Ratchford is not a half, every time I’ve seen him play there he a brought nothing to it, only position I’ve seen him play well was centre. Just my opinion.

I don't like the idea of K Brown in the centres, could be an option though. If Roberts in out for a while then maybe brown and ratchford in the halves, or maybe ratchford spelling clark at 9. He gives us lots of options on the bench, or on the pitch so has to be involves. Personally I would try him in the halves again.

The last player we had who brought anything to the halves was sandow, I've not give up on Roberts, I think he will be massive for us when he is fit, or at least a massive improvement.

it really isn't.

I agree that one wasn't.

The above reasons would see a full back at any club dropped or indeed not at full back. Our club and a lot of fans are stuck on the "we must find him a position" band wagon. If the club thought he was a centre we probably wouldn't have signed Goodwin if was a half back we probably wouldn't have signed Brown (previously) and Roberts this year. He is certainly not a forward for me. So where does this leave him, for me he is a luxury we do not need given the playing staff we have. However, I can see that letting him go and someone giving him a position he would flourish. We do not appear willing to do that other than at full back, which clearly does not suit him.

So what is it about Ratchford that makes him a good RL player? He's pretty elusive but is hardly breaking the line with regularity, his defence is below average at best, his pace is average, he's not really got a ruthless eye for the line in the opposition 10 despite having the footwork to do just that, his passing is average and his kicking is below average....but he can scoop a ball up one handed, run with it one handed (in a horrible homage to the legend John Woods) and amble about as if he's the cleverest, most talented player on the field. I'm not singling him out for our current woes but i believe he's a very well paid luxury and I cannot fathom why.

Saints fan myself but whenever I’ve watched Ratchford play for Warrington I’ve rarely been impressed. He’s a utility player who can fill in at a few different positions but there isn’t one position where’s he good enough to play regularly. Whilst your problems obviously aren’t all down to Ratchford you definitely need an out and out fullback. It’s such an important position and when you look at the difference Barba has made (so far) for us, a world class fullback would make a huge difference for Warrington.

Kevin Brown in the centres would be the final straw

I think you've summed up Ratchford perfectly, in those last few words, ratticusfinch.

To me, RATCHFORD, is a puzzle, wrapped up in an enigma, contained in a mystery.

I remember watching him keenly in Salford colours, when we were heavily linked with him. I saw a player that didn't do THAT much, yet the opposition players "laid off" him a bit, when he had ball in hand, as a mark of respect for his talents.
I wasn't that blown away with him then, and still remain the same, seven years on.

Don't get me wrong. I've got nowt against him, he's just not lived up to a substantial transfer fee we paid for him.

I'll upset a few here, but I see his best position as stand off. He can be elusive, he has a rugby brain, and can side step. 3 good plus points for any number six. I even agreed with duckie, with his obsession of Bridge /Ratchford in the halves (but only when things weren't going our way, during a game)+, just to try something different).

Fact is, come July, he'll be 30. Unless he has some Briersesque renaissance in his career, I hope to God we don't offer him another contract. At 30, he ain't gonna get any better.

We didn't pay a fee for him, he was out of contract

Good insights from ratticusfinch and lefty there.

Ratchford reminds me a bit of Iestyn Harris. He's not express pace, but his footwork is very good and he can ghost through people. If he had a yard or two more pace and could accelerate away from defenders when he's through he'd be one of the game's elite players. Where Ratchford lacks behind Harris is in focus. Ratchford often seems to be on the pitch but not part of the game. He's always had one or two errors a game in him and this hasn't improved as he's got older. He looks casual, lacks urgency returning the ball and always has these lapses in concentration.

The impression I have of Ratchford is of a guy who since being a kid has found the game easy, who has always been more talented than most of his peers, even when he got to SL. He's probably had people telling him for years how good he is and how the sky is the limit for someone of his talent. After the start he made to his career he probably looked at guys getting signed by the NRL, having long international careers, competing for Man of Steel honours and winning Grand Finals and thought that would be where he would end up.

Now he's 29 and the realisation is probably dawning on him that those things aren't going to happen. This is his 7th season with us and he hasn't improved much on the player we signed from Salford. He was a player with 'promise' who was frozen in time rather than developing and maturing year on year as Briers did. He will look around now and realise he's no longer in a team at the top table but it's unlikely that he's going to be signed by one of the teams at the top any more, his next move will be back to Salford or somewhere like Catalans or Toronto.

He seems like a decent guy with a laid back personality who lacked the burning intensity that would have got the most out of his talent.

There was a time when I thought if he bulked up a bit there was a very good, old style loose forward waiting to blossom.

I agree..
One of my all time favourite none wire players was John Pendlebury..
Absolutely perfect as a loose.
Ratchford has his height and just a stone short of his build.

The funny thing is, Ratchford was heavily linked with Wigan until recently. And I’m sure had he gone there in the last couple of years he’d look a different player, even under Wane. There’s something engrained in this club that prevents players reaching their true potential even when we’ve had good coaches. I can’t put my finger on it but I just know Ratchford’s natural talent would shine through at the likes of Leeds and Wigan. Maybe it’s to do with the fact he’s never really had a firm position.