Quote: DaveO "Well after tonights ridiculous 2nd half where we lost it 12-1 despite being camped on Hull's line for probably 35 out of 40 minutes we certainly need someone to spark things up. Unfortunately whoever plays 6 and 7 will not, in my view, be allowed to play their natural game and so do just that.
I really do not believe Wane has a clue how to adapt his tactics to make the best use of the players he has at his disposal. So if Hampshire got the gig he would probably look unspectacular because instead of using his pace off the mark to run at the defense (for example) he'd be under strict instructions to get rid of the ball so we could move the ball wide. And if he didn't do this he'd be dropped.
EDITGeorge Williams started the game as the second Hooker off the bench, a move that Wane admitted he was talked into by Assistant Coach Paul Deaconand that's where he'll be staying in the near future."[/i
Well if Williams is bench hooker and Powell is the 6 in front of Hampshire. I give up.'"
Agree totally with DaveO. There has been a lack of creativity at half back all season, which culminated last night in Wigan failing to score a try in the second half despite dominating territory. There is an almost unanimous consensus that Hampshire should be given a chance at 6 - his natural position. Wane's intransigence and refusal to give him this chance at 6 may well have repercussions in the future and his inconsistency towards Williams is also contradictory: last month saying he would keep him at 6, yesterday saying he would now be the bench 9. Surely, he has to let Hampshire show what he can do at 6, whether that be with Smith, Williams or Powell at 7.
My personal preference would be to play Hampshire and Williams at 6 and 7 - and let other teams worry about us having 2 speedy half backs, rather than us worrying about their perceived "lack of experience" or any defensive frailty. Half backs are almost always the smallest players in a team and the most successful may have been regarded as being "defensively weak" - Long, Briers, Burrow and Deacon, to name but a few. I'd also have Smith or Powell as the bench hooker to spell Micky Mac. Last night proved they are not going to be a successful half back combination against most super league teams.