I definitely understand and have similar reservations regarding Smith but he does bring something I don't think anyone else does with his kicking. For the other poster to say being good at kicking and organisation are bywords for mediocrity is overly simplistic and devalues the importance of a good kicking game.

Sinfield got blamed for our loss to NZ last year. For me his crime wasn't that he missed the tackle it's that for the last 5-10 minutes he failed to slow the game down and get the ball out of play. This game sense is the sort of thing Smith has shown as Wigan.

I'm not saying he's Andrew Johns, he is limited but he has virtues that could make the team better than it has been. We have Graham, Widdop, Tomkins and presumably O'Loughlin who are all play makers, I think Smith will be there to facilitate them.

I'm not sure we'll make or win the final, I've seen far too much international Rugby League to ever think that. I do think this is the best chance to do well in the southern hemisphere for a long time. We've got a selection pretty similar to last year, a lot of the team already play in Aus/NZ, players aren't out of position and both Aus and NZ look weaker than they have done for a while. I'd love to see a game where we look like we might actually beat Australia.

Yours positively,

Tom

Considering you said "shuffling into unfamiliar positions" then trying to include Matty Smith being left out of the 17 altogether as a reshuffling unfamiliar position is a push even for you in your ever decreasing trolling attempts???

So that'd be 2 reshuffling changes then.....better inform the Oxford Collins Dictionary that 'several' now means 'two'.

Idoitic you claimed.......yes, yes you are.

I think he'd be fine there. Defensively he's as sound as anybody in the squad (in the backs) both tackling and dealing with kicks. He's always had a finishers talent for scoring tries, his issue at centre and FB has been creating tries for others outside him. On the wing he wouldn't have that problem.

I'm not desperate at all for him to get a gig, i just think he is a much better all round player than Charnley and a better option with his kick returns and safety under the kick and we lose nothing in attack.

Hardaker is a steady centre but i would never play him there for England unless we had no other option.I agree Watkins has been very shaky at times, i stated that on the Watkins thread, and if he was to be dropped it would be justified.However, we have Shenton on the sidelines who didn't do a lot wrong and would be the man to take over were he to be left out.

You're so funny sometimes. "Serial Miscreant" Did your irony gland rupture during your defence of Catalans trying to sign Todd Carney? Or do you reserve all that bu$h!tt for Leeds players only?

Was that Hall or Hardaker in the background of that Hodgson student digs Video?