DESPRATELY... micky mac is doing ok but we need a quality hooker who can give us something different in attack, Riddell as been a big loss for us and i dont think Tommy L is the answer in that position last season both hookers complimented one another well, we don't have that this time

What can a hooker do with no quick PTB and with the team either off-side or flying up..... Cameron Smith would have looked average.

Mickey Mac is having a fine season but i'd have to agree we miss Riddell. I think McIlorum would work really well with a hooker who plays with guile and craft as he's a different type that plays with passion, aggression and fire.

When Richards is back i'd be tmepted to get Tomkins back in at 6, Roberts in at fullback(after a confidence building session on the wing), Finch at 7 and let Tommy Leuluai start at 9 with McIlorum being asked to provide a couple of high energy spells from the bench hurting people in defence and by getting out of dummy half running at the big forwards.

Well if Madge will stop playing Sam at 1 and let him and Finch be the half backs we have Tommy who does OK for NZ.

What we need is to be able to put out our first choice halfbacks for 5/6 games on the bounce. All this chopping and changing isn't helping anyone. I'm also a little worried because teams are starting to read what we're doing. It's either a short flat pass to a dummy runner or pass behind two dummy runners to Sam who joins the line to create an overlap. If the defence doesn't get sucked in (like Wire didn't) we don't have much luck...

I think McIlorum is doing a fine job. Would help if we could get Tommy playing there aswell, an coincidentally im starting to agree with others that Sam is looking better at 6 than 1. Roberts looked sharp when he came on today. At Leeds i'd go:

Roberts
Goulding
Marsh
Carmont
Charnley
Finch
Sam
Prekky
McIlorum
Coley
H
Hoff
Lockers

Tommy
Faz
Mossop
Lima

We seem to have no 'umph' coming from the bench at the moment, just 4 lads who come on and do a good job but nothing special, which is IMO what Leuluai could do. Him coming on to a tired defence after McIlorum has ruffeled some feathers would work well.

i am tearing my hair out at Madge.
we are 1 dimentional with micky playing 80..............we need a plan b........which is TOMMY.....new zealands hooker ??????????????????

I totally disagree with Richards at fullback. He offers nothing in the way of creativity from there. He's more of a traditional fullback than a modern one. Stick Amos there with Sam and Finch in the halves and get Tommy in at 9.

They were not offside. They simply played Wigan off the field with a superb defensive performance. They beat Wigan at their own game.

Ouch!

We dont need a hooker we need some defense practice on that left hand side better defense there would have made that a much closer game. Thank god its only coz pats injured and not coz we need more players.

Can Pat stop 2 players? The problem occured much further in field and we ended up with a winger facing a centre and winger on his own.

well said, a lot of people have questioned charnley for being the last man out there, when thats his job. It's not his fault the rest of the team didnt move their feet well enough to cope with the play, charnley got it in the neck, but his centre was 5/10 metres out of place for 2 of the tries iirc.

Just to clarify by that i meant pat will be there to boss his side around so one player isnt left alone like that.

I don't think we need a hooker. For me, now Finch is fit (close too anyway), we've enough around that area. Any number of players could play there and offer something different.

An example being if we played 6 Deacon, 7 Finch, 9 Leuluai, Tommy would play a more creative game whilst remaining dangerous and solid in defence, whereas we could then shift them about and stick Micky on there for Deacon, whack Finch in a 6 and Tommy back at 7. That would then allow McIllorum to play his own game, running at the big forwards and making us some metres.

We don't need a new hooker. Not in my opinion. We do miss Riddell, I'll admit that, but we just need to give Finch time to settle in and give it a few more games for Tommy and Micky to be effective in at 9.