I can't believe how quick everyone is to judge GOB.

Should he really have hit his peak at 23? Really?

Other than his kicking game being spotty, GOB is great, world class at times in fact. For me, GOB stays in the halves for the foreseeable future.

Kelly Shelford...crikey.....if the internet was around when he was playing.

what an awesome player he was ..........when he could be bothered.........

I'd imagine someone somewhere would sing your just a fat Rangi Chase....

Must admit I haven't made my mind up about Gareth. He produces the odd-flash of brilliance, the try vs St George being a good example, that would send the Myler camp into raptures and thrashing their keyboards at a frenzied rate, but his tactical kicking game is poor and he gets caught in posession too much for my liking.

The Ratchford-Bridge partnership may be worth reviving but if someone has to make way it should be Myler. Sorry folks. If O'Brien is not the finished article at 23, then Myler is way beyond redemption.

As for the hall of fame of Wire half-backs that was mentioned, any one of them could name their salary and walk into any SL starting XIII, let alone Warrington's. There isn't a halfback in the competiion to compare with any of them, so to compare O'Brien (and indeed any half-back) to them is unfair. They belong to a past that valued individual skill over everything else, and I'd trample over my grandma to have any of them (inc. Fatty Arbuckle Shelford) available for selection in the P&B today.

The effect of Rugby Union now paying (and much more than League) cannot be underestimated. A look at the background of some of the top Union backs will show up just how many would be playing League years ago. Just a quick think bring Ford/Farrell/Myler/Eastmond/Burgess to mind and that's just a few of the English players. We used to have the pick of rugby players from round the world but far from it now. There is also lots of young talent who never even think of league because they know where the easier money is.

The influence of the full back in Wires attacking play cannot be under estimated. Its no coincidence that when we were at our attacking best was when Hodgson was at fullback - in tandam with Briers and Myler.

I never saw the Hull game - but watching the 2 Dragon encounters the lack of the fullback joining the attacking line was one of the reason our ability to convert pressure into tries never happened.

Its one of the reasons Ratchford is prefered at fullback to Russell - due to his ability to create near the oppositions line.

Was there that problem at fb when R&B were our hb's last season?

Yes, that problem was evident all last season.. but luckily we had Michael Monaghan and an inform Higham causing all sorts of problems.

I don't recall Monas or Higham ever playing fb!?
Joking a part...

Im glad you said that MD because you strengthen the evidence of R&B together being so significant.
The two of them papered over many cracks, and that is the whole point, put the two of them back together because it worked, build a strong winning habit and then look at these areas of weakness you highlight and fix them from a position of strength.

i dont know why i even bothered.

I apologise md, I hit submit before I'd finished.
its quite difficult this site lately on a android hand device, there are so many pop up adds and I end up hitting buttons I hadn't meant too.

Like i said ive not seen the Hull game - but judging what i saw in the Salford game (and the Hull KR Friendly) in comparison to the 2 dragon games - our attacking structure (with O Brien & Myler) was more threatening against Salford.

This is, in my opinion, down to having Ratchfords skill set available within the attacking structure - the half backs have more options when they go out wide and the backs have more space to exploit.

Moving Ratchford to HB would negate this as Russell / Penny cannot bring the same skills to the attacking structure as Ratchford

Ratchford is the best fullback at the club, it's that simple.

I completely agree that Ratchford is our best fullback as Bridge is our best centre.
They are also our hb pairing.

Some balance may be the answer.
Perhaps GOB and Bridge with Ratchford at fb is it...?

But surely,if Bridge is our best centre he should play in the centre with Ratchford at either loose forward or full back & maybe O'Brien & Myler at halfbacks ,especially if they get some field kicking practice in.