LancashireRed wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:40 pmIf you look at the stats, it looks like Smith is carrying the team from a halves perspective. He has 7 try assists and is top for attacking kicks. He's never going to be top of clean breaks etc, but this season he is our most effective half. Cust needs to up his game or we try Field at 6 and use Cust as an impact hooker, we need more from him if he remains at 6.LancashireRed wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:15 am Just watching our halves this year and at times it feels as though they don't organise a great deal and dominate games. Smith and Cust can both kick well, but neither really make a great deal of line breaks. We need our 7 to be organising and the 6 running at the line causing hovoc. The Wigan 1-5 is decent, surely if our 6 & 7 are more direct in attack we will be more effective going forward than the last two games and score points. It is concerning that some fans prefer Cust as a 9 (He does like to run from the play of the ball), his job is to be a 6, start and create attacks bringing the centres and Field into the line, unleashing our strike players. Do Wigan fans feel our 6/7 do enough with the ball in hand in terms of attack; line breaks, assists, etc. Wigan need their 6/7 to be direct and build momentum in games - sometimes it feels like they are going through set plays until Field hits the line trying to make something happen.
I'd make that switch with Field now, and use Cust and Powell as rotating hookers depending on what the game/fitness situation is. This has the benefit of getting French into the game more, and the disadvantages of exposing Field in defense more and his inexperience at half back. So its a trade off, but I'd like to see us give it a go for a few weeks at least. Once we get there Hampshire will hopefully be back in the mix and we'll have more options.