Reason to be cheerful - Matty Smith

[markill]

All the doom and gloom for next season, but I think we should be happya bout one thing. Matty Smith. I really think he is as good a no 7 as there is in the competition.

Firstly, he has a better kicking game than Finch and Tommy ever offered. This will surely become more a part of the game plan now he is THE half-back rather than an emergency stop gap.

Salford looked an attractive side going forward at the start of the year with him there and he has already shown he can contribute tries and assists to Wigan's cause.

And the biggest concenr is his defense, but the way he went at hooker for 60 minutes on Friday tells me he is improviing and can defend.

There is also leadership - not saying he is as good a talker or planner as Finch was, but he stepped up on Friday and played us back into things at the start of the second half. That showed me something. Especially given he is still fairly new to the group. I would have given him MoM had we won.

[ngac]

I think he has been very poor since we signed him.

But judging by salfords declien since he left.. im hoping he just needs to learn the players/moves in pre season.

im not 100% convinced yet!

[DaveO]

Is Smith as good as Tommy? No.

He is just another player replacing a better one who has left.

Smith is OK but when Wane picks him at hooker and plays the NZ hooker at scrum half when we lose our no. 1 hooker, that should tell you something.

[markill]

Is Smith as good as Tommy? No.

He is just another player replacing a better one who has left.

Smith is OK but when Wane picks him at hooker and plays the NZ hooker at scrum half when we lose our no. 1 hooker, that should tell you something.

He isn't as good as Tommy no. Although his kicking is better his all round game and his fit in our system isn't as good...yet.

Don't forget Tommy has had years with this team, not months.

Tommy was the best 7 in the league other than maybe Dureaux in my opinion, and I think Matty Smith will be the same come this time next year.

[jobo]

A useful average player, no more, no less. In the past though, I've seen players like him develop and become more than useful but with Tommy and Finchy going, at the moment he is hardly an inspirational signing.

[TonyH]

Tommy improved massively because of Michael Maguire, I'm not sure Wane has the capabilities to teach Smith in the same manner, hopefully Deacs can pass on Maguire's style to Smith. Then again Tommy was world class!

[Blackpool_Pie]

He's a good player. A big part of his career here will be who his halfback partner will be and if they can gel.

[donny]

I dont think Matty is good enough he just does not excite me like Tommy did, I think we will come up short next season.

[medlocke]

Let's not forget that Tommy wasn't exactly a world beater when he first came to Wigan and it wasn't until he had that great game for NZ that people started to cream over him, imo Smith and Green will go great guns for us if they gell

[thegimble]

Let's not forget that Tommy wasn't exactly a world beater when he first came to Wigan and it wasn't until he had that great game for NZ that people started to cream over him, imo Smith and Green will go great guns for us if they gell

I remeber a time when we announced Tommy was coming and some were against it. As you say he was a decent player then and nothing more.

I agree i do think we will go well with Green and Smith as we will be less predictable.