"not the gumdrop buttons!"

If he did, he's been unlucky. I just read that he'd been out preseason wth various injuries. I tend to think he's just been playing and taking knock after knock and his body said "enough" a few years back

I think his body said that before he joined us. Always like Johnno but time to call it a Doris.

I think he was only on the pitch for a couple of minutes.

Hicks, again, decent player but the sort of spot we should be offering to a British player imo

Go on then, for arguments sake, who would you like to see pull on his jersey?

If we insist on keeping Mathers then Riley

You not a Mathers fan then? If Mathers has spunked the highball leading to a try, like Riley did against Bradford, he would have been lynched. Riley does it and no mention. It's strange*


*Wires71 is aware Mathers makes howlers now and again but likes him all the same.

yes just think if we hadn't signed Hicks, Riley could have benefited from first team experience and who knows he might be a prolific SL winger by now

No I'm not particularly a Mathers fan.
I don't think he's going to get any better than he is now, which imo isn't in the top 8 fullbacks in the league. Riley at 22 has the potential to be much much better than Mathers' level of performance.
Hicks has been a good signing but I fail to see what a 34 year old winger will bring over a young kid with potential

the reason riley doesn't get slated as he doesn't do it as often as mathers and he makes up for it in the rest of the match. i like mathers as he s very vocal and i think atm he is the better fullback but riley will is the better potentially

Am all for Hicks leaving the club,he has served the club well but its time to move on.

Why?

Because a years SL experience will do someone about 22 much better than the possible one year you'd gain from Chris Hicks.
Over the years the top teams have known when to let players go, Wigan let Farrell go at the right time, I bet it's seen that Saints have with Long too and so on.

Just think its time to give some new and fresh a chance, imo i would like it to be Penny who gets the chance.Am not saying Penny is better than Hicks.But i would rather have a 21 22 year old playing and learning his trade,than a 33 year old on his last legs and taking up more of the salary cap space.Dont get me wrong i have enjoyed watching Hicks score trys in a Wire shirt but all good things come to a end.Some people go on about giving the youngsters a chance so for me Hicks leaving is the perfect oppitunity.