Saddened! wrote:
Eastmond looks a lively player, but why does everyone assume he's up to replacing Longy? What has he ever done to suggest he could?
I think that's a very good question which not many people appear to be considering. It seems to me that he has a charisma on the field and does the wow things very well - like great long drop goals that take some cockiness in a player of his age. That can turn heads. But I'd like to see him play every week when we have to rely upon him because I have a sneaky suspicion he may not be consistent. I might be wrong, but it's just a gut instinct I have about him, amazing though he can be. Wheeler, however, I have found to be both an instinctive rugby league player and a reliable one, so far anyway (and I think I've seen them play about the same number of times now). I'd like to see Wheeler play every week too, to see how he performs over a long period. Both Eastmond and Wheeler have already shown they can handle pressure, which is very encouraging, as have a couple of our other guys like Ashurst and Lomax (but I do worry about that lad's head!). However, so far as two of our young guns are concerned, they really do need regular game time this season to seriously find their feet in the team and give them a chance of taking over spots next season.
