Quote: Grimmy "If there was no point in friendlies besides fitness they would just spend the day training instead. Powell has done everything right v Leigh, Saints, Huddersfield and NZ. Yes there were no trophies on the line but three of those teams took some beating and all their players will have been eager to impress. If Green had been great all last season then just had a quiet couple of games then I wouldn't be saying is, but realistically three great games four months ago doesn't give me the same blind faith in him that I would have in McIlorum or Lockers who we have seen step up to the plate time and time again.
That Jack Murphy comparison is laughable, he had played one first team game v Bradford before that and was in the most exposed position on the field against the best play kicker in the league. Powell isn't straight out of the academy, he has 20 games under his belt against a range of opposition, it would do his career no harm whatsoever to play in the WCC, and I fully expect him to do so albeit out of position'"
Forgive me but I think you are over emphasising the usefulness of friendlies and you certainly can't use them to gauge form.
Friendlies are for match fitness and maybe to try new things out. Remember when Hock came back from his ban, looked as fit as he'd ever been, but was blowing after 5 minutes, because he wasn't match fit. The players need the friendlies to get that sharpness back that no amount of gym work can give them. But the quality of the opposition needs to be taken into account. Out of Leigh, Saints and NZW only the Saints game can we verify the quality of the opposition and Green played well.
