It is noticeable you have gone back many years to find most of your examples which I would say rather rules out the current crop of second rowers masquerading as centres.

Having looked back at decent centres you should have included Hallas and Hattee who both were lightly built and Dyl who had a similar build to Golding. Schofield was one of the best and you would not mistake him for a second rower. And Lewis Jones although a giant of the game was not a physical giant at all.

Providing you can make the tackles size is not important if you have the feet and ball skills.

This I’d agree with, whilst it can be advantageous to big a physically big centre, it’s not a necessity. I know he wasn’t a centre, but the tackle technique of Rob Burrow stood him in good stead defending wide, so this is a recent example of technique being more important that size.

I’d say the most important attribute a centre can have is a rugby brain, so he can make the right decisions on both attack and defence.

In recent years not many decent centres on view. Hardly any with the ability to draw a man and pass the ball to the winger. Most can’t even pass the ball efficiently Left to right .Have lost count of the times ablett ,whilst playing in the centre has taken several strides too many before passing to his winger. By then it’s too late the cover defence has arrived. Can’t really blame ablett he is a forward playing out of position. But that’s the modern game everybody has to be versatile ,scrum half’s as if by magic turn into hookers. Back row forwards are expected to be decent centres. I believe the buzz word is pivotal, everybody has to be pivotal.

Jonathan Davies was one of the best I've seen and he was a proper short ar5e.

If you have speed, elusiveness, good hands and good defence then size needn't matter.

Spot on, that try Davies scored against the Australians absolutely superb.

He was class but playing full back that day iirc

The game isn't what it was in the 60s/70s - There are only 2 centres in SL worth mentioning Watkins - who is the size of a second row and Percival who is almost as big.

In the NRL the centres the best ones in recent years: Inglis, Hodges, Tate, Jennings, Morris, Lyon all these guys are the size of second row forwards.

If you want to go further back - Meninga, Miles, Renouf - none of these are small guys

The game isn't what it was in the 60s/70s - There are only 2 centres in SL worth mentioning Watkins - who is the size of a second row and Percival who is almost as big.

In the NRL the centres the best ones in recent years: Inglis, Hodges, Tate, Jennings, Morris, Lyon all these guys are the size of second row forwards.

If you want to go further back - Meninga, Miles, Renouf - none of these are small guys

brad godden wasn't that big iirc. I think golding is bif enough and good enough in defence. whether he has the skills is another arguement

Don't know why people are trying to fit Golding in the team somewhere, whilst being a fairly game lad and not knocking his enthusiasm, I've never really thought he was anywhere near the required standard to command a starting spot in our team.

just thinking out loud really. for me walkers the best by a long way

This is the reason all clubs should run a reserve side imo. Then it'd allow players to work on different positions /push first tamers

This is when a reserve grade would be useful. Golding could play a few games at reserve grade, learn to play centre and see how he goes.

He had a bit of the Scott Gibbs - same width as height. But generally Sal is spot on.