: Mon Jun 15, 2009 4:36 pm  

tigertot wrote:

Possibly loan him out to NL? Give him time to re-find his confidence. He is definitely a SL player when on-form.

I'm sure Widnes would take him. They seem to take every Super League back that's not getting regular footy.

: Mon Jun 15, 2009 4:40 pm  

Wigan Bull wrote:

I'm not one who has condemned him and I don't think you were including me in that statement.

I've said much the same as you in that the core skills seem to be there but he needed some focused coaching to hone and bring out the best of those.

Unfortunately as it stands, there doesn't seem to have been much improvement from Platt. (Granted he's been moved around a bit lately).

What's his best position?
Do we simply use him as a back up full back?

One thing is for sure, there's little point in using him as a bench warmer.

What I reckon with Platt is that he never had any reputation as a brainfarting liability till that short recent spell with us, so I don't think it's just a part of his game in some Gary Sprake sort of way. Maybe a mixture of over-desire to impress and lack of confidence, i really don't know.

What i do know is that we have a youngish player who was the NL Young Player of the Year in 2004, who was picked for the GB squad from Cas in 2005, and of course scored 14 tries in 13 games for us. Some seem to think all this was a flash in the pan, but it wasn't, or if it was, it were a bloody Hiroshima-sized flash.

So I still reckon we have acquired an extremely good player in Platt, but the problem Mac now has is that Platt is exposed at centre (because it's just not his position, and Halley is suddenly blossoming and playing out of his skin at FB. It is a nice problem to have but I agree we can't keep Platt as a benchwarmer. Equally it would be a crime to drop Halley. So the logical answer is one of them goes, as I doubt either of them is up for prolonged spells back in the reserves.

: Mon Jun 15, 2009 5:00 pm  

Platty is an average super league player, not potentially good, not potentailly very good and definatley not an extremley good player. His errors come thick and fast and are often catostrophic and the good things he does are few and far between to compensate for these errors. Yes he did start his career very well, the first half of his first season he started very well, (it was definatley flash in the pan). He does have the odd good game but he hasn't kicked on and he has definatley become a liability for us on most occasions when he plays. Call it lack of confidence if you wan't as to why he makes the mistakes, I call it a lack of intelligence and being unaware of his surroundings like a good full back should be.

: Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:06 pm  

For all his talent I just dont think Platt is capable of the intense concentration required of a SL player. The moment that summed him up for me was the last play of the first half at Salford. They had a tap penalty just inside our half as the hooter sounded. It was 99% certain that ball would be kicked. Yet Platt was aimlessly wandering about less than 5 yards behind our defensive line. When the ball was kicked his expression was one of complete surprise. He just about managed to get back to take the ball at the second attempt but you would have thought he'd never played rugby before.

: Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:30 pm  

af wrote: Give us a shout when the highlights are up, cheers. http://www.superleague.co.uk/page.php?id=361 They're up now.

af wrote: Give us a shout when the highlights are up, cheers. http://www.superleague.co.uk/page.php?id=361 They're up now.

: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:13 am  

Terry Monster wrote:

Platty is an average super league player,

Look, we all know of his problems but don't be daft. A player who has been picked for the GB squad is, by definition, not "average".

Terry Monster wrote:

His errors come thick and fast and are often catostrophic and the good things he does are few and far between to compensate for these errors.

If you exagerrate much more you'll have him up for the Jack The Ripper murders!

Terry Monster wrote:

Yes he did start his career very well, the first half of his first season he started very well, (it was definatley flash in the pan).

If you really think that full seasons of playing, and 14 unblemished games with a tally of 13 tries and plenty of outstanding play, is a "flash in the pan", then you must be really, really stupid. Or maybe not understand English.

: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:26 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

If you really think that full seasons of playing, and 14 unblemished games with a tally of 13 tries and plenty of outstanding play, is a "flash in the pan", then you must be really, really stupid. Or maybe not understand English.

Where has that player gone? Can you find any evidence of a quality player from this or last seasons performances? I agree, Platt was a good player when we got him, I don't know what changed that, but it's either down to lack of confidence or he cba.

: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:50 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

Look, we all know of his problems but don't be daft. A player who has been picked for the GB squad is, by definition, not "average".



If you exagerrate much more you'll have him up for the Jack The Ripper murders!


If you really think that full seasons of playing, and 14 unblemished games with a tally of 13 tries and plenty of outstanding play, is a "flash in the pan", then you must be really, really stupid. Or maybe not understand English.

I'm not being daft, he's average. There are plenty of players that have been picked for GB that are average players in the professional ranks,. Exageration? Look no further than 'an extremley good player' for an exageration of a players talent's. 13 tries in his first 14 games for us was indeed 'flash in the pan', he hasn't done anything since his first 3 months with us in his now 2 seasons that even remotley suggests that it was anything other than' flash in the pan'.

: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:53 am  

Ewwenorfolk wrote:

Where has that player gone? Can you find any evidence of a quality player from this or last seasons performances? I agree, Platt was a good player when we got him, I don't know what changed that, but it's either down to lack of confidence or he cba.

Platty hasn't replicated anything like the form he showed for us at the beggining of his Bulls career. He can not reproduce it because he is simply not good enough to do so. Call it 'flash in the pan', 'begginers luck' call it anything you like, that kind have form from Mike has passed and will be never seen again, unfortunatley.

: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:55 am  

Terry Monster wrote:

that kind have form from Mike has passed and will be never seen again, unfortunatley.

Mystic Meg?