bewareshadows wrote:
I'm not fixed on Lomax being a 6 or a 1. However, saying we need to look long term for another 1 or 6, is different to saying throw anyone we currently have at fullback.
Fact 1: If Wellens is fit he is going to play, this can't even be a guess now, we are over halfway through the season. Given that fact. Having him on the bench weakens the team as he does not provide that leadership from there for 60 minutes of the game.
He is not a 6 so playing him there would be bad news.
He is not a forward and regularly posts lets be fair not great figures from that role.
However he can still do a decent job of FB.
Fact 2: Makinson and Swift are our best and most potent wingers. Why make them play elsewhere and put in a less effective winger?
The extra spot freed up from Wellens not playing pack or bench, will allow us to play either another forward. Savellio
Or a replacement for Roby - Is Channock not still with us, could he not do 10 mins each half?
As for Wheeler, that boat has sailed for me. I'm not going to keep faith based on moments of guile and a 40 minute display at Wigan nearly half a decade ago.
Good luck to the lad, but for me we need stability at 7 and 6. So that is Lance and Walsh until one gets injured.
Either way another forward/hooker on the bench will give Roby some help by rest or by soaking up some more tackling.
Agreed, if wellens has to play, it has to be for the majority of the game. And agreed, makinson and swift are currently our 2 strongest wingers. But I'm not suggesting we we just stick anyone in there - I'd just like us to see how well swift takes to the role. He doesn't even need to play there every week, just enough to gauge if it would be an option. He's played the role before at a lower level, and I think he'd have great potential to replicate it in superleague. If it turns into a disaster, then we put him back on the wing, put wellens to fullback and vow never for it to happen again. If he takes to it like a duck to water, we've opened up another option for ourselves next year, by making 1. Swift 6. Lomax 7. Walsh an option, should the quality of 6 not be suitable, meaning we can focus our cap space in other areas (like a quality interchange hooker!)
Charnock is still with us, but seems to be being groomed to take Wilkins role in a couple of years from the reports I've read. Plus brown has "judged him not ready"