It will be a surprise if TS does not have Gidley and Sandow at halves when both are fit. Russell will stay at FB and the wings will be Lineham and Penny when fit. That is our strongest and best brains in the right places. Centres will probably be Atkins and Evans.

I don't think getting the best from Russell is messing him about?!
Getting the best from him means getting the best for the team. The team is far more important than the feelings of Matty and that goes for any player.

well whatever we do, i think it would be daft putting gids at fb, a lot of extra running, and more likely of getting smashed, i don't think we'd get best use out of him, what we've got now(now that he seems to be able to run more) works and works well and its daft to consider putting him at the back imo

Hodgson had no problem with it FMC.

and?

Wrong! Wigan are 2 points off the top, with half their team missing - and their best half too! They've had players missing all season, or most of it. They will have ALL but one of those back for the full second half of the season, and, when they do, for me will be favourites.

just to nip in before you reply, bert was an out and out fullback, and a lot more spritely than gids is. And we were very concerned about him getting smashed a lot in his last couple of seasons, it was worrysome, just see the 2012 cc final.


More importantly than that, gids is doing a bloody fine job leading the team around the field from the halves, his role would be changed considerably at full back.

It ain't broke, so don't fix it.

Maybe the enforced partnership with a proven playmaker has done Steff´s game the world of good.Last time he spent any length of time at halfback it was alongside Richie Myler & neither of them shone at running the game. Myler also seems to be benefitting from his move to Les Cats.

talk of moving Gidley out of the halves is utter madness. He is so well organised, and such a good defender that he makes life so much easier for his HB partner.

He does all the graft and gets the team in the right places, which allows the other half to go and play rugby.

Gidley would even have made Chris Bridge look like he could play HB, thats how good he is.

Pah! Don't believe the hype with them. They are pants. They play the same way no matter who is playing, brainless hyper-aggressive rugby. You've got bigger, better forwards and your backs simply outclass them (Bar Manfredi). Even if Sammy boy came back as good as he was when he left they still wouldn't be better than you and the rumour is he'll be as dynamic as Paul Aitcheson when he returns. Granted they COULD theoretically beat you, I'm not saying it's a foregone conclusion. Attitude and belief are as important as ability and club culture is one area Warrington have always suffered in. With Sandow's belief and Gidley's composure and professionalism you're well set. I've booked a week in a cabin in the lakes for GF weekend just in case anyway.

I thought full back was Gidleys favoured position at Newcastle followed by stand off with hooker a poor third?

I wasn't disagreeing with you.
Although not playing Hodgson in 2012 helped shape our final loss.

I do however question your last quote.
If you don't constantly evolve you stagnate, the teams around you will evolve and grow and become better.
When that times comes, it could be too late to do anything about it and you get surpassed. Then your forced to evolve from a position of catch up...that is what happened with Briers over the last 2 years.

You get ahead of the game and stay ahead. Be like a flu virus ever changing ever dishing out a dose to anyone who comes in contact.
Like the thread title says. Is Sandow out a blessing. Yes it is. History proves we have to learn how to win from a position of odds against. Look at Wigan, ever evolving ever successful, and I t pains that shaat out of me to say so.

But we beat you with no Sandow and no Dwyer.

Dream on.

He certainly seems to be settling into a partnership and he looks comfortable and settled. Ratch's nature is to be an 'off the cuff' player, but hopefully he will be learning to be more structured in his play as well - because having Gidley there is almost the same as having his own personal coach. It will be fascinating to see how this all pans out, and if he can play in that spot without Gidley. But anyway, the main point is that the side has desperately needed an organiser since Briers retired, and now it has one. If Gidley was moved to FB we would lose most of that because his influence would be diminished. And the loss would not simply be in terms of winning / losing games, but in that all important coaching aspect. Leave him where he is and pray he doesn't get an injury, in my book he would be a much bigger loss than Sandow.