Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:55 am  

-Harry Smith (even suggesting Smith should be given the 7 shirt is a reflection of how poor we are when looking for a 7. Wake up call; he's played a matter of minutes only in SL, and people are honestly calling for him to be a starting 7? For real? This is ludicrous; whatever next. This is not a knock on Harry, but be real, let him develop properly so we can maximise his potential and hopefully one day he can become the 7 we want and need.
-Tommy, can do a job, but never been a top 7. Properly the best of bad bunch to play 7. But if you want him as a second pivot to play off 6 you don't know how a running 6 works, that's not Tommy.
-Sammut, should have never been signed. Was a random signing which I think some thought could be a masterstroke but wasn't. Move on
-French, has potential as a running 6 off Jackson, could work but needs time in the position, best option for a running 6 playing off Hastings
-Patton? No. Move on.
-Matty Smith; was decent in his first spell; but no. Move on, time is passed and we need to recruit with intent.

Personally I think we need to recruit in the halves; especially as I feel there's a good chance Hastings will be off in 2021.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:06 am  

I remember listening in to the game away at Cas and we were thumping them (20-0 if I remember correctly). Sammut picked up an injury, went off and we lost horribly. We have missed an organiser terribly and that is what he does. Having seen him in Australia and seen Australian commentators talk about him positively I don’t get the bashing of him. I think he deserves more respect.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:24 am  

MelbourneWarrior wrote:

I remember listening in to the game away at Cas and we were thumping them (20-0 if I remember correctly). Sammut picked up an injury, went off and we lost horribly. We have missed an organiser terribly and that is what he does. Having seen him in Australia and seen Australian commentators talk about him positively I don’t get the bashing of him. I think he deserves more respect.

Fully agree

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:31 am  

MelbourneWarrior wrote:

I remember listening in to the game away at Cas and we were thumping them (20-0 if I remember correctly). Sammut picked up an injury, went off and we lost horribly. We have missed an organiser terribly and that is what he does. Having seen him in Australia and seen Australian commentators talk about him positively I don’t get the bashing of him. I think he deserves more respect.

This, and the week before he kicked Catalans to death, the only other real chance he had was against Wakey at home, same again.
I'm not saying he's Cooper Cronk but he was our best and only organiser/kicker last season.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:44 am  

apollosghost wrote:

This, and the week before he kicked Catalans to death, the only other real chance he had was against Wakey at home, same again.
I'm not saying he's Cooper Cronk but he was our best and only organiser/kicker last season.

It matters not what’s said on here,at all in the grand scheme of things while I agree with you over Cas game I could put in a decent stint against that shocking Catalan performance but anyway I’m getting sidetracked by my owns words,if he is so good why wasn’t he,barring injuries of course the first name in the team sheet?.

It’s irrelevant what written here really but what matters is why Lam didn’t pick pretty much all as the season heated up,clash of personalities maybe? I don’t know what happened but something clearly did and to me that’s the bigger question

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 3:32 pm  

Last Son of Wigan wrote:

-Harry Smith (even suggesting Smith should be given the 7 shirt is a reflection of how poor we are when looking for a 7. Wake up call; he's played a matter of minutes only in SL, and people are honestly calling for him to be a starting 7? For real? This is ludicrous; whatever next. This is not a knock on Harry, but be real, let him develop properly so we can maximise his potential and hopefully one day he can become the 7 we want and need.
-Tommy, can do a job, but never been a top 7. Properly the best of bad bunch to play 7. But if you want him as a second pivot to play off 6 you don't know how a running 6 works, that's not Tommy.
-Sammut, should have never been signed. Was a random signing which I think some thought could be a masterstroke but wasn't. Move on
-French, has potential as a running 6 off Jackson, could work but needs time in the position, best option for a running 6 playing off Hastings
-Patton? No. Move on.
-Matty Smith; was decent in his first spell; but no. Move on, time is passed and we need to recruit with intent.

Personally I think we need to recruit in the halves; especially as I feel there's a good chance Hastings will be off in 2021.

In an ideal and forward thinking world we would have recruited another HB for 2020 as I think you’re spot on that Hastings will be off in 2021 in all likelihood. But we haven’t and I don’t really envisage us doing now either so it’s for that reason I’d rather stick Smith in the halves than Sammut or French.

He’s just been picked for the England Knights off the back of mere minutes playing SL - it’s not just us fans or the club that see his potential.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 4:45 pm  

100% Warrior wrote:

In an ideal and forward thinking world we would have recruited another HB for 2020 as I think you’re spot on that Hastings will be off in 2021 in all likelihood. But we haven’t and I don’t really envisage us doing now either so it’s for that reason I’d rather stick Smith in the halves than Sammut or French.

He’s just been picked for the England Knights off the back of mere minutes playing SL - it’s not just us fans or the club that see his potential.

Then why risk ruining him? There's so much to consider when playing such a young man; especially in the halves. I'm not doubting his potential or ability, but even suggesting having an untested young man with only minutes under his belt should be a starting half is ridiculous.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 5:21 pm  

Last Son of Wigan wrote:

Then why risk ruining him? There's so much to consider when playing such a young man; especially in the halves. I'm not doubting his potential or ability, but even suggesting having an untested young man with only minutes under his belt should be a starting half is ridiculous.

Mate GW became a regular when he was 19 years old. Smith will be 20 come January. There’s no reason whatsoever to not have him make the step up. I don’t get this age argument.

It’s either him, Sammut or Tommy.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:41 pm  

Smith should get plenty of pre season game time with Hastings away with GB, so it’s up to him to put his case to Lam with his performances. I’d be looking to use him from the bench from the start of 2020, with a view to him becoming a starting player at some point within 2020 or in time for 2021.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:01 pm  

100% Warrior wrote:

Mate GW became a regular when he was 19 years old. Smith will be 20 come January. There’s no reason whatsoever to not have him make the step up. I don’t get this age argument.

It’s either him, Sammut or Tommy.

Or French.

What about the likes of

Joel Tomkins
Lee Mossop
Oliver Gildart
Josh Charnley
Dom Crosby
Liam Farrell
Darrell Goulding
Ryan Sutton

To name a few...

Who all went on loan/dual reg then later became first team players, it served their development very well.

I say this.. it's crazy to give a player who's had such little game time at top level a starting half position. How can anyone say he can lead a team week in week out on what we've currently seen of him is beyond me.

And Williams; he made 2 starts and 1 sub appearance in 2013 then 13 starts and and 10 sub appearances in 2014 when Green and Matty Smith were are starting halfbacks.
Hardly thrown into the deep end is it. Nothing like what you're suggesting for Harry Smith.