I'd play with Patton and Smith off the bench in alternate rotation throughout the season. One or the other getting starting position if injury warrants it.

I've no issues with either...they are still developing but not ready to get the wrath for a poor 2018. They should not be subject to scapegoating when we all know the issue at this club in 2017 was a light front row and poor back row, 3/4's that couldn't pass a fart...and Agar!
....and all we heard was critic of the wingers...who couldn't get a pass and the half backs playing behind and beaten pack.

Agree with this school of thought. Much to young to be thinking of getting rid. He was part of the put together half back pairing that ultimately got us to Old Trafford.

... albeit of a standard somewhat above that of Bailey, Cox and Brown...

Biscuit has nailed it regarding Patton struggling to dominate play.

I was been told a number of weeks ago from a very reliable source that Patton was finding it increasingly frustrating to be giving instructions and then being ignored by senior players whose attitude was that they knew better than a young kid.

The flying biscuit is spot on. Declans biggest problem is nothing to do with playing ability. He needs to bully his team mates around the park and boss the plays. Too often he is pushed out of it. One thing I will say in his defence is that his own child has been desperately ill this year, dec is only a kid himself and has carried a lot.. perhaps too much , on his shoulders.

Apparently Dec did a reverse kick at one of the matches recently,straight from the Lee Briers manual. A bit of mentoring from the maestro could easily turn Dec into a chip off the old block but with a better goal kicking game. As for confidence ,maybe the 6 or 7 shirt would make him a bit more assertive on the field & remove any stop gap notion, providing he is still here next season of course.

Parachuting Brown in halfway through preseason and taking the 6 shirt off his back practically, would not have helped.

How long do you give a "kid" the title of kid and therefore benefit of the doubt around his playing ability?

There's something half decent in him but we said the same of:

Durbin
Hulse
Duffy
OBrien

Briers was a kid but was pulling us around the park at the age of 17. How old is Williams at Wigan? They're worlds apart. I see none of those same qualities in Patton.

ten times zero....is zero

He's not a kid. Patton is 22.

Deacon at that age was playing for GB. Sean Long was 21. Sam Tomkins 20. George Williams 20.

A classic example for me was last years GF. Had zero impact on the game.

Did the game not turn when he went off and sandow came on ? He was probably the reason we got the the gf in the games leading up to it.


Those players you reference we're also given the game time and faith at a young age warrington rarely give their young halfs the time and tools to develop, Declan's inclusion into the team in previous seasons were usually forced due to injury I. Would argue this is the second season he has been given the game time required to see him develop further. We call lee briers the maestro but it was only under smith that he buckled down and was consistant prior to that he was great one week and anonymous the next. He just had other players around him capable of taking on some of the responsibilities when he was having an off game.

He is the least of our concearns a half to partner him a good big prop and a top draw big name centre for me are what the top teir signings should be and a winger if possible we're playing in a cap sport and cannot have a team full of the best unless we can create enough of our own which we won't do if we just give up after a season or two for not being world beaters in their first few seasons or not as good as other teams halves which would be down to opinion. I don't think Patton is the finished article and I think that he has played ok in a poor team this year. And with quite a few ins and outs maybe the new guys will listen to him more !!

For arguments sake let's say burgesses contract expires next season he has been in contact and in principle agrees to sign with us next season resigning pomeroy for another year would make sense he would most probably be on a low wage and if injured Russell can cover ?

We are starting to feel the effect of a few years or questionable signings and it may be hard to fix given out position in SL under question and limited time to sign players?? Hopefully we can get our SL status for next season confirmed as fast as possible and get to work on rebuilding. I don't think it's an easy fix as we don't know how the contracts are worked in terms of wages and how much cap space would be available as an example atkins is probably in less this season than he was last year and it's in the contract as Ben curries salary will increase season upon season Atkins decrease would cover curries increase or maybe part of it so the idea that an outgoing players cap space Is freed up would not always be the case, some will this season as so many are ooc but it will be a few seasons before we are able to have acquired a team comparable to 2012 we were able to time and negotiate players contracts in a way we could have a lot of quality within the squad but at differing stages of their contracts!!

Lets not get carried away Deacon until he was 22 was a second choice behind the Paul Brothers. he played off the bench in his first two grand finals and his third grand final aged 23 he finally got a start as Henry Paul had moved on.... Lets see how Dec gets on with a few grand finals behind him.

interestingly in the NRL Ash Taylor aged 20 was hailed as the next exciting young prospect... hes now 22 and still an exciting young prospect..but delivering wooden spoon battles for the Titans.
The Penrith panthers' Nathan Cleary will be 20 in a couple of months hes the current next exciting young prospect I wonder if he'll have delivered a title for Penrith in the next two years ....I doubt it.

and the best of all the exciting young talents Ive seen in the NRL is Matt Moylan hes 26 now and still cant nail down an Origin spot ....but hes the closest thing ive seen to lockyer..... surely at 26 he should be washed up....if that's how we are treating players like patton.

Didn't Patton score our try at Old Trafford last season ? We seemed to fall apart once a probably unfit Sandow was brought on for a last hurrah to give the faithful something to cheer. Seemed to me like another monumental management cock up at the final whistle.