No chance of him being in a Widnes shirt next year then?

Briers used to run the game for us, the centrepiece of everything and the catalyst to anything good we do. Now he is just one important cog in a whole machine. If he doesn't do something great, there's Monaghan, Hodgson, Myler, Bridge (in that order probably) all in place to step up and create. Myler's play for Wood's try the other day was a small but significant milestone in Richie's career, by the way, and I'd like to see more of it.

Back to Briers, he has been able to take a step back and focus on quality rather than quantity, and this has had a fine effect. After many years of doing anything to avoid being caught in contact, he seems happier to do 'ordinary' stand-off work, like try to scamper over from dummy half or be first downfield to chase down a kick-return. His on-field demeanour and communication with other players was actually perfected a few years before Smith arrived, but somehow Tony has got him to push on and do things he wasn't interested in before. Perhaps it is because he doesn't have as much pressure on him to make all the play.

We almost take Friday's DG for granted because it's him, but it was a superbly executed bit of skill at a crucial moment in the game. I'd love to see him bang one of those over with 30 seconds to play at Old Trafford on 8th October.

So would I. Especially if we're twenty points clear

On Myler, couldn't agree more. I enjoyed watching him recently play like an old fashioned number 7, at first receiver, taking the line on, using inside passes,and utilising long passes when relevant. I still think he has the odd one where his inside passes aren't planned properly, but as you say the Wood try the other night was from brilliant scrum half play, and he is getting better and better by the week.

Myler threw a reverse, in the tackle, out-of-the-back, behind the back pass to Hodgson last week at Hull KR that lead to the break when Carvell "bombed" a try, that was the pass of the season.

If Carvell had scored and the try on the Super League highlights everybody would have been raving about it still. Absolutely sublime piece of skill for someone so young.