FORUMS > St. Helens > Matty Smith - Best English halfback in Super League |
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| The Grand Final that Matty Smith played in, is this the same one where he'd spent the entire season on loan to Salford and got called back to play in that one game (my memory might be betraying me)? If so, who expects a player to just come back in for a game after spending the season elsewhere and just slip back into the structures etc It's essentially like signing for a new team...
And again, if I remember right, despite losing that game he played well.
I said it at the time and I'll say it now, Eastmond, just like Lomax wasn't at his most effective as a scrum half. He was an explosive runner, who was exciting to watch, but he wasn't the type of player who could guide the team around the pitch and come up with intelligent plays on the last tackle. In my opinion, he was a fullback thrown in to the scrum half role in a desperate attempt to recapture the Sean Long glory days.
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| I agree with you, he would flourish with better quality players either side, or rather they would.
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International Star | 388 | ![](images/sitelogos/fullsize/18.png) |
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| Quote: Twentyman "Nobody agrees with anything I say, it's like my marriage this!!!!!!
*goes and sulks in shed*'"
It's not your fault. Your just misunderstood ![BLAH c015.gif](images/smilies//c015.gif)
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45465_1384791340.jpg And last but not least, to all those people who wrote this team off.
To all those people who critisized this team...tonight's for you.
K. Sinfield, GF 2011:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_45465.jpg |
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| Just watched a review of the 2015 season and the player that stands out head and shoulders above every other half back is Kevin Brown. Sheer class. Without him, Widnes would be scrapping with Bradford and Leigh in 2016.
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| Only just seen this thread, and interesting to compare it to the one on the Wigan board! If anything, the sentiment here seems slightly more pro-Smith, I'd say.
He had a poor start to the season for us (and wasn't the only one by any means). He did steadily improve as the season went on, culminating in that good England performance discussed above. I do think that he and George Williams are a good fit together, and I agree that this is the kind of partnership England should be looking for too, if not with the same personnel necessarily. He'll never set the world on fire, but he's a good solid pro who comes across as a decent bloke as well.
I agree with youse guys about Widdop too. I went from being delighted that England have a highly-rated NRL half in the team, to being perturbed by his sideways crabbing and lack of direction. Good goal-kicker, though (and better than Smith). In the apt words of a Wigan board poster (discussing Stefan Ratchford, IIRC), he seems more sizzle than steak!
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| Also agree that Brown and Gale can consider themselves a tad unlucky not to have been given a shot at an England shirt in the last year, but the real culprit there is the chronic lack of international footy, a situation for which the ARL/NRL must take most of the blame.
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