Everyone is agreed that Penny has defensive frailties, but he is a very good finisher.
Russell is not a winger but he is very strong and excellent at bringing the ball back. (Yes typically it's the forwards job but real quick ptb is not by forwards).
It depends on how TS wants to play.
When Lineham and Penny were brought back (against Wigan or Cats - I can't remember) Lineham made maybe 1 mistake and 2 great plays. Penny made 2 mistakes and 1 or 2 great plays.
Fine lines but that's what meant Penny was behind Lineham and lost his place to Russell.

I'm still not convinced by Lineham, but he's 22.
Penny is 28.

In the GF the winning try was through Lineham making a basic mistake (similar to Penny against Hull? on our try line) and Russell getting caught out - although to be fair he came up to close the play down but was caught out by a clever kick.
I think he had switched off for a couple of seconds and that may have cost us. On balance the main issue was with Lineham....
Ironically I called this a couple of weeks before the GF - the edges being where we'd be found out.......

Matty Russell Defensively one on one is worse than Penny.
And position-wise, I'm closer to the correct defensive position at times and I'm stood half way up in the south stand. He wasn't in the right post code for Charnleys try in the Final. but what was so bad about that is he does the same thing twice in the same set of six. Russel first rushed in on tackle 2 or 3 but Sarginson gets tackled but obviously a couple later sarginson gets the kick away behind Matty Russell

oh yeah prone to errors Tom lineham coughed up possession with a knock on and 4 tackles later Charney wins the game for Wigan.

I guess you'd like to blame all that on Penny but he was in stands....
(and probably Closer to Charnley than Matty Russel )

I'm made up for him, genuine pace a rare quality.

Penny makes more metres per average gain than Lineham which is pretty good considering he's giving him about 4 stone. He has a far, far better rugby brain than Russell although Russell has far more tackle busts, with Penny getting more clean breaks. Penny is also far better under the high ball. None of them are perfect but I'd prefer Penny in the team than not. I think Penny could make a pretty good fullback - that would free up Ratchford to move to centre and play Russell on the wing - everyone's happy!

Let us know if he's found guilty or innocent.

You are Tony Smith, and I claim my £5

There is no way on this earth that someone can convince me russell is a better winger than penny.... if the argument is 'well he scoots well from dummy half and makes great meters.... then lets play him as an interchange 9 and leave being a winger to the wingers.

Hallelujah, brother.

Good shout, I'm sure I got shot down for saying something like that 12 months ago. For me penny should have been playing in the run in.

if russell is a better winger than kev penny then i`ll support wigan..never in a million years..back end of the season russell did play ok and could`nt be faulted same as penny..for me our back line wud be ratchford(who i`m not a fan of) penny atkins evens lineham..half back young dec then im struggling but please not gidley or arnold sorry sadhow..or russell penny atkins ratchford lineham..

No backline next year should include evans, he is negative on attack.

Wouldn't it be interesting to swap Penny with Lineham while we have Atkins at centre for a stint?
Would it highlight the weakness on the left edge once and for all?

I'm somewhat undecided on whether retaining Kevin is a good thing or not, but the choice of wingers is largely irrelevant anyway.

Regardless of whether Penny, Lineham, Russell, Evans, my mother, the bloke who owns my local paper shop or a traffic cone line up on either flank, they need a decent selfless, creative centre inside them, and at the moment we have none. Toby King may develop into one, and Atkins had a good season doing what he does (which isn't being a wingers centre) but apart from that nothing.

Whoever is on the wing deserves at least a fighting chance to show what they can do, and a centre who can put them 1-on-1 with the opposition, or pull in the defence then set them free, would be a good start.

Having said that, I wouldn't shed a tear if Evans, Penny, Atkins & Russell were nowhere near our threequarter line next year.

I cannot give you an argument