Maybe but he's staying

He's a useful player, but i dont see how he'll continue to be guaranteed a place in the 17 with everyone fit. This has to have a bearing on his future contracts and a question for his future as captain

You don't make someone captain with short term thinking like for one season. Wilkin is playing if he's fit, I have no doubt about that.

He will be captain for the next 2 seasons after this one.

My worry is if we play him in a ball playing loose. I Like the ball playing 13 like SOL and Scully but those two can also play as ball carriers when needed and I don't think Wilkin can anymore. He's to small and weak to be a runner and if he is 13 we will be a forward down.

I completely agree mate, and its a worry. If he's at 13 he will be some use as a ball carrier, but when he needs to drive up the middle, we'll be knackered

What makes you say this?

I don't mind a ball playing 13, having both second rowers at 105kg+ means we have the size in the pack to support it. However the point would have to be to offer something different, and be able to inject some pace and skill into the middle of the park for us. Wilkin doesn't offer that, and I think he would conflict with the halfbacks in the team.

Read my post! I said I like a ball playing loose but only if he can be a ball carrier also like Sol and even westerman.

If Wilkin plays the same role as he does now at 13, we are playing with a forward down. We already have forward that play 15 min spells or 8 min spells in Mose case so we playing with 3 halves and 5 forwards.

Playing with 3 pivots can be useful like Wigan had with smith green and sol but sol also plays like a ball running 13 and no way Wilkin can or will do that.

Also having 3 pivots all the time can become " to many cooks spoil the broth" situation as we have to many in the line and that takes the room away from the wide runners like lomax on the edge and Percy. Lomax fills in as the extra pivot if needed so we certainly want to run our wide plsyers out.

For me it's walsh, burns as the halves and lomax as the acting 3rd ball player and play with 6 proper forwards.

I see Wilkin is filling the gap Wellens left for the bulletin board bashers!

Far too premature. I'd still have Wilkin as one of our top three 2nd row/loose options. He's in the team on merit in those positions, and doubly so because of his utility in being able to cover half-back too.

As for the issue about too many cooks, well that's just a coaching issue. If he's told to defend out wide, run those lines he used to in his first 5 years, and not worry about kicking/passing, then I'm sure he will.

How about we try to get through this season without picking a scapegoat for once?

I'm not scapegoating, I simply don't see how everyone fits in. Greenwood, Thompson and Jones need time on the pitch to continue their development, and I question whether wilkin (and flanagan) bring more than the kids - especially considering how it impacts the team as a whole.

Yet people post that players play too many games.
So plenty of games in a year to develop players.

tbh people need to bash Cunningham not Wilkin as he picks the team. I'm disappointed Hewitt hasnt been given a run out and tbh I'd like to have seen Lance on the bench this season , he would have certainly helped perk us up on friday I think.

So I gather between Wilkin bashing and defending posts that nobody knows anything about Walsh?

I saw Walsh after South Sydney game & he said he was targeting this Friday to be back playing so will hopefully see him back this week