Not fussed whether Johnstone plays for England or not, but he's no shirker when it comes to bringing the ball up giving the forwards a rest. He's not built like Mcgillivray or Hall but he's a pain to put down.

Not saying he is a shirker or any other winger is for that matter, but it’s an area that Hall and McGillivary have excelled in not just at club level but International level. If Johnstone gets his chance this Autumn then it’ll be interesting to see if he can replicate his performances at a higher level against better players.

An outstanding talent, a real xfactor player. He'd be in my starting England team if fit without a doubt.

There is no question Johnstone is a different kind of winger to Hall or Mcgilvary.
Its about whether you think his talent has more to offer.
He's not gonna drive 15 yds after contact and stay on his feet.
He is gonna take it in, run through lots of half tackles, be elusive and burn up the turf, catch kicks and score in situations he has no right to.
I'd sacrifice that meters in contact thing, but there will be a horses for courses factor to consider.

The others can catch kicks and score when the have no right to. He does have more speed and can be more elusive with half tackles but how many half tackles do you think you get against the Aussies and Kiwis in internationals?

I wouldn’t sacrifice the metres in contact thing at international level because it’s more crucially al and you will have it throughout the game rather than hopeful that an Aussie defence is going to come up with half tackles.

Think what you like, it would still be stupid not to consider him.
With my England hat on, play him.
Wakey hat, don't, less opportunity for him to get injured, then he can carry on outscoring the league in the red white and blue.

its not rocket science

Has anyone said they wouldn’t consider him? Or that he shouldn’t play this Autumn?

I dunno, maybe its just one big long typo.

Thanks for highlighting that I didn’t say I wouldn’t consider him and just reading what you want to read. If any set of fans are dismissive of other wing candidates for England it’s Wakey fans

Here we go, pouting your anti Wakey bias - if he were a Leeds player you’d be demanding the inclusion of SLs most exciting player - ever crossed your mind that these wingers you so love don’t actually work and that the Aussies can deal with them all day long - grow up and open your eyes.

I understand where your coming from here but the stats don’t lie. Johnstone is top try scorer, top of clean breaks, high in tackle busts, has a good metre stat and has a higher avg gain in metres per carry than Hall and macgillivray this year. He does make good fast yardage and eats metres with players on him but crucially what he does do mostly is land on his front for a quick pob.

So I do see where your coming from but Tom has more to his game than just scoring, clean breaks and speed. Just wanted to highlight that.

So you think Hall and McGillivary don’t work at International level and the Aussies have dealt with them easily? Pretty much most agreed our best area in the World Cup were our wingers.

Still ignore what Hall has done consistently for a decade at international level and in GF’s, CCF’s, WCC’s and Semi Finals and has lead to an NRL club signing him even post aged 30......because Johnstone scored a hatrtick against a Catalans team going through the moments post CC Final.

People are comparing Johnstones defence with that of wingers who play for teams who are better overall defensively than Wakey. He is going to look worse because he is more exposed. If he played for Wigan, Saints or Cas he wouldn’t have as many situations to deal with and there wouldn’t be this questioning of his defence.

His defence isn’t as bad as made out but his other attributes far outweigh any perceived weaknesses in that regard.

I am biased as a wakey fan but I would say he is the most complete winger knocking about in SL at present. There are others who are on a par or possibly slightly better in certain areas but none who are as good over all of the skills required of a winger imo