A number of people on here are asking for a new centre, but I am not sure we are going to get one atm.

Atkins is up and down, but had a very good year in 2016. Yes, he frequently passes the ball to the commentary box but he is big, strong, and can score some very good tries. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground with him; he is either very poor or very good. More pertinently, he will be playing centre as long as TS is head coach, so that is probably one position filled.

Evans I think is underrated. How many times last year did he shoot out of the line and clamp man and ball ? If those tackles had been missed then we would probably have seen a try, or at the least a try scoring opportunity for the opposition. The trouble is, that's not very 'sexy' for the supporter on the terrace. A centre cutting through the defence at speed, side stepping the cover and brushing off the fullback to score in the corner is what we all wan't to see. But from the POV of the scoreboard, the try and the try-saving clamp are both worth 4 points to Wire. Evans certainly has limited attacking flair at present, but I think we are underrating what he brings to the team.

Toby King meanwhile is starting to look more than promising. He is still a bit 'gangly' and his tackling can be flimsy at times, but at 20 he will presumably still be putting on muscle and sorting out some of his technique. But he has great hands, he has got great timing, and he can pick the ball off his shoelaces. He has the footballing skills that Atkins lacks, plus he is a very deceptive runner, difficult to bring down if you try to take anything but his legs. If he is going to develop then he will need a good long run in the team next year - which means competition for Evans.

IMO what we really need to focus on is the halfback and wing positions (now that the pack has been finally fixed).

Agree on Atkins, he isn't going anywhere and while he doesn't create much for himself, when put in try scoring positions, he generally does well. My 'problem' with Atkins is that I'd be happy with him being the second best centre at the club - as he was when we had Bridge on the other side. So i think its the right hand side we need to work on.

Toby King needs to be given space to develop certainly, he has all the attributes to be a very good centre - but then so did Evans.

For me Rhys Evans isn't that new kid on the block anymore, he's an established SL player and don't think he has much development left in him at 24. Yes he shuts down plays well at times and is solid defensively, which is fine for a back rower, but we need more cutting edge from our cenrtres. Either big and strong like Atkins, or fast elusive and good hands. My problem with Evans is that he has none of those attributes as far as i can tell - despite the huge promise he showed in the academy - take note Toby King. I don't have a problem with Evans staying in the squad as cover for wing and centre, I'm just not sure he's good enough to be a regular starter.

At the moment I'm in two minds as to whether we just stick with what we have with King & Patton. If they show promise early doors next year great, if not we have 6 months and a fair wedge of salary cap space to recruit one/two new players. The risk if we bring in someone now is that we bring them in as the best we can get right now, and then are stuck with them for 2/3 years.

As for wingers, I really can't see TS dropping Russell from the wing and you'd think Lineham is on a decent wedge to be sat in the stands.....

Toby King needs to be given a season to play centre and develop.

He'll never improve to the required level if he doesn't

I can't see us getting a new centre, people seem to hate Atkins but I think he's ace and a solid player whatever people say. Evans is a solid centre but not amazing skill wise but he does the job and I agree defensively he comes up with some really good reads, and shuts attacks down. An extra winger would be good but with Lineham seeming to have got himself together and Russel playing out of his skin, I can't see it especially with Penny as back up.

Again this "Evans is a defensive monster" fallacy. Perhaps check his stats. He would not get in the Wigan, Saints, Leeds, Hull FC sides.

Let's show a little ambition here - I'd like a centre who is sound defensively and has the ability to create space for his winger and also beat a man - basically a centre.

Lol how can people defend a centre with formidable defence when he has missed tackles than most of the team. And in a season that we scored the moat points his contribution was 6trys 4 assists.thars terrible for a centre the in a top 4 team.

It's all because Stevo saw him make a few "shoot out the line, wrap up the attacker" tackles early in the season and that was it - he was cast for life as a defensive behemoth.

Going into next season with Evans as first choice centre is a disgrace, apart from a couple of good tackles he does nothing to inspire the team or the fans.

I like Atkins but i think he would become a more effective centre if he passed the ball more often. As it is opposition defences are 99% sure that when Atkins gets the ball he will not pass to his winger so all they need to do is wrap him up.

which to be fair, quite a lot have trouble doing that, he's never been a martin gleeson centre, more a keith senior trample over em, granted not as good as senior.

Absolutely, which is why he's worth his space. A quality right centre is needed, I'd personally give King (and Patton) a season to come of age. Let's use any saved cash to invest in the youth programme.

A centre who can defend and who is capable of creating opportunities for both himself and his winger. Allan Bateman would be worth a fortune today

We can afford to invest in the Youth programme AND buy players.

When he passes the ball it never goes exactly where it should. Sometimes it might find his man butoften it's down by the shins, right up above the head, so far back the player has to check his run or so far off the mark it flies out of play and we turn the ball over.

I think our centres get a lot of stick unfairly.
We had a reasonably settled team between 2009-2013 with consistent HB / SR / Centre / wing combinations. Since then it has been trial and error in a lot of those positions. I could name all the combinations Atkins has lined up with since the end of 2013 but would be here all day.
Compare Senior and he probably played alongside Danny maguire as his Halfback for most of his Leeds games. Then he probably only saw 2 or 3 wingers and the same for second rowers in 10 years. Atkins has seen thos sorts of number in 3 years since Waterhouse, Myler moved to right edge when Briers left and Riley went.
Not many centres have 10 years at the peak of their game. Look at yeaman at Hull. In the mid 2000's he was in the GB team. Then his form drops as Hull monkey around with Halfbacks then there is a bit more consiatancy and an upturn in form with their new Halfbacks on that edge.
In defence and attack you sort of have to have a sort of telepathic understanding on the edges otherwise it goes horribly wrong.