Meli is the definition of enigma. Shocking mistakes and lazy plays mix with sublime finishing and powerful running. His changers, however, will mean his negatives outweigh his positives for me.

He needs to be playing at Centre really where his deficiencies to defusing kicks isn't highlighted.

Yeh but Royce got sacked for doing that.

I think we just have to accept he is a gamble player, could blow the opposition to piece, could ruin our chances.

The best option really is to have a young eager centre, willing to mop up any spilt ball from Meli and to expect there to be spit ball on every kick.

Thank god for Jones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is one of the best barge overs in the game; Makinson's finishing outshines his by 100%.

Meli is a liability in the pressure games. Even in 2006 when we won the GF, Meli conceded a try. He always does. He can be banked on to fluff up at important moments and yet he is consistently played in the pressure games and everyone else has to clear up his messes. For heaven's sake last night it was Josh Jones who was clearing up after him; a young guy in his debut season and initial first grade play off game! Ridiculous.

But he has the love of McManus and so he will be with us should we make the GF. My heart has already sunk.

Her problem is that he was gash for a longish spell about 5 years ago and cost us big in a few Grand Finals a few seasons ago. Nothing he does or has done since will ever convince her and the other frothing Meli victimisers otherwise. Their problem is that they are one-eyed fools who lack either the brainpower or the RL knowledge/appreciation to be able to judge players on their actual contribution but have to substitute snap judgements and irrevocable dogma instead.

I just have to bow to the knowledge of greater people, such as the last 5 Saints coaches and the last 2 Exiles coaches.

Meli came in with Anderson, so it's not quite five coaches! And since Anderson coached the last Exiles team, I'd have fully expected Meli to be in it.

Simmons was the only one to shunt Meli off the wing. Everyone on here agreed last year that Meli was better at centre than on the wing. Now half of those people have reverted back to thinking he's great on the wing. Interesting that!

Meli, for me, is a better centre than a winger. He doesn't have to deal with the high kicks and proved hroughout last year hat he could score and create for his winger. He also defend s his channel much better than initially thought he would. However, given our current squad and the long term absence of Ade mean that he's more use to on the wing.
Before Royce was sacked, we were playing with two shrimps on the wing and were struggling to get away from our try line because of it.
He didn't do much wrong yesterday and to focus on the almost try in the opening minutes is harsh. Monaghan, who was able to run and jump, was always going to have an advantage over Meli jumping from a standing position.

Meli is still one of the most dangerous outside backs in the league and over the year's he's won us more games that he lost us, by a long way I reckon.

Whoever said Makinson has been shaken under the high ball all season has a short memory. He had a run of games were he was looking great under high kicks, taking them high above the opposition, but he did have a run the other way.

I didn't say they weren't important. I said every metre made was important. Given that we made it to yet another GF when we had Foster and Makinson on the wings last year, and lost fewer games last season than this, I feel fully justified in saying that they are a small part of the winger's job. If the kick return of a winger was as influential as you are claiming then only making a couple of metres (which is what both our present wingers achieve) would be having a detrimental affect on our results. However, they aren't. We did fine last year and fine this year because what counts more is the impact of our forwards and their ability/willingness to make metres, not our wingers.

Unfortunately, when you've got Wellens at #1 then you need 2 wingers who can both make yards early in the tackle count in the big games or another G/F being kicked and turned to death by Sinfield beckons. That's why for me Meli and Gardner need to be our wings when push comes to shove.

Re read what you typed and it's not hard to see why so many people , me included think he's a liability ... "cost us big in a few grand finals" . In the big games against the best teams he is just exposed. It gives me no pleasure to say this either.