Quote: Bigredwarrior "Sam Tomkins has to be given a fair chance to prove himself. Before his injuries he was unplayable at times in Superleague and I'm confident he can have a huge influence our performances.
I don't think he's been fit since his return from NZ and his game wasn't the same last year. That doesn't mean he can't improve and shouldn't get picked.
When Burgess is fit will he come back in? Of course he will. Despite that fact that his understudy scored 4 tries and was MOM.
Escare was brought in to cover Sam. He's been brilliant and I hope we can pin him down long term but Sam deserves to be given a chance to prove himself. If he's not up to it, Escare should come back in.
It's a great position to be in but in my view (possibly only mine) Tomkins is a better player than Escare, McIllorum is a better hooker than Powell, Manfredi is better than Tierney etc. Therefore they all deserve an opportunity to prove themselves when fully fit. It's great to have such quality in depth.'"
Was S.Tomkins playing better than Escare is now, prior to his most recent injury though? IMO no, which is the difference. Burgess and McIlorum were playing better than Tierney and Powell are now. If he plays well off the bench and Escare doesn't keep it up then obviously that's a different conversation. Playing off the bench may also benefit S.Tomkins as he won't feel the pressure of trying to win the game on his own, he can get his confidence back as a luxury player.