Re: Squad for Giants. : Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:10 pm  

Jack Napier wrote:

Yep, reasoned debate is great, much respect for your opinion.

For me in the last few weeks Matt Davis has earned his place. Akauola played too well to get dropped. Westwood isn't playing well enough to suggest he should play, in my opinion.

I couldn't agree more with our forwards needing a fiesty leader, it's why I think Hill shouldn't be captain. Westwood has played that role for many years, I just don't think he can do it anymore.

When we played Salford, Westwood (on many weeks rest) was a part of a pack that got outfought and out-enthused. We needed a leader to grab the team by the scruff of the neck. We didn't have one on the pitch. I absolutely adore Westwood, but time waits for no man.

Really agree with this. (Posted same time as your post).

Re: Squad for Giants. : Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:35 pm  

Jack Napier wrote:

Yep, reasoned debate is great, much respect for your opinion.

For me in the last few weeks Matt Davis has earned his place. Akauola played too well to get dropped. Westwood isn't playing well enough to suggest he should play, in my opinion.

I couldn't agree more with our forwards needing a fiesty leader, it's why I think Hill shouldn't be captain. Westwood has played that role for many years, I just don't think he can do it anymore.

When we played Salford, Westwood (on many weeks rest) was a part of a pack that got outfought and out-enthused. We needed a leader to grab the team by the scruff of the neck. We didn't have one on the pitch . I absolutely adore Westwood, but time waits for no man

...It certainly doesn't. But man waits for no time in the case of Benny. He may be old chronologically, but still a valued, vital part of our pack (if we need some front foot agression).

Re: Squad for Giants. : Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:53 pm  

Gazwire wrote:

...It certainly doesn't. But man waits for no time in the case of Benny. He may be old chronologically, but still a valued, vital part of our pack (if we need some front foot agression).

And that's it. If my life was on the line and I was picking a Warrington team for one game, he'd play without a doubt.

I'm just want the club to look ahead, assess the options. Still 17 games left before the playoffs.

I think the next few months we should do that. If other players shine? Great. If not, let's bring back one of our greats.

Re: Squad for Giants. : Fri Apr 26, 2019 10:18 pm  

Thing is, the promotion of youth players can't be at the expense of first team quality. And paradoxically, the harder it is to get in the first team and less places (subsequently), the better the youth team players are, and more readily fitted into a first SL side.

I agree that youth promotion is important- certainly. But they have to earn their stripes- they'll be much better for it.

Re: Squad for Giants. : Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:36 am  

I'd like to see Akauola and Davis playing. I think both may have been underestimated and that Steve Price may be thinking the same. They deserve an opportunity and we need to know how good they are.

Re: Squad for Giants. : Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:28 am  

Smiffy27 wrote:

I'd like to see Akauola and Davis playing. I think both may have been underestimated and that Steve Price may be thinking the same. They deserve an opportunity and we need to know how good they are.

I don't think so much...perhaps a little.
Aka was injured much of last season but the team was winning and that carried through to this season.
It's hard to make changes to a winning side.

Re: Squad for Giants. : Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:59 pm  

Jack Napier wrote:

And that's it. If my life was on the line and I was picking a Warrington team for one game, he'd play without a doubt.

I'm just want the club to look ahead, assess the options. Still 17 games left before the playoffs.

I think the next few months we should do that. If other players shine? Great. If not, let's bring back one of our greats.

IMHO we missed Westwood against Saints, but he gave a poor performance against Salford, in what was a poor team performance. I agree with you that all options need assessing, which is something that all coaches should be doing, with a view to the future. Both Akauola and Davis may well merit a shirt for tomorrow, on the back of their performances against HKR (and other games in Davis' case). As far as this season goes, I recon we'll see all three in the starting seventeen at some point, as the remainder of this season rolls out. It'll be interesting to see who gets a deal for 2020 out of Akauola and Westwood, it may be neither.

Re: Squad for Giants. : Sat Apr 27, 2019 7:03 pm  

rubber duckie wrote:

Aka was injured much of last season

No he wasn't at all, people keep saying this but he played 25 games last year for us, and got a Ban of 2 games. So that's 27 games he wasn't injured for. This year he just fell out of favour but hopefully he's taken his chance with both hands and be a beast for us this year..

Re: Squad for Giants. : Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:27 pm  

....people keep saying it because he was injured.

Re: Squad for Giants. : Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:38 pm  

The issue with Akauola was he didn't play anything like enough minutes, and when he was on the field he gave away plenty of penalties.

Whether stamina was the issue, or he was injured or just not interested I neither know nor care. Similarly, I don't care whether he is fitter now or just doesn't fancy another four months at Rochdale - if he's now capable of decent minutes and making the kind of impact his physique suggests then the slate is clean and he could yet become a potent addition to the 17.