Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Thu May 31, 2012 10:03 pm  

P-J wrote:

It's strange this thread has come up because if anything I think he's been quieter this year than last.

I don't think it's his fault - he still makes devastating breaks, but the pack is so on top and the halves have so much time and space to dictate play that Tomkins' brilliance isn't needed as much.

You know what i had a talk a couple of weeks ago someone else said the same to me but we all expect it from Sam week in and week out and he doesn't let us down we are so used to it people dont take on how good of a game he does have

People are looking more at the likes of Finch and Micky Mac which tbh have been awesome this season but the amount of tries what have come from Sam this season is unreal

That 2nd try on Sat is what people do in training to have the balls to pull that off in a big game like that is very classy

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 4:34 am  

dubairl wrote:

when was the last time you watched them play?
when the 4nations was on i said on the vt board that brett stewart was the 2nd best full back in the world after billy slater but this season he hasn't been as good as last season and he defo isn't better than sam either is josh dugan there's another man made out of glass.

i watch every game of the nrl every week as all the games are shown on the sports channel here and sam would fit in any nrl team with out a shadow of doubt.

1st billy slater
joint 2nd sam and inglis.

i reckon by the end of the season inglis will have out performed slater tho. the more time he spends and fullback the better he is getting.

Inglis is the best fullback in the game. He just also happens to be the best centre in the game by an absurd margin so before he moved away from Slater it always made more sense to have GI elsewhere, and still does for Origin and . Slater is then next and then there is a significant gap. Slater often looks better, but when was the last time he played without Smith, Cronk, Thurston, Lockyer in the pivots? Would be interesting to see how he would perform with a poor spine like Souths'.

Dugan showed great potential but he is looking to have a career ruined by injury perhaps even more that Stewart, Minichello etc, just due to the sheer persistance, rather than really bad injuries. Gordon looks similar at the moment, but it is always hard to distinguish when the players are older if this is just good form or real class finally showing through. Perhaps his good form before the injury was a run of good form like Roberts had here, never to return? Barba is all attack and no defence, it's come on massively this season but I don't see this ability surviving an injury or age, as soon as his speed drops even slightly he's gone imo, needs to develop more skill as a 3rd pivot rather than just a killer runner and support player. Hayne is another who could be anything, but is dragged down by an embarrassingly poor team around him. He's the only player to destroy the NRL by himself in 09, but the expectations on him are just absurd, like putting Sam in the Widnes team and expecting them to start winning games. Boyd is overrated. Coote and Gardner are ok, not much more.

IMO Sam is behind Slater and Inglis (once Inglis really starts going, if uninjured a Dally M at the end of the year wouldn't surprise me despite Slaters awesome form too), though if Hayne was in a decent team he could easily be in Slater's class if not Inglis', who knows.

We really aren't likely to see better than Sam for a very, very long time though imo. Really special.

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 7:42 am  

Sam Tomkins > Josh Dugan or Brett Stewart

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 7:50 am  

WARRIORCRAIG wrote:

There are literally only a handful of players in either code of world rugby who could have scored that 2nd try - absolutely world class.

There are a lot of people in the aussie media who love him and ex teammates like Barrett, Piggy and Hoffman have all talked him up but until he actually goes out there and does the business there will still be the typical arguments thrown back that he isn't in the same class as the Slaters, Marshalls, Thurstons etc but he definitely is. If we do have to lose him over the next 2/3 years it simply HAS to be the NRL, it would be such a tragedy to lose his talent from our sport altogether when he is still yet to reach his peak. Personally I hope he stays at Wigan forever, but with the way the salary cap is compared to other competitions I feel we have to be resigned to losing him at some point.

If Sam goes to union he will be back within 2 years. His style of play just doesn't fit into Union. No matter where they play him on the pitch he simply can't be as 'off the cuff' as he is in league because he'd lose the ball if he got tackled as he'd have run away from his forwards. He couldn't run across the line and back like against Salford or Hull KR and he certainly couldn't try what he did on Sunday. He just wouldn't work in Union so I do honestly believe that if he leaves Wigan then it will be to the NRL especially now they're raising their cap.

