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If we had two better centres I’d be happy.
Think we are really lacking there.

Exiled Wiganer wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:36 am Hardaker will have to play full back.

Why?
I think French, Field or Hanley will play there with Hardaker at centre.

Barney841 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:30 am If we had two better centres I’d be happy.
Think we are really lacking there.

It’s an obvious weakness. The argument Thornley will be better than Gildart because Gildart had a poor season is nuts. Replacing an out of form player who looked disinterested with a player who has never been any good and is at the end of his career is not how you improve the side. I still have no idea what IL and Rads were thinking when they signed him unless they believed their own propaganda.

Thornley is also the only actual centre we have in the expected first 17. Hardaker can play there but wants to play FB and will be doing so anyway until French comes back and the other candidate is Bibby who is never a centre in a million years.

The 3/4 line minus French at the start of the season is potentially Miski, Bibby, Thornley, Marshall and that’s just weak.

What we need is for Halsall to be good enough to force his way into being a regular starter replacing Bibby and French to get back quick so Hardaker can replace Thornley.

We also need O’Neil to be an improvement on Powell so he can take his place.

Centres and hooker are the obvious weaknesses in the side that will in my opinion make the difference between being genuine contenders and also rans provided of course Peetball isn’t Waneball MkII.

I suppose the other issue is goal kicking but i thought they were trying to address that by some more coaching so hopefully they have.

I think it’s no surprise Les Cats and Saints are favourites. On paper their squads are far stronger, they are introducing new players into a winning formula (the way Wigan used to do!), have continuity with coaching and tactics and are not relying on things panning out a certain way as to who plays where or needing young players to step up to cover obvious weaknesses as I describe above.

"The 3/4 line minus French at the start of the season is potentially Miski, Bibby, Thornley, Marshall and that’s just weak."


Is a good Job you don't recruit and pick the teams isn't it. That is nowhere near as bad as your making out. Could do be better yes but bad no.

not one post I have seen has said Thornley is better than gildart only that how he will go is unknown. But then again his main detractor added a year to his age and then tried to point out no other superleague team would have him while he was playing for a SL team which he had moved to from another SL team.

Stats don't tell you everything but they also show he is not as bad as made put by some.

Caboosegg wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:22 pm "The 3/4 line minus French at the start of the season is potentially Miski, Bibby, Thornley, Marshall and that’s just weak."


Is a good Job you don't recruit and pick the teams isn't it. That is nowhere near as bad as your making out. Could do be better yes but bad no.

not one post I have seen has said Thornley is better than gildart only that how he will go is unknown. But then again his main detractor added a year to his age and then tried to point out no other superleague team would have him while he was playing for a SL team which he had moved to from another SL team.

Stats don't tell you everything but they also show he is not as bad as made put by some.

Gildart from 5 years ago or the injured player we saw on and off the pitch from several seasons, For me Thornley is an upgrade on an injured croc

So much depends on Mago and Ellis.Are they going to be the big aggressive props we need or fail like one or two other overseas props,Frank Paul being the most recent.They need to impress as our present props are not good enough.The other weaknesses of course are Thornley And Powell. Time will tell.

Caboosegg wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:22 pm "The 3/4 line minus French at the start of the season is potentially Miski, Bibby, Thornley, Marshall and that’s just weak."


Is a good Job you don't recruit and pick the teams isn't it. That is nowhere near as bad as your making out. Could do be better yes but bad no.

not one post I have seen has said Thornley is better than gildart only that how he will go is unknown. But then again his main detractor added a year to his age and then tried to point out no other superleague team would have him while he was playing for a SL team which he had moved to from another SL team.

Stats don't tell you everything but they also show he is not as bad as made put by some.

I think Daveo has a point. You’ve got miski who’s unproven in SL, if he was that good why did he end up in the championship, bibby who’s solid but not the best of players, thornley if he was that good why did we get rid of him and there’s Marshall who’s turned out a decent player but has struggled with injuries. So he’s right it is weak

No straw damn us wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 11:52 am

Exiled Wiganer wrote: ↑Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:36 am Hardaker will have to play full back.

Why?
I think French, Field or Hanley will play there with Hardaker at centre.

Was just going to ask the same question with the same answer

Before Bevan returns and plays, I'd expect a back 5 of Zak, Bibby, Isa, Thornley and Marshall.

As a temporary selection, with the mouth-watering prospect of French to come, I think most coaches would be happy with that.

Putting Miski in and switching Bibby to centre looks like a straw man argument to me.

Isa instead of Bibby doesn’t fill me with confidence, but everyone has their own opinion.
I was looking back at random 3/4 lines for 2012: (the original and by bar the best version of) Sam Tomkins - Charnley - Goulding - Carmont - Richards, 2002: Radlinski - Dallas - Ainscough - Connolly - Carney and 1992: Hampson - Robinson - Bell - Lydon - Offiah...
How the game has changed.