I wouldn't be surprised to see Sam miss the NZ series because of this knee injury, along with James Graham who is struggling with a knee injury and Daryl Clark also, we may see a few new faces lining up for England later the year.

he had an ok season, if you watched the rl shows over here you would have heard the comments on his ability and excellent wasn't mentioned very often, his defence was questioned along with his ball catching skills, he just isn't big enough for full back in nrl, if he had played at no6 he might have done much better

You want him banned for that?

Are you worried Wigan have signed a busted motor here? He seems very reluctant to take to the field these days, injury after injury.

NRL full-backs are hardly all giants. Barba? Sandow (who's played at f-b)? In fact, are there any "big" full-backs apart from Inglis? Sam is taller than Billy Slater and of roughly comparable size to many.

It seems that to all fans, other than our friends over at Wigan, World-beater Sam Tomkins is a bit of a damp squib.

Yes, he's a cracking open field runner and, during his time at Wigan he scored some great individual tries, but at full back his tackling was pretty poor, as was his positional sense. Under the high ball he was atrocious, at times almost comedic. Not the right ingredients for a full back - be it in SL or NRL.

He's one of those players you would want in your side, but only for his individual running brilliance. He's definitely no FB and I wouldn't want him at half-back. His weaknesses have been proven with his mediocre time down under. Maybe a shot at outside centre?

James Graham did a hamstring playing for Canterbury today.

I started off thinking; does this guy actually watch the game, then ~ that last sentence really did it for me.

I am a Castleford Tigers fan and I think Sam Tomkins is a damn good full back.

I think most people who know me recognise that I am pretty objective. You're wrong about Sam. He's the most exciting player of his generation.

I'd be interested to know who you rate as a better full back by the way?

Rather than select someone from another club, which will just get us into a piissing contest, let's keep this to former Wigan players.

For me, Wigan have always had excellent players at the back. Steve Hampson, for example, was as tough as they come. I always admired Gary Connolly for his running skills and his ability to keep players out when close to the line, and then Kris Radlinksi was one of the most dynamic players of his generation. All had the necessary attributes to be a top quality full back.

1. They could catch a high ball, under pressure.
2. They were awesome tacklers.
3. They all had brilliant positional sense.
4. They were strong, fast open play runners.

I believe that Tomkins, - and believe me when I say I do admire him as a player - lacks the first 3.

Is he a great rugby league player? - yes.
Would I have him somewhere in my team? - yes.
Is he a great full back? - no.

It's nothing personal towards Tomkins, just my opinion after 30 years of watching the game.

Dugan, Morris, Moylan, RTS...the better NRL fullbacks aren't exactly Inglis but are 6ft+ and 14/15st.

Sandow played fullback once in recent weeks and it was a disaster. Smaller guys like Barba and Milford have been moved up to the halves, which is clearly where Tomkins should be too.

None of that matters when he scores and assists 4 times as many tries as he's at fault for. I'd have him above Radlinski, Connolly and Hampson for that reason.

I'm a ticketed member of the Warriors and every time the opposition put up a bomb, there's a group of us regulars at Mt Smart who collectively wince. He is a really exciting player, but last season he was not good enough at Full Back to cut it at an NRL club. Being "brave" in the tackle is nothing unless you make the tackle......

This year he's played too few times to make comment, but I think the NZ Warriors didn't take much persuading when he asked to go.
I suspect he'll be a super star in SL again next year.....highlighting the chasm between the 2 comps!