21-12 wrote:
Why though? Because he scored a few tries 2 seasons ago. Goulding didn't shine at Salford on loan, he's never done anything to prove himself at Wigan, I can honestly say hand on heart he is the only winger I have actually never seen take a man on and beat him, his defence is average, he's bad under a high ball and he lacks pace for a winger. Are you seriously saying you would play Goulding centre next season? You must be, because if Charnley and Richards stay fit he doesn't get anywere near a wing spot. If Gelling is half as good as Carmont he immediately gets in before Goulding.
And please dont say you would play him on the wing and Charnley centre, our right side defence would be a turnstile.
That's more than a little harsh. From what I saw Goulding did impress on loan and the Salford fans that I know were very impressed with him. Even though it was an unfamiliar position he improved week after week.
Also how is he bad under the high ball? He dropped 4 cross field kicks in his time at Wigan, two in the same game this year when he was dropped, one against Hull this year and one against Leeds last year which wasn't so much a drop as a fumble when challenged by Ryan Hall.
Other than that he's caught every single kick. Hardly bad under the high ball.
He might not have the pace of a winger, he's not exactly slow but definitely not quick enough for a winger. He's still shown the presence of mind to improvise, such as putting in accurate little kicks when chased down on the wing allowing others to score (Leuluai and Roberts have both scored from Goulding doing this). He's proven that he's got good quick hands, the last time he showed that was at Bradford in the Challenge Cup when he provided Richards with the try.
I'm far from convinced by Goulding but bloody hell you'd think he was the worst player in the world going off some comments on here. When he was given a starting spot under Noble he struggled, as many if not most young centres do. He was dropped, put back in, dropped again, shipped out on loan. There was no consistency, whereas players like Shenton, Welham, Atkins etc improved because they were given consistency and allowed to keep playing even when they made mistakes. Welham in particular has improved a lot defensively, even though he still isn't great.
Without any consistency Goulding was never going to have much chance to improve any defensive issues. When Madge took over he was given a fresh start and forced his way to becoming a regular on the wing and did well in what was still an unfamiliar position.
We've now lost two centres and have to work with what's available. Gelling has to prove he's worth a place just like the rest of the squad so he'll no doubt be competing with Goulding for the right centre spot. Both players should get an equal opportunity to prove they are the right man for the job.
