Quote: Juan Cornetto "Can you provide a link'" www.therhinos.co.uk/matchdaytv/? ... a&id=18997

Quote: Juan Cornetto "Can you provide a link'" www.therhinos.co.uk/matchdaytv/? ... a&id=18997

Not a Kirke knocker for the sake of it and he has been a valuable squad member over the years, but how he gets the nod over Singleton in particular on the past month's play is mystifying.

Mac does not trust Singleton yet and rightly so in my opinion , as well as he looks to play defensivley he has alot to learn

Well that shocked a few people.
The most predictable 17 the coach could have picked despite the performance and so called injuries over the weekend.
Kirke must have really ripped it up on Sunday.
I would have preferred Singleton or Achurch in there followed by Stevie Ward and Calrkson before I would have gone for Kirke.
But hey ho he has got a zillion GF rings to his name and every coach in the world has had him in his team so he must be good.

He has a habit of stopping dead in defence and letting players run at him, he also struggles to break tackles going forward.

Having said that I like the look of him for the future, he's willing and relatively quick. He'll bulk out more as he gets older too.
I can understand the decision not to play him as he's still very young for a prop.

I've been wary of Singleton's defence in the past but I think it has started to improve (probably not enough yet admittedly).

Will be interesting to see who does/doesn't make up the final 19. The other 2 spots are between Singleton, S.Ward, Achurch, Walters and Clarkson really and if Singleton doesn't even make the 19 (even though I know it doesn't really mean much in terms of the match) it would be quite harsh on him and a bit of a slap in the face.

Like I said it doesn't mean too much (unless we a have an injury in the warm-up) but think Singleton and Achurch should round off the 19 man squad when announced (I presume Thursday)

With the exception of Kirke that is the strongest/safest 17 McDermott could pick. If they can't beat Cas. then you have to question how well they will go in the play offs. Losing this will be a crushing blow that will be very tough to stomach.

You've spelled "would" wrong...

For me the bench is too lightweight having Aiton and Sutcliffe on there, Sutcliffe came on against Wire in the pack and had very little go forward, I would have preferred Achurch or Singleton

The most experienced 17 he could pick I guess.

Like most I would have preferred almost anyone to Kirke but I didn't see Saturday's game so his 6 carries for an average of 4 metres per carry must have impressed McDermott more than Singleton's 16 carries for an average of 6 metres per carry. In fairness 6 carries is an increased workload for Kirke.

Kirke has had 1 good game this year just 1 his selection proves that the Coach clearly has "favourites" who can do no wrong I hope the other 16 manage to carry him yet again.

Whilst I too would have Singleton in over Kirke.....

.....if by how the responses have been so far to the named 17, where Kirke is the biggest/sole issue for most fans then we really aren't doing too bad.

A sub prop who'll come on and hardly do huge minutes and is usually defensively sound (note the word SOUND, not great, fantastic or amazing....sound) but won't carry the ball much. Given that people have complained we cart the ball down the middle too much and don't spread it wide to Watkins etc. then really is Kirke's inclusion really that big an issue?

And before people jump and say it's a defence of Kirke (like I said he wouldn't make my 17) is it really all that bad? Note that McDermott asks a different role of Kirke/Singleton. For all the 'favouritism' of Kirke he was a sub and Singleton was a starter (which he's had a few goes at this year). Singleton is seen IMO as an attacking prop, Kirke a defending prop.....comparing the two at times when it's obvious they have different roles expected of them even if both are classified as 'props' is flawed.

Kirke is seen as never having let the side down in the biggest games, and three coaches have picked him on the bench in those games for that reason.

His selection speaks a lot more to the lack of faith in potential replacements - and that in itself is an indictment of the quality of the other options.