Cust at hooker

[Barney841]

I dont know why so many wigan fans have that your hooker has to be a complete brick wall in defence and are willing to sacrifice every other attribute to achieve that.

The best form of defence is always attack if you are winning the game and playing it in the right areas you can afford to be 20-30% less effective as an individual defender

Personally i would sacrifice strength in the halves to increase the strength at hooker, Cust made 2 darting runs during his spell and gained on both of those nearly scoring. Thats the thing he has the ability to run, no-ones saying he should do every play but all round we just looked far better.

If you are defending a lot you've lost control of the game - being good in defence is all well and good but its like being a boxer with a good chin, thats great and will serve you well be the best boxers dont get hit in the first place

of course all this is irrelevant as Powell will play 9 regardless of his or anyone elses form

Well said.
I’d be worried if our defence was that badly without Powell, doesn’t give you much hope on the other players defence if we miss him that much.
Also some players have the weaknesses and teams accustom the rest of the team to cover that.
Remember Offiah? Was known not to have the greatest hands and defence but as he was a try scoring machine we made sure he had good cover with a good centre

[morley pie eater]

What if the game plan is to gain control and wear down the opposition, before switching to "all systems go" in the last 20 minutes? (Pretty much what happened on Friday - was it by chance, or does Peet know what he's doing?).

In that case, the ideal may be starting with Cust at 6, and he-who-must-be-picked at 9. At an appropriate point around half way through the 2nd half, switch Cust to 9 to take on a tiring defence.

Then again, the coach may just have a different plan depending on who we're playing?

[Wigan_forever1985]

What if the game plan is to gain control and wear down the opposition, before switching to "all systems go" in the last 20 minutes? (Pretty much what happened on Friday - was it by chance, or does Peet know what he's doing?).

In that case, the ideal may be starting with Cust at 6, and he-who-must-be-picked at 9. At an appropriate point around half way through the 2nd half, switch Cust to 9 to take on a tiring defence.

Then again, the coach may just have a different plan depending on who we're playing?

Think the issue is there seems to be zero wiggle room on Powell if he is capable of playing he starts and plays 80mins ive not seen a situation to the contrary so far since mickey mac left

I see merit in rotating hookers, its something that seems to have gone out of fashion to a large extent though

Going back to the defensive argument though im not even sure that the 1 cast iron excuse people give for Powell (he's amazing defence) is even that true. There's no doubt hes a good defender but in the loss we conceded most points he was on the pitch - and its not like we become a leaky team when he isn't around

but he is completely immune to challenge it would seem

[Exiled Wiganer]

On any thread concerning what we do at 9, there is always a tension. We all know that Powell plays at 9 for 80 minutes whenever he is available. And will do so for the rest of his contract. So, while we may suggest and debate the best way forward, that’s the reality. In those periods when Powell is injured or suspended, looking at how we have gone on this year - with our 2 best victories coming when he was suspended - O’Neill has shown he has talent and the team has shown they can hit the heights. Personally, if I were to bet my house on a win and everyone was fit, I would have Cust at 9, Tommy and Smith in the halves, but that’s not going to happen.

Powell’s continued untouchable status remains a divisive issue on here, of course. In the wider scheme of things having won the semi and final, we have already had a successful year. And the style of play and all round improvement in players across the board under Peet has made this I think the most enjoyable year since MaGuire’s first with us - as the gap between expectation and performance (and style) has been hugely positive. Hats off to the Incredible Mr Peet!

[boggart]

I like him at half back, he's steady, keeps his head, spots a gap and never shirks a tackle. Sadly, you're right though, he made the difference when he moved to hooker, especially at the PTB, so may be spending more time there. He is a bit lacking in pace for a half though, but I'm confident that one of these days, if he keeps trying, he'll break the line with his side-step, and perhaps even score, then the world will be his lobster.

[josie andrews]

I like him at half back, he's steady, keeps his head, spots a gap and never shirks a tackle. Sadly, you're right though, he made the difference when he moved to hooker, especially at the PTB, so may be spending more time there. He is a bit lacking in pace for a half though, but I'm confident that one of these days, if he keeps trying, he'll break the line with his side-step, and perhaps even score, then the world will be his lobster.