Joel Tompkins has some talent but Gaz Ellis he ain't. Tompkins is a thug and you could never describe one of our finest backrowers as being a thug.

He has a temper but that doesn't make him a thug.

Joel is a top quality second rower but I don't see any similarities with Ellis's style of play.

Joel Tomkins is to Gareth Ellis what Kallum Watkins is to Mal Meninga

If at the end of his career Joel Tomkins is talked of as on the same level as Ellis I will eat my hat, your hat, and travel the world to eat all the hats at a hat making convention on every continent. Including Antarctica.

Tomkins is a decent second rower, runs good lines and runs hard and fast, doesnt have the workrate, doesnt have the technique of Ellis, doesnt have the brain, and is prone to complete idiocy.

Ellis when he left, and if he were to come back would be comfortably the best 2nd rower in the comp. Im not even convinced Tomkins is even the 2nd best 2nd rower at Wigan.

If there is a 2nd rower who can reach the heights of Ellis playing in SL today, it would more likely be Liam Farrell. Id also say that Chris Clarkson is ahead at this stage of the curve Tomkins set and could easily go on to be a better player.

Another useful G1 input. Ive huge respect for JJB and all he has achieved in blue & amber but maybe its time to accept that someone who cant pass, isnt that quick, gives away stupid (sometimes critical) penalties and is prone to regular handling errors cant continually be selected because he's a lovely lad and always tries his best.

Maybe so Smokey. Reckon Tompkins will score twice as many tries as Ellis.

Ellis was/is a strong runner, and a strong tackler, and fairly consistent. He had a bad habit of jumping out of the line (especially bad in his last season at Leeds) and seemed magnetically attracted to tacklers rather than gaps. Lets not pretend he's was some kind of god.

I thought he was picked because he'll make 35+ tackles and take 20+ carries, rather than being a nice lad who tries hard.

Interesting comparision www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011

Interesting comparision www.superleague.co.uk/statistics ... eason=2011

What he said.

And Danny Mcguire will score a bucket load more than Tomkins. They are different players with different responsibilities and different objectives.


Your comparison is interesting. Look at the difference in metres per carry, Ellis is making nearly half a metre every run more, look at the difference in errors and penalties.

In just 4 more appearances than Ellis:

200 more tackles
over twice as many marker tackles
more tackle busts
less missed tackles

Wow, you have high expectations!! Ellis had a mega workrate - this must mean Tomkins' workrate is just off the scale!!
The undoubted downside to his game is his attitude in fiery moments, hence that hefty penalty count. He'll learn how to channel that.

Well, every player is different. These both played right side second row though.




I'll give up that half a metre per carry and the penalties and errors for four times the tries, twice the assists, twice the offloads, 50% more tackles, twice the marker tackles. 50 cm a metre a carry though.....