Quote: 10_15_Merchant "2016 SL appearances Matt Russell stats:- https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... 1p3zWcgQag

Quote: 10_15_Merchant "2016 SL appearances Matt Russell stats:- https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... 1p3zWcgQag

apart from Russell then... 9 tries to his name.

How many appearances has he made on the wing this season?

13 games on the wing and quickly glancing back on the reports (I'm at work so if the numbers are wrong I apologise) I made it 5 of those tries came from fullback. So he has a strike rate of 4 tries in 13 games on the wing.

Is that Russell's fault? or are we not using our wingers correctly?

Too small a sample size of games to make much of a conclusion, his game is based around quick PTB and metres rather than finishing though, and I think when Sandow got injured we started lacking creativity.

a wingers job is to dive in at the corner and score tries. Fair enough help the forwards out every now and again but that's it.

You can defend his game all you want and explain why he's used in such a manner but the fact remains... He's not a winger. He's a bloke with a good scoot and incredibly poor positioning.

Got to agree, Russell isn't a winger for me either. I think he is pigeon holed there to fit him in to the team. His go forward is really good but it seems to me that he is always a yard off the pace in both defence and attack on the wing because he doesn't read the plays quickly enough.

I like Russell but I am not sure exactly where he best fits in to the team.

Russell isn't good enough to have a starting position in our team either at winger or fullback. He does have great go-forward but it isn't enough compared to those who play FB and wing at other top 4 teams.

If anything I see Russell as a Rob Burrow type supersub, causing havoc from the play the ball against tiring defences.

Oh yes, and Ratchford to centre, Penny on the wing, Gidley to fullback and Sandow & Patton in the halves.

And Penny is also poor compared to those wingers, unless we sign a new winger we are very limited in choice.

I was talking about Russell, not Penny.

Many years ago Cull put Bridge in the team - when he wasn't established - on the wing because he was playing too well to be left out. Sometimes you don't play the strongest players in their best position.

I know, but Russell plays because we have no left wingers who are top 4 quality, so unless we sign a new winger he will continue to play.

Yeah. And look what happened to Cullen, season tickets on the pitch and a sit down protest.