Depleted doesn't really do it justice - their starting 1,4,6,7 and 9 were missing, which is horrendous for any team - but particularly Melbourne who's whole game plan is built around set structures around their spine. Once you take Cronk and Smith out of that Melbourne side, there's not much left, the next level of players are Chambers (out long term injured), Munster and Green, who were pulled out last minute, leaving only really Jessie Bromwich (genuinely class) and at a push Proctor and Koriabete as top drawer players. The other 14 players from this weekend were generally squad men at absolute best.

And St George still made hard work of it, and as always Widdop looked at his usual unspectacular average best... He's try came from a rubbish chip kick attempt of his that bounced of a defenders back and into his arms in open space - hardly a creative masterstroke.

St. George always make hard work of it.

Whatever, apart from the fact that he'd stroll into any SL team in our comp even at his usual unspectacular average best.....

With the current state of standard in Super League, particularly in the halves, it's hardly a ringing endorsement that he'd get a game over here...
He's a steady Eddie every day of the week.... He has the odd good game, but more often than not, he's just a plodder a longer.... No frills, will rarely win you a game, will rarely lose you a game..... He's certainly showing he's no game manager.
And just to add to the point about the Melbourne team at the weekend - they had a squad man 2nd rower in Kenny Bromwich at hooker, an 8ft, 20 stone 2nd row in Tohu Harris at 6, an 18 year old kid on debut at 7, a reserve grade winger playing fullback and a reserve grade 2nd row playing his first NRL game in 3 years. If ever there was a game for Widdop to stand up and own a game, this was it.... He didn't... As per usual...

And yet they keep picking him. Do these Aussies know nothing!?

The Dragons are a conundrum. They continually seem to be less than the sum of their parts. Widdop and Marshall, whatever you say, are by no means the worst pair of halves in the NRL, they have two of the most potent strike players in the comp in Dugan and Nightingale, decent go-forward from the likes of Ah Mau, Cooper, and Frizell (rated highly enough to get an Origin start) , and yet... again and again they fail to trouble the scoreboard.

St George are not exactly flush with options in the halves... Widdop and Marshall 1st choice, Sam Williams as back up.... And as Marshall has been in then out of the team injured for majority of season, they've no real option but to stick with Widdop.

Put it this way, if Widdops contract was up, I doubt there'd be a clamour for his signature in the NRL - he's shown he's not a game manager. See how he goes this weekend against Newcastle, one of the worst NRL teams in history - he should be having a field day....

So, for those that are interested - Widdop was at his spectacularly anonymous best again today against Manly... A couple of school boy errors being his only contributions of any note...
Last week, they played Newcastle - arguably the worst team ever to play in the NRL, and again he was largely a passenger, with Benji Marshall running the show...
If Widdop really is the best option we have at 6 for England at the end of the year, we're really really struggling.

Superted. Did widdop bang your missus?

Regards

King James

Haha I'd hazard a guess that if he had, it would only enhance my Wife's opinion that I am indeed a legendary lover who cannot be equalled - even by an international rugby league player....

Really though, I've just never seen anything in Widdop to suggest he's a top draw half, whilst some think he's a real talent..... And in fairness, he might still be the best we have available, which is a shambles!

I watched the Dragons earlier. They have some good individuals but they are a poor team. Fancy having an Origin centre who can't pass! They seem to like Widdop in Australia cos he's busy and he defends well, which ticks a lot of boxes for them, but he doesn't offer much in attack. I'd just as soon see Kevin Brown get the shirt. I think he's a smarter footballer than Widdop.

The Origin centre who can't pass will probably be mimicked almost exactly by Hardaker.

Widdop is a far better player than Brown by a long way. For one thing, Widdop manages to pass the ball backwards 99% of the time. He's playing in a side of individuals at the moment and often carries the team. Brown is overrated in my opinion and it says a lot about the current HB options available to England.

The Butcher> We'll have to agree to differ there, then.

I think the Aussies are a bit more cold and mechanistic in the way they evaluate players than we are in the UK . They value players who consistently make their percentages, turn up every week and execute the game plan well. The flash stuff is great, but in their tighter and more intense game there is less space for that sort of stuff. When ex-NRL halves come over here we rave about their skills, but they are playing with more space and we're more forgiving if they blow hot and cold or they give away as many points as they create. We only see Widdop in NRL games and tests, we don't see what he'd be like with more space in SL. Having said that if he was in SL most UK fans would still prefer the sort of halves who do something spectacular and flash for ten minutes every other game and are anonymous the rest of the time!