I think the problem Jon has, from a fans perspective, is that he is so versatile. If he's not doing the 'playmaker' role & kicking enough then the fans think he's anonymous. Yet if he does all of this & it's not perfect then the fans think he should get out of the way of the half backs & let them do their job. If we've got half backs then let them do their job.

At the end of the day we do not know exactly what role the coach has asked him to perform. If it's a combination of all facets of the game then he's not going to stand out doing one or the other.

Personally I think he is possibly the best line runner in the squad when he plays solely in the second row & I think that is something we are sorely missing at this moment in time.

As with most of the squad I am sure he is trying to do whatever he is being asked to do to the best of his ability but I think they are all suffering in a lack of confidence.

I think he's trying. If you look at the Bradford game for example he clearly understands the importance of the game and the game situation and visibly tries to raise the intensity. He gets fired up and ends up battling with Elima and a couple of others for a while. His inability to do anything about the outcome is down to his lack of physicality. He tries to force the issue and get us on top, but their superior pack just swamped ours. We're one of the softest teams in Super League at the moment. Soliola and Puletua are the only players with any real physical presence and it's the reason we're often bullied in the second half of games.

Our backs are tiny and our front row is primarily made up of back rowers. Size and physicality are important attributes Saints need to look for in their recruitment over the coming seasons.

But over the last two games Lance Hohaia has been our top tackler hasn't he? (No wonder Lance has struggled to make impact going forward with over 50 tackles per game - ludicrous that one man is working so hard in defence; where are our other players?)


Well, they should be. He is one of our longest serving players, an international and very experienced. He needs to get his backside in gear because attack is where we have most needed him, obviously, since we have inexperienced halves.


Players feeling clueless on the pitch suggests either (a) there is no leader there to direct them (and that is definitely the case) or (b) they are not following the game plan/the game plan has been disrupted or (c) they haven't the capacity to think for themselves and create something in which case are they good enough to play in the first team? I don't buy the excuse of feeling clueless. There is enough talent in our team and enough experience in our team for somebody to give direction on the pitch but nobody appears to be willing.

I think this is really harsh and he was trying to lead by example at Bradford (alongside Wello). I thought he put in a decent stint and is one of the few players in our side who appears to remember that running off the ball is required.

It's no good just leading by example though. Somebody needs to give direction, to talk. He wasn't talking - except at the ref. He's been with us 10 years. He's in his late 20s. He is fully capable of taking on the extra responsibility of leader up front. He needs to do it.

What have the last two games got to do with it? We're discussing Jon Wilkin's supposed anonymity this season aren't we? My point is that he has been far from anonymous this season in defence. Why you bring up Hohaia's defense over the last two games is beyond me, unless you're someone who just likes an argument for the sake of it.

Lance has been top tackler for the last 2 games becuase he is making alot of marker tackles in the number 9 role. Just a shame that his attacking play has been 10 times worse than Wilkin's.




If Royce has asked him to go out there and be a tackle machine and to leave the attack to Gaskell, Wheeler, Hohaia, Roby and Lomax then what do you want him to do? Play to his own tune? Change the gameplan to suit himself?




I refer you to my previous point. I'm not saying Wilkin has been a shining light this season but who has other than Roby and Sia? You can point your finger at a number of players but for Wilkin to be taking more stick than PLENTY of other players baffles me.

I wouldn't question wilkin effort, nor his commitment.
He may not be working smart, I suppose. Defence work could be spread and he could save his energy for running lines etc, but he used to be able to do both.

I would suggest his attacking form will/could increase with the rest of the squad. Once/if we start doing the things that we've been missing, he'll be coming up with better stuff as his contribution.

Wilkin's always struck me as they guy who'll do whatever the coach asks of him, rather than play a natural game.

I think most people on here no my views on Jon wilkin. Two good seasons in ten years.

I think now's the wrong time to make judgment - let's assess once the new coaching staff have started to implement a new gameplan*

For all we know, the Simmons tactics may have been to use Wilkin as nothing more than cannon fodder



* this assumes there will be a new gameplan, because if there isn't we're shafted anyhoo

Given the way things have gone this season so far and the apparent discord behind the scenes I think it's incredibly unfair to lump too much criticism onto any player right now. Let's see how he and everyone else goes over the rest of the season with the alleged back-monkey now removed and then start the knife-sharpening.

No one disputes whether Wilkin is putting the work in. It's his leadership and direction, or lack thereof which is in question at precisely the time when we need both the most.