McIllorum & Prescott

[The Eclipse]

Whilst Pat Richards got the plaudits for his point scoring and Tim Smith for his good passing/kicking game, i thought it was only fair that McIllorum and Prescott received a bit of praise for their efforts against Saints.

M Mc absolutely smashed them in defence and made some good darting runs through the ruck area, he is the perfect foil for when Leuluai goes to hooker.
Riddell should not replace him in the team when he is fit again.

I thought that is the best game Prescott has played, when the tough work was needed, his go forward was tremendous.
He still has a long way to go in his development but at 23yo, i expect he could become a top class prop in the coming years.

[cpwigan]

Very true. Yet look how many fans went to get rid of such players.

[turf]

I personally thought McIllorum & Prescott both had very strong games.

[DaveO]

Very true. Yet look how many fans went to get rid of such players.

McIllorum has been written off as not good enough by some and plenty on rlfans.

I think the reason is he has to be written off is to justify the opinions of some that Piggy is streets ahead of Higham.

In other words some people can't bare to admit Piggy is not an inspired player way ahead of Higham and don't like it pointed out McIllorum has played better. So they come up with the master plan of TL and Piggy as our two hookers because they can't face the fact that Piggy is not that great. So excuses must be made to ditch McIllorum.

We have two players we cold do without. Piggy and Roberts and I think both are IL signings.

Dave

[GeoffN]

Very true. Yet look how many fans went to get rid of such players.

McIllorum has been written off as not good enough by some and plenty on rlfans.

I think the reason is he has to be written off is to justify the opinions of some that Piggy is streets ahead of Higham.

In other words some people can't bare to admit Piggy is not an inspired player way ahead of Higham and don't like it pointed out McIllorum has played better. So they come up with the master plan of TL and Piggy as our two hookers because they can't face the fact that Piggy is not that great. So excuses must be made to ditch McIllorum.

We have two players we cold do without. Piggy and Roberts and I think both are IL signings.

Dave

Very true, Dave. Not only are McIlorum & Ainscough (arguably) better players already, they're younger and thus have more potential to improve (with the right coaching, of course...). Furthermore, not only do Riddell & Roberts take up quota spots, they're on far more money than the youngsters. The same "value for money" argument works against them as it does for Fielden v Prescott; are they really four or five times better, for probably four or five times (if not more) as much money?

[old hooker]

Mcilorum and Prescott played very well and deserve to be praised for their efforts against Saints but surely they owed us a big game(along with one or two others).Lets not get carried away,we still need to prove we can be consistent.

[ancientnloyal]

I mentioned in the match reaction thread I thought Prescott was our pick of the forwards. Don't forget we have Eamonn Ocarroll whom I thought started the season pretty well until his injury, we've got him to come back also.

I think prescott needs a bit more weight but he's developing well and will perhaps excell once Fielden goes in a few years (or months) time.


McIlorum is a good player, but has developed slowly, to what he is now he's a good #2 with a few more years he'll be a quality first choice #9... the problem is at Wigan we have 2 1/2 #9s in our squad.

[markill]

i'd have given prescott man of the match personally

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

I have said all season that McIlorium is our best No9. He is aggressive in the tackle, makes good yards, is the best passer from dummy half and he is highly motivated. Tommy is a makeshift hooker and Piggy, well I am not sure what he is!

Prescott has another five years before he reaches his peak yet he gains more yards than Fielden and Coley and more importantly he runs straight and hard.

[cpwigan]

For me McIlorum has always been a SL player. From the moment he arrived at Wigan his defence was frighteningly good, his determination immense. He was incredibly fit and quite sleek/slim. His passing was the area requirting the most impriovement and I was told that he worked hard on it to improve that aspect of his game. An injury / operation cost him a virtual season.

Personally, I have felt the coaching / conditioning at Wigan has held him back. He certainly had more zip and I think he can rediscover that. His passing needs development. Above all he has the attitude you need, the strong basics you need to be a top professional. He just needs to keep adding the icing on the cake.

However, if you read many, especially on RLfans they are happy to get rid of him and critical of his ability. As Dave O rightly pointed out that had as much IMO to do with their desire to dismiss the contribution of Higham and to raised their view of Riddell.

Prescott. Again a player with an incredibly strong basic game. What many fans do not know is that he is a very intelligent young man. Intelligence and RL players do not always go hand in hand. When it does, those players often go far. The caveat with Prekky is can he overcome his misfortune re injuries that have blighted his career so far. Noble rates Prescott far more highly than O'Carroll. I actually think that if Prekky had not been unfit following a close season op Freddy would never have got a game. Very silly IMO.

If these young players come through / establish themselves then they give Wigan a great advantage. A spirit / togetherness that signed teams can never replicate.