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 7:51 am  

Jukesays wrote:

Ahhemm!
I wonder who said that!

Roy? Brian? Matty? It can't have been me I never saw Ryan play...................................oh oh oh was it Ste?

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:06 am  

Been watching since 1980 and he's already right up there with the best for me. The only thing stopping him becoming a Wigan or RL legend is injury or unfortunately going over to the rah rah game. I agree with Conroy that his game wouldn't suit and he would come back.

Would love to see him in NRL (after he's done another 5 or 6 years with us). I don't watch NRL, but genuinely don't get the Slater hype. Every time I've seen him play he always makes mistakes. (Last state of origin yet another example.) I'm convinced that if he went over there people would then give him the credit he deserves and put him in the truly world class bracket. Yes, he probably would score as many tries due to better defenses, but he would still terrorise opposition defenses wherever he played.

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:46 am  

It is interesting to see that some people think that Sam is a lot quieter this year. Last year, I thought too much was put on him and at times, especially when Pat Richards was injured, he was a one man attacking machine. By the end of last year and from the Challenge Cup onwards he looked like he was carrying a few knocks, had issues with his shoulder and began to look a bit stale. This year Wigan are scoring more points and Sam Tomkins is providing opportunities as well as finishing them. I think this is a much better situation for both Sam Tomkins and Wigan. In the current try scoring charts, Josh Charnley is top with 20 and Sam is the only fullback in the top 10 with 13 tries - not bad for a quiet season!

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 10:07 am  

the lad is a freak , and i mean that in the nicest possible way

as allready mentioned , his footwork and vision are his greatest assets

he can see the play 3 or 4 seconds ahead of others , so he is in the right position when it matters


he has scored trys that he simply shouldnt have , the elusiveness and style of running he employs , coupled with the strength that shouldnt be there makes this KID very very special indeed , i am honoured and priveleged to witness what he does

same class as the black pearl ? hhmm very difficult as pearl was a born leader and winner , for me pearl stills nudges it , but god only knows what sam is going to do next , he certainly doesnt !

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 10:20 am  

Smooth Stu wrote:

:CRAZY:

As I have since said, I added Slater and Johnson in to that. On form Sam is better than Benji Marshall IMO too

Re: Sam Tomkins - Onwards & Upwards : Fri Jun 01, 2012 11:44 am  

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Raising the bar to new heights and building momentum is mine and Wigan’s goal from now until the end of the season. We are really starting to hit our straps and hooker Michael McLlorum is playing out of his skin. I have been singing his praises all year and he is one of the form players in Super League – a quality forward and a real big asset. We have been fortunate enough to beat arch rivals Saints three times so far and McLlorum has won his battle with James Roby. It is not that Robes has played badly - we have done our homework and come up with plays to combat Saints’ threats. Robes is a pivotal player but McLlorum is tough, aggressive, good in the loose and very strong defensively. Our man has definitely had the edge. The Magic Weekend win over Saints was special. The venue was perfect, the fans bought into it and this could prove to be a significant win. We are five forwards down for tonight’s game at Leeds and we are expecting a tough contest. The Rhinos will be fired up but we aim to notch it up. As a Super League player I consider myself to be in a very privileged position. It is a dream job and if I am honest, when you start out, you never expect to progress to the very top. It is a case of graduating and learning all the time. Most young lads in Wigan will say they want to play for Wigan, but it is not so easy. No one can become a professional player from what I would term a fluke situation.

You have to work mighty hard, make sacrifices, be totally dedicated and you need a few lucky breaks. I simply love playing the game and I am proud to play for Wigan. My feet are firmly on the ground – my mum and dad make sure of this. I have the same friends that I did when I was at school and I welcome constructive criticism from those people who are close to me. You have days when you score a hat-trick of tries but they’ll still pull you up about the knock on in the 78th minute – this is what I mean about staying level headed and firmly focused. Things are going well for Wigan, we are coming into our own and Shaun Wane, the coach, is bringing out the best in all the players. Shaun is a winner. Having played for Wigan, he knows all about the pride that goes into pulling on a Wigan shirt and what the fans expect. Some big games are looming but these are the ones you want to be involved in and to be on this stage .