Stats don't tell you how hard someone is hitting, or what influence they're having over their teammates, though. When Hull won at Saints earlier this season I thought Ellis - playing effectively as a third prop - put in possibly the best performance by a forward I've seen all year; he was exceptional. He's been consistenty excellent when I've seen Hull on tv, as well.

Exactly, I'm a big fan of stats, but you can't record things like influence on the team and his hits in defence, deserves to be in the 13 on form

No he isn't, he won it last year.

As for your last sentence, absolute rubbish.

Your bias comment only shows how little you have seen of him outside the world of Sky.

Put it this way; Bateman is one of the ever-dwindling number of players in SL who look "NRL class", week in, week out.

I have no affiliation with either Wigan or Hull, ergo how am I biased?

Going by that logic you must have seen little of the Ellis and Minichello outside of your cherry and white bubble.

Let Bateman go to the NRL for a year and I guarantee he'll come back with his tail between his legs, just like Mossop, just like Tomkins, and just like Burgess.

I'd like to see him give it a go. I am still waiting to see him come off second best even though I regularly expect it.

As did yours about Eliis...