Eastmond was playing for us when he was around 20. He had a far more complete set of half backs skills than Sean Long did at that age.
Just because someone is fast, doesn't mean they can't do the organising role, its jut player that have it all are obviously a rarer commodity.
Lomax won YPOTY playing 7. He did have a limitations, but could work well with a thinker/orgnaisor/kicker (like smith) alongside him. When we started picking Hohaia at 6 was when his deficiencies at 7 became too much (a long with a lot of other things not going well), but again, he was very young to be expected to be a complete halfback.

As I've said, I like Smith, I wished we'd have kept him instead of giving that doorhandle Moore another chance, but I don't think Smith was the guy to turn us from bridesmaids to brides

I agree with you, he would flourish with better quality players either side, or rather they would.

It's not your fault. Your just misunderstood

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.

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!

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.