OK, here goes, shoot me down if you want, I'm listening.
I might be slow coming round to it but I have worked out that Burrow can play hooker like he used to play scrum half, getting up to the line and drawing the attention of the defence, and at hooker he can do that straight from the ruck with great effect.
I have worked out that Bailey is an extra prop on the field (at Loose) to make up for Burrow not being a real defensive hooker (I'm not saying Burrow can't tackle, he most certainly can, but he couldn't and shouldn't have to defend the middle against opposition forwards like a hooker does. Long term, playing hooker will damage Burrow's head, he's always taken some hammer from the forwards and bounced straight up again but he's getting a lot more of it now).
I had always worked out that McGuire can do scrum half.
I still don't think Sinfield is a complete stand-off, despite having a great kicking game.
But what I think McD has done is to divide the tasks for each role and distribute them according to who can do it, rather than according to the standard list if who-does-what-in-which-position, thereby covering the bits of stand-off that Sinfield isn't and the bits of hooker that Burrow isn't and the role of loose forward where Sinfield isn't.
That deserves credit where it's due.
It worked on Saturday ... but that game was won in the forwards, giving Sinfield, Burrow (especially) and McGuire the space and pace in which to work their 'fluence and regardless of McD's decisions on positions.
In the warm-up, Peacock had the pack in a huddle and was giving them a real good old geeing-up.
Their very energetic, never letting-up, in-their-faces defending ... well, it out-enthused Wigan, forcing errors and knocking their completion rate for six. (Granted, Tomkins also made a couple of bloody awful unforced errors that gave us a juicy advantage ... couldn't happen to a nicer guy
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