Why would he defend any better on the left? He'd probably have less traffic coming at him at most teams go left more than right, but it wouldn't make him a better player. I still thought he outplayed Atkins yesterday who was lucky he had better players around him.

When I see statements like this it makes my blood boil! You can teach almost any player to defend well, you will never in a million years teach a plodder to do what that lad can do. If he was at fault yesterday, the guy to be questioning is the feck wit who is supposed to be teaching him how to play the game within the structure set out for the team.

Steve Renouf couldn't tackle an eighty year old granny when he arrived at Brisbane and yet, a good coach taught him to be the best centre in the world bar none. However, he had the natural talent to start with and Watkins has that too. he just needs someone to work on the basics. if Watkins was a Warrington player, I'd like to bet that he would be lauded as a potential all time great right now.

Is that because being at Warrington has made Atkins a brilliant defender?

Watkins is a cracking player with natural tallent. My issue is not him (I don't think) rather the lack of improvement in defence, which I would put down to the defensive coaching. (unless he has and isn't taking it on board)

But judging by the whole teams defence which seems a bit flimsy will go with the coaching issue

Yep, Chev was a second rower playing centre in my opinion. Watkins is a centre, and is a young centre. There is often a short term cost to playing young players in that they have to learn while playing first team, this is part of that learning curve for Watkins. If we are lucky enough to keep him from serious injuries he'll come good in years to come.
One of the major positives for me in what has been a relatively disappointing season so far has been watching the likes of Hardaker, Watkins & Jones-Bishop. Yes they'll make mistakes, but I'd far rather watch any of those 3 than a defensively sound but dull plodder in attack type player.

Way too harsh on Watkins and Bjb how many times did Wire "over-load" and use cut out passes and dummy runners on their left??
KW and Bjb were often left isolated with 3 on 2 and 4 on 2 with our other defenders mpletely static and not quick enough to read the play or slide across to keep the numbers even and even saying that how many times in the 2nd half did out defensive line move forward to meet the runners rather than stood still trying to 2nd guess their moves??

My comment on Watkins is more about his game in general than specifically about yesterday. He isn't a great defender, no worse than Riley for example though. Our right side defence might be improved by sticking Burrow on that side who does read the game better than most and seems to pick the correct runners

Watkins is thoroughbred who could - if coached properly - be one of the best centres in SL. Ball in hand he glides across the field, pity he teammates seem incapable of making the best use of him.

Sinfield defends on that side surely he can read the game as well as Burrow?

He doesn't seem to does he?

Sinfield has defended in the middle for most of his career, perhaps Burrow is more used to it. Maybe it would make no difference. I don't know but I do know we get opened up over and over again down that side and have done for a long time. The McGuire, Senior, Lauitiiti, Bai combination of 2004 would have loved to play against our right side defence!

Most teams attack on the left so perhaps Burrow who always defends on the right looks better because he doesn't get the traffic? It is the reason that Watkins doesn't get as much ball passing to the right is much harder for a right handed player

Atkins isn't half the player that watkins is, if nothing else, yesterday proved that.

Having said that, Atkins' defence has been found wanting since he played his first team game and I'd argue that it has improved since Phil Gould's observation on his skills.

That's the crux of it for me the coaching of him. Agree he is great to watch attacking the line, shame he doesn't see more ball in attack

I think the sentence you finish with could apply to Watkins just as easily as Atkins.

I'm playing devils advocate slightly as I'm a huge fan but coaching defence while obviously easier than teaching someone to do things with the ball which Watkins can do isn't as easy as you're making out.

Sal - Quite possibly yes. Saints also got to Burrow a bit defensively and they attacked to the right more than anyone else.

But apart from those positions the forwards are good, yes?