Lockers in the centres on Sat....

[TonyH]

Smith has picked Lockers in the centres for this weeks warm up game against Wales, plus he's paired Sam with Myler in the halves, could this be a sign of things to come in the Four Nations? I had an inkling maybe Lockers or Ellis would be put in the centre against Australia as they are both very good defensively to stop the attacking prowess of Greg Inglis. Thoughts?

P.S. I'd play Sam at 7 with mcGuire at 6 in the 4 Nations but Myler is bound to get a look in as he's now at Wire.

England team vs Wales on Saturday

Paul Sykes (Bradford); Peter Fox (Hull KR), Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan), Michael Shenton (Castleford), Tom Briscoe (Hull FC); Sam Tomkins (Wigan), Richard Myler (Salford); Adrian Morley (Warrington, capt), Scott Moore (Huddersfield), Garreth Carvell (Warrington), Gareth Ellis (Wests Tigers), Ben Westwood (Warrington), Sam Burgess (Bradford). Replacements: Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (Harlequins), Mickey Higham (Warrington), Chris Bridge (Warrington), Danny Tickle (Hull FC).

[DaveO]

Don't see the point of playing Lockers in the centres. He may be a very sold defensive player but he isn't the fastest so he isn't going to catch an opposition centre in a foot race and neither will he be making breaks and leaving his opposition number behind.

When he has played for GB he has done very well in the pack so I don't see the point of losing the advantage he gives the team there to experiment with him at centre.

Dave

[warrior1973]

Massive mistake playing Lockers at centre!!!!. Just because he's an ok defender doesnt mean he'll be good in the centres. It just goes to show how much Tony Smith has learnt from last years world cup!!!!. You cant play the likes of Australia and New Zealand with players playing out of position!!!!. Lockers is no match in the centres for Inglis and Slater running at him!!!!

[jackoh]

I`ve just gone off thinking Smith was a good coach , when Lockers has played stand off in the past he`s been wanting for pace .
I`m not having it that we`ve no quality centres in the country , or perhaps we`ve not

[ancientnloyal]

The squad is ok considering he wants a change and without the GF players but o'loughlin at centre?

it's a joke... when has he ever played there? apart from sinfield who is the other #13 who realistically can play at... #13 to a given standard these two have shown this season.


Warrington warrington warrington. It was leeds leeds leeds when he was there. Thank 'God' he doesn't coach York Knights.

[slimshady]

The squad is ok considering he wants a change and without the GF players but o'loughlin at centre?

it's a joke... when has he ever played there? apart from sinfield who is the other #13 who realistically can play at... #13 to a given standard these two have shown this season.


Warrington warrington warrington. It was leeds leeds leeds when he was there. Thank 'God' he doesn't coach York Knights.

Sinfield plays more like a #7 for Leeds

[woody]

Well the proof will be in the pudding on Saturday. I remember Lockers playing at center when he first came on to the scene and he did a more than capable job, I no internationals are a whole new kettle of fish but end of the day he is only playing against Wales this week. There is no saying he is playing there in the next game. At least we have some international representatives this time. There was a time a couple of years ago when we didn't have any!!!!

[Wigan Watcher]

Locker's is a defensive player and not an attacking player, I think every one knows that...

I think if he gets the rub of the green then he will do OK.... If he finds himself in a one to one at any point then they will walk past him.

I’m no big fan of Lockers because I think a forward should be able to break a tackle, Lockers can’t do that and that’s a fact.

I can accept he is a hard working tackler but I personally struggle to find a position for him in any attacking team, he is no loose forward and maybe a little light on the second row front (just maybe) that leaves the centre’s and he is no centre…

I see Lockers as a bench player who should be used at second row when the going gets a little better and maybe even see him break out wide.

With all due respect to a hard working player, I feel he is one of the most over rated players in Super League who even other coaches believe in the hype…

[j658]

[quote="cherry.pie]I find myself disagreeing entirely with that. To me it seems like O'Loughlin is one of the most underrated players in Super League (at least when it comes to fans opinions). I'd have a guess that every single coach in Super League would rate O'Loughlin at least in the top 3 loose forwards in the competition.
It seems Wigan fans are on his back all the time but I can't quite understand why. He was one of our best players throughout this season, and if it wasn't for the exceptional performances of Sam Tomkins he'd definitely have been our player of the season.
He's one of the best defensive players in SL without a doubt. Very few players can average between 35-40 tackles per game and do that consistently.

Whilst I don't believe stats show the whole picture they do have their uses as a rough guide to which players play well. You'd have to be pretty blinkered to say Sinfield wasn't one of the best 13's (in the club competition that is). He was voted the best 13 in the league by making the dream team and it's not a fluke and it isn't because he's overrated, simply because this season he's been excellent.
Compare the stats between Sinfield and O'Loughlin however, and you'd find that Lockers will come out on top.
Lockers has more tries than Sinfield (although only by 1), more try assists (Lockers has the most try assists of any forward in the league), he made more metres in total despite making fewer carries than Sinfield. He averages more tackles per game, makes more tackle busts per game and made more clean breaks.

To me, that suggests overall O'Loughlin was the best loose forward in the league this season, although his form after injury (and obviously his absences while injured) have cost him.

Defence may be O'Loughlin's strong point, but he's definitely got plenty to offer in attack. He has a good passing game, decent kicking game and can run the ball in well if needed. If I were Tony Smith, I'd have Sean as one of the first names on the team sheet (although in the back row rather than centre).[/quote]

I agree with that entirely. His passing game, particulary cut out passing, has been top class this season.

Kevin Sinfield

13 Position
13 Shirt number
25 Appearances
4 Tries
9 Try assists
111 Goals
1 Drop Goals
1587 Meters
343 Carries
783 Tackles
38 Offloads
78 Attacking Kicks
33 Runs from dummy half
27 Tackle Busts
112 Marker tackles
4 Clean Breaks
3 Forty twenty
175 Kicks in general play
30 Missed goals
45 Missed tackles
25 Errors
20 Penalties
0 Red cards
0 Yellow cards

Sean O'Loughlin -

Position 13
Shirt number 13
Appearances 24
Tries 5
Try assists 11
Goals 0
Drop Goals 0
Meters 1850
Carries 269
Tackles 823
Offloads 23
Attacking Kicks 38
Runs from dummy half 17
Tackle Busts 36
Marker tackles 116
Clean Breaks 12
Forty twenty 0
Kicks in general play 55
Missed goals 0
Missed tackles 50
Errors 26
Penalties 22
Red cards 0
Yellow cards 0

[GeoffN]

They're completely different players, so any comparison doesn't really give much away - Sinfield's main strength is his kicking game (as the stats show), and as someone else said, he plays much more like a halfback than a loose forward.