I think we can some this up perfectly, re our HB situation

Myler
Absolutely superb at backing up. Doesn't take the opposition line on, enough. Always gets at least one lengthy absence each season due to injury. Rarely puts in a "killer pass". Poor kicking game.

O'Brien
As we all can see, he's getting better, but NOWHERE near the level he should be at, for someone who's 24, and played at SL level for years. How many more years are we going to say "he's still learning". All class act HB's will have learnt by that age. Poor kicking game.

Bridge
Gets injured as soon as you look at him. Unplayable on his day. Good brain. Has he got a best position? Poor kicking game.

Ratchford
Superb with ball in hand/elusive runner. Never a scrum half. Poor kicking game

There is a link which applies to all 4. Can you see it, children? Tony and Simon can't. Many can. What do you think we should do, children?


One thing's bugging me, though.
Briers hasn't played for 18 months, so he's been elevated to coaching staff, to (I assume) instruct our halves what to do
Our halves aren't doing it
Now, either the halves buck up or ship out, or Briers does. We can't carry on with the current arrangements, and hope things will get better.

brilliantly put..judging by what you say on here i take it you have watched the wire for quite a few years so you know a good half back when you see one...at the moment i dont....what andy greg would do to the opposition is frightening

Perfecto, SAM
Gregory would murder any team, playing in Mr Smith's style
He knew how to give out a "killer pass". Just ask Mark Roberts.
And that's where GO'B is nowhere near where we need him to be. All good (or better) halves have been doing this, on a regular basis, since they were 19+. GO'B does this sporadically, and is in his mid 20's.

thought so...maybe its an age thing with me but even paul bishop would have run rings round wilkin and no doubt give him an earful...obriens a very honest and likeable lad the sort you`d love your daughter to marry but to dominate teams like a scrum half should be doing im afraid i wont be holding my breath..prove me wrong against hudds please

Can't remember the last time we struggled in the half back department , was it when matty rocket rodwell was here

Credit where due to Matty Rodwell, he took the shat directed at him. In the right team he perhaps would have been quite useful. He was fronting the worst collection of a squad I have ever seen in p&b.

Thank god for Paul Cullen.

Sorry fella, but you're talking out of your bum on this one, burrow has barely played halfback over the last three years as he's been used as a bench hooker, the reason he's being used as a bench Booker is cos he's not very good as a scrum half.

So your suggestion that he does it week in and week out is way off. Almost to the level ofrubber duckies bridge at stand off propaganda level.

great post.. summed up perfectly i think

How can that be? his halfback Partner was the legendary Lee Briers. .....

Oh I see ......Lee was actually ordinary once and we gave him time to come good. ..

Hmmmm...I wonder if that could catch on.

Briers was never ordinary. Inconsistent early doors but ordinary? Nah!

I was wondering when someone would point out the obvious that Burrow does not play halfback. A third hooker maybe just what you need, but he would not replace GOB. I think Burrow was found out at halfback many years ago, which is why Sinfield has been playing there.

Also everyone seems to be missing the obvious, but you have Wheeler too. How many halves and hookers do Warrington need???

I think some people love to hit the panic button. 2 points covers 75% of the league. Man up people, we've said for years we want a competitive league. Well pressure from below is part of that.

Not bagging obrien - and he probably will improve but no matter of time will put him in briers' league. Lee was always class just lacked focus.

Agree with this,Briers is your Alex Higgins, George Best moment. You can not compere O'Brien with Briers, O'Brien will never be as good as Briers, well not in my opinion anyway.But he can be a good player and he is no way the worse we have had in that posistion.

Comparisons drawn between Gareth O'Brien and Lee Briers at the same age are completely and utterly worthless.

Lee Briers never had to cope with the kind of in-your-face defence which demands split-second decision-making in his early twenties.

When he was at Saints there were times when Briers (and Bobbie Goulding) could literally amble through games. You just don't get that in SL these days.

I don't know why I need to keep repeating a truism every observant fan of the game knew going back to the beginnings of the sport but ... a half-back's performance is inherently linked to the effectiveness of his forward pack. It isn't impossible for a scrum half to kick and pass well whilst playing behind a beaten pack - but he's much more likely to execute the gameplan if his forwards are actually going ... erm ... forward.