He will also have a game plan to nullify Williams and Smith at half back as SW never changes those two.

It's time for a different approach. After the Leeds and Hudds games we found the way to win away from home. Sadly that was abandoned at Saints for the game plan that has failed all season. And it failed us yet again, well there's a surprise.

Me, knowing Harris, I'd keep Bowen at full back, play Smith and Hampshire at half back, or Hampshire and Williams with Smith bench half back. We need fast half backs to run down Chase. He spends half his game time running across the line trying to spot the weakeness. So set a fast half back after him, to run him down. Stop Chase and Salford are finished with.

The roundabout of Bowen and Hampshire is going nowhere.
Williams and Smith have been sussed by all opposition coaches so try some thing they don't expect.

For goodness sake train MicMac to do the 80. All the best 9s do 80 mins.
We saw v Leeds how they suffered when Aiton went off and Burrow came on. MicMac was out there for most of the 80 and our intensity never dropped.
At Hudds MicMac went off after 20 or so with a knock and our intensity dropped. We equalised just before half time and were clinging on. 2nd half Powell did the 40. Our intensity was unrelenting, 15 to go and Hudds were exhausted. Then came their mistakes, our tries and the game went away from them.

We have to try something new in an effort to win away from home. Go with the Leeds game plan and we've a very good chance. Go playing away with the Saints game plan and we've no chance of a trophy.

The two things that surely must be tried are MicMac doing the 80 mins and Hampshire playing half back to shake up our attack and present the opposition with something they won't expect. Hampshire and Williams have pace at half back no other club has, we need to use it to our advantage rather than ignore it as we have up to now.

We are now too predictable in squad and team selection and game plan. Changes are needed to bring about the improvements we need to be in with a chance of a trophy.