How long did it take Golding to not fancy the high ball on Friday? Watch the opening set of six, I timed it at around 50 seconds.

No doubt the apologists will correct me with a 'it wasn't Golding that didn't fancy the ball it was the ball that didn't fancy him' or 'it was blown off course by the el nino'

Ok so let's broaden this debate out a bit maybe desire is the wrong word perhaps will/determination would be a better way of putting it.

Examples of that would be some of Hardaker's last ditch tackles last season, Peacock's will to get fit for a Wigan CC game at Headingley, Sinfield kicking the goal in 2003 CC semi and perhaps most pertinent of all was Sinfield's tackle on Lomas in the GF that saved the game. These are not examples of great skill these are just examples of players going the extra mile to make things happen. Do you think Golding showed that level of commitment against Huddersfield?

As for the comment some days you can catch and some days you can't - these are elite athletes.

If we accept most players that get signed by top pro clubs have outstanding ability for their age group what determines those who make and those who don't. JJB is not the most gifted rugby player - so why has he had such a successful career whilst others with more ability have fallen by the way side - I would suggest it is desire/will to succeed.

While I agree with most of what you've said in that post Sal, especially regarding desire separating the great from the good etc, I think this is something that is measured over the course of a career and not questioned over a few rookie mistakes.

At the end of the day I would have been more worried if Golding had have stopped trying to catch those kicks. I think he showed a desire to make up for his mistake, unfortunately this can often lead to further errors, your own example JJB often can be accused of showing too much desire to make up for mistakes, shooting out of the line and causing other problems.

I think when you start making those sorts of mistakes you need mental strength to get over them, and I think this is a better way of thinking about it than the term desire which you have used. All the best players make mistakes, it is whether they are strong enough to overcome them.

For me desire is something different, and if you are questioning Goldings desire, then you are putting him in the same category as Achurch which imo is unfair.

To answer your question did Golding show "that level of commitment against Huddersfield" my answer is yes he did. You are comparing a young player with very little senior experience with internationals JP, Sinfield and Hardaker at their very best yet Golding after a terrible confidence sapping start overcame this and showed his desire/will/determination and commitment with an tremendous take just before half time and again with a one on one try saving tackle and at no stage kept out of the game or shirked involvement.

Brough is the best in the business at the high bomb which in certain circumstances are very hard to judge because of great height, spin and stadium conditions. A young player like Golding would never have experienced this before and will be a better player for having done so. It is generally understood that you learn most from the experience of getting things wrong and it is precisely why the players that you name became so good and youngsters have to be allowed to make mistakes as they gain their own experience. I presume when you started out in work you never made a mistake and from what you say about your schoolboy fullback experience you never dropped a high bomb because you were too slow to get there despite heaps of desire

There are certainly one or two senior players that you could fairly accuse of having shown a lack of desire this season but IMO this is the last thing you can level at any of the youngsters.

I am not having a dig at Goulding at all, so put that on the table, but I think this rubbish about Brough and kicking and the stadium being an excuse for his errors is really poor. Had he never played fullback before, then hell yeah, can understand it a bit. But he has been playing the position for years, and the simple fact is he dropped his @r5e and made the mistakes. There is no excuses, you learn from it and get on with it. I don't think it was down to desire, which I do think is a problem for the team, I think it was a lack of confidence based on how poor the team as a whole are currently.

Will and determination are rarely the difference on game day. Will and determination are what gets you to game day in the position to do the things necessary to win.

JJB isnt the most gifted player but his success and will to win isnt about what he does on in a match, its the things he does day in day out in training to get himself in to a place where he can do the things he needs to do on game day.

Its exactly the same with Sinfield and Peacock. Sinfield doesnt make that kick and another misses it, because Sinfield wants it more at that moment. Its because Sinfield wanted it more 2hrs after training when he was still out there practising.

I'd hope a player like Golding would do the same following dropped high kicks - spend extra time in training getting someone to kick bombs to him.

In the end after that sort of game its up to the individual to respond. Nathan Graham never recovered from being bombed at Wembley. Had he had more resilience and practiced his butt off there's physically no reason why he couldn't have overcome much of his issue with bombs. For whatever reason it pretty much ended his career. OTOH I have huge respect for Dixon at KR who had en even worse performance (he wasn't alone but as full back its more obvious) and yet seemed determined to get over it.

I agree with much of this but you have to be able to pull it out of the bag when it matters. McGuire is another player who is capable of raising his game when it matters - that isn't about training, he does it too often and 2003 he was teenager in his first year as pro, that's a mental attitude about personal standards/belief/desire to impact the game and a genuine not wanting to let your team mates down something JJB talks about a lot.

Golding will have fielded hundreds of bombs in training so he will have the technical ability just not that will/determination to perform that task when it mattered. Nathan Graham is one, Ben Crookes is another hopefully Golding is made of stronger stuff

The Golding drops didn't cost us the game on Friday. Infact, we were well in the game long after his mistakes which were in the first period so it shouldn't be getting compared with howlers that have cost big games and cup finals and ruined careers. He is still very young and raw and will never have experienced what he did on Friday, but the true test will be from now and how he responds. He could turn it into a positive, by going away and improving that side of his game and next time he is in that position (could be as early as tonight) deal with it better. Like i have said previously, Handley seems to have done just that and the players that have a serious future in the game usually find a way, hopefully Golding will.

Fact checker - Golding definitely dropped the first bomb of the second half. Got away with that one as Huddersfield lobbed a miss out pass wide which Watkins deflected into touch - or no doubt as some would tell you, Watkins missed a simple intercept and guaranteed four/six pointer.

Thanks, had forgotten that one.

The one that went straight between his hands just over his head? Yeah, add me to the "missed a simple intercept" column on that one.

Mind you, he couldn't catch passes from his own side on Friday so there wasn't much danger of him catching one from the opposition.

Spot on, he messed that up big time. Didn't go to deflect it at all, went for the simple catch and failed.

What I will change my mind on though is that he'd have gotten downfield if he caught it. He jumps for it and pretty much lands into Ormsby arms on landing so would've been tackled straight away..:::but at least we'd have had the ball back and not once again defending our line.

I've seen loads of those dropped. Depends very much on when you realize there is a chance you may be able to catch the ball. There is a reason you spend years telling kids when they start playing rugby to have their hands out, thumbs forward and eyes on the ball when receiving a pass. It's very harsh to criticize a defender for not making an intercept. He got hands on and defended the play, it he'd jumped out of the line, missed it and conceded a try then fair enough.