You haven't mentioned Jodie yet? Salfords very own wing wizard, you feeling ok?

I'm good thanks, just treated myself to a new aquarium so I've got something to look forward to at long last. I try not to mention Broughton unless prompted by others to do so. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ep-3186588 a few of the current top clubs were circling but haven't heard anything further just recently.

I'm good thanks, just treated myself to a new aquarium so I've got something to look forward to at long last. I try not to mention Broughton unless prompted by others to do so. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ep-3186588 a few of the current top clubs were circling but haven't heard anything further just recently.

This post doesn't say a lot to me about your judgement either. Robbo's best season for tries in League was 1996 I think with 24. His next best 3 years were his final 3 years in League with 23 tries in 2000, 19 in 1999 and 17 in 1998.

Eastmond's value was not debatable IMO. An excellent and outstanding talent who was troubled with injury before and after he joined Union. He looks a class act and could well remain in the England squad when their Lions return.



I am pretty sure he was nearer 26 than 27 when he made his debut for Sale Sharks and was about 22 when he played for Bath RU.

Not a "relative" judgement just a poor judgement. Didn't he win the Harry Sunderland Trophy in 1998 (just 2 years before switching to Union) against.....err Leeds I seem to remember. And as I said his 2nd best season for tries finished just before he switched codes



Not "harsh" just wrong. A unique rugby talent like Robinson had together with the speed that he retained made him lethal in either code.

There are no facts here just opinions.

As ever mine are offered without ever feeling the need to tell anybody their's are wrong.

Robinson was a fading force in League (for whatever reason) by the time he left and yet was able to make an almost immediate impression elsewhere. Whether that was through a change of environment, a new challenge or whatever I don't know but as a League player he'd clearly diminished IMO by the time he left.

The position of wing in Union v League is somewhat different, you have much more space in union to work with and as the defensive lines are usually more stretched in Union you can have more attacking options as a runner v a direct run in league.

Robinson was not past his best in my opinion, but his foot work and acceleration was easier for him to exploit in Union. For the comparison lets take Ryan Hall, in Union I think he would be a solid winger but also have a weakness for quicker and more agile (Robinson Style) wingers to atttack him. So to do a direct comparison is not really accurate in my opinion.

Robinson was outstanding during his last RL season in 2000, his combination with Renouf was the stuff of dreams. Unfortunately - for Wigan - our idiotic coach decided to play him at full back in the grand Final and that poor performance may be skewing your recollections.

Id say the opposite really, Hall would go fine in Union, just like Lomu did as a big, strong, fast direct runner. I think Hall would be an absolute revelation in Union. Robinson on the other hand would have struggled as League changed as a game with a clear move away from the smaller speedsters, to larger wingers, this was only two years before Big Les remember. Also as the game has change Robinson would have been kicked to death in League, Imagine him trying to compete for kicks with Hall or Richards or Charnley. Robinson was a great, great player, but of his time, im not sure how much of it was down to Robinson losing anything or the game just changing around him and him coming up against bigger players who as professionals were better equipped to deal with him, but I don’t think we will see another of his kind. Only two like him have come through since him imo (by that I mean short. Agile, speedster wingers, the first Ainscough was great going forward but a huge defensive liability, and the new one Keiron Dixon is a try machine who cannot defend.

What we have seen is those types of players pushed to half back to cover for those issues, like Burrow and Eastmond.

I would agree that Hall at his peak would have done well in Union. Robinson was still at his peak when he left League and I feel sure he would have continued to "terrorise" for many years to come. As you point out League made a move to bigger wingers and indeed bigger centres with the kick becoming a more important attacking option.

IMO this has been one of the reasons for the decline in attacking skills from the backs in SL. Centres these days have little more to offer than back rowers, indeed many of them are back rowers. The news of Tomkins SL exit is not good for those that enjoy seeing a running back with silky skills.

Thanks for the civil response - not always a given on here unfortunately.

My recollections are formed from the viewpoint of an opposition fan over several seasons. Perhaps it was particularly noticeable in the games V Leeds, perhaps he'd set an incredibly high benchmark V his home town team in the pre and early SL seasons that was impossible to maintain, perhaps Leeds had worked him out to some degree and devised plans to shackle him but for whatever reason/s (and purely from my perspective) his threat as a League player had diminished and I was no longer expecting the worse when he got hold of the ball for Wigan.

I expect there are opposition fans out there who feel likewise when the last couple of season's versions of McGuire and Burrow are in possession compared to how they felt a few years back.

Probably most fans know we turned down the chance to sign Robinson , he came to the club as a half back,unfortunately the club claimed they were well covered for half backs.
By a strange quirk of fate one of the senior coaching staffs son was at the club as a half back. This player never reached the heights of Robinson .

Apologies for wandering off thread, you are right about Mc Guire and Burrow , when younger together they were sensational , Danny's had bad luck with injuries and lost a bit of pace . Whilst rob has been asked to play various positions in the team not all of which suit him. It's to his credit he gets on and does it without any serious complaint .
It would not surprise me if somebody came in with a decent offer he would leave.