I agree about Wilkin being a good player but he is not in O'Loughlin's class IMO - O'Loughlin is like Peacock & Sinfield, the respect the other players have for them adjusts the way they play. Wigan are a much tougher side to beat when he is in the side, same goes for Leeds when Sinfield and Peacock are in the line up.

I must admit that until the last couple of years I didn't regard Wilkin as a particularly good or bad player but pretty much a Joe Average.
In last few years he seems to me to have grown in stature and he is very obviously a key critical player for the Saints. With him I still fear Saints as very much potential GF winners.
He very quietly and efficiently gets on with his game and plays whatever role is required for his team at a very high level.

Wilkin is good but he's not on the same level as Sinfield and O'Loughlin.

Saints won the GF last year even though he didn't play after Round 21. Would Leeds and Wigan have won their titles if their captains had done the same?

Good club man.Key for Saints.

I have a suspicion that in time he will be as well known for his tv-RL presenting skills as much as his playing career, comes accross very well.

I totally agree.

There's over rated, there's O'Loughlin, then there's Wilkin. His stats last week don't lie

I suppose in this case when fans make a comparison of the two (Sinfield & Wilkin), its perhaps more to do with how their team mates look up to, rely on, need them to shape the performance and play of the team, rather than saying they are similar in their own play.

After all, Wilkin's missed 7 tackles went alongside 39 completed ones whilst Kevin's missed 4 were matched by 12 completed ones.

Mind you Wilkin's 13 carries only amassed 65m with Sinfield's 15 carries making 114m.....although all but two of those were from dummy half. Still Sinfield did have a try assist to his name.....oh, Wilkin had an actual try.

Lies, damn lies & statistics.

Kevin Sinfield, 500+ appearances, almost 4000 points, 6 championship, 2 challenge cups, Lance Todd trophy winner, Harry Sunderland trophy winner, golden boot winner...

As someone said above Wilkin is a good player but he's no Sinfield. And he never will be, but that's not in anyway a criticism.

Sinfield's brain runs the game though. Wilkin can only dream of game management.

Game management like 26 April 2003?

Sinfield's medals and trophies are without comparison.....was merely highlighting that stats aren't everything.

I think that was his first year as captain and he was 22 ?

Wilkin's game management in the GF's of 2007,2008,2009,2010,2011? Complaining about cameras in the dressing rooms in '08 wasn't it?

Tbf I understand the view of Wilkin being that type of influence NOW, but he's only just become it recently after the likes of Long, Cunningham, Graham etc departed. Sinfield has been doing it for a decade.

Says everything that you have to go back 12years. And FWIW (without the benefit of hindsight) even that wasn't as much of an issue as people make out, Bradford looked out on their feet and Sinny took a decision based on what was in front of him.

I was at that game & felt Sinfield's decision was correct. As you say Bradford were out on their feet.
What cost us potentially was Poching ( I believe) dropping the ball in the set of six following the tapped penalty but that gets overlooked.
With hindsight he should have taken the kick - but we'll never know.
He could have missed the kick, unlikley but still a possibility or succeeded with the kick.
The Bulls then kick off we knock the ball on giving back possesion to the Bulls near our own line & they go on to score.
Just ask Cas about that.
All ifs buts & maybes but I'll forgive Sinfield after all the success we've had since.

2003? You had to go back to 2003 to "prove" your point? 4.23779296875:5