Seems like he's not past it after all...

It's too much to hope that those suggesting on this board that he was past his sell by date a few weeks ago will admit they were wrong.

So I will just salute Lockers, a great Wigan player and captain and one of the few England/GB players to captain a series winning side in the modern era (and in doing so he was named man of the series).

Well done Sean!

I think anyone that actually knows the game can see he's still top drawer. The rest make silly statements.

The only thing wrong with SOL is his injury record, I said for years, even when Tomkins was tearing it up that he was Wigans best player.
I've never understood those that knock him or don't 'get it', world class player that would have ripped up the NRL if he'd ever have made that decision.

As ever he's produced some top performances at international level.

Gaz Hock made a comment that Lockers is world class on Twitter and some clown was criticising him, saying that Lockers was bang average.

Most sense I've ever heard (seen) Hock make.

He's played pretty well this series, he almost ruined a good performance today with some stupid penalties at the end, but he's led the side well in this series. With Sam Burgess coming back I think he should move into the second row in place of Farrell.

Yeah he was very good today. Thought Smith was as good as I've seen him too.

Was it John Kear that chose the man of the series?
IMO Hill and Graham were our best players over the three games
SOL did a solid job and scored a couple of important tries but he wasn't the Man of the series
I thought that Matty Smith was absolutely outstanding today,That was game management at it's very best and just when we needed it too,Why couldn't he perform that same performance in the GF?

Smith wasn't anything that special, but he provided control, and a solid kicking game. It really should be the bread and butter for every half back, but it seems it isn't for English halves. Widdop was meant to play the 'Smith' role in this series, but he's proven himself to be way off the required standard IMO.

Widdop has been the biggest let down of the series. Over the three games he's been abysmal and has given the side no shape or control.

Even as a Wigan fan I have to say Smith was lucky to be in the squad and even luckier to get in the 17 today but he came up trumps and I'm happy for him because he always gives his best. It's a sign of how poor our halves have been that today's showing looked fantastic from Smith. In truth it wasn't but it was light years away from anything Widdop has produced.

Widdop has been very poor and he certainly has hit the jackpot in the NRL with his status and salary over there as he is vastly over rated

Widdop's problem is he's playing behind a mainly SL pack.
The lad has come through the NRL system from youth to 1st team and that must be totally different from the SL academy route. He has never played in SL.
He is very good in the system he's been brought up in.
Also, McNamara must be the most inadequate coach he's ever met.

As for Lockers, other club's fans don't rate him, we know that.
Opposition players rate him very highly.
Opposition coaches also rate him very highly as do International coaches.
I've not bothered for years what fans say about Lockers for those very reasons.

He has played well this series one or two needless penalties but a solid performance from him. Will he be able today at that intensity in the next four nations?

Every player can be proud of their performances. Over the series we have been the better team. With this experience and with those who missed out thru injuries or missed out on selection to challenge for places also things are looking good at the minute.

Widdop plays in the nrl which is all. About set structured plays which he orchestrates perfectly, it's them set plays and patterns that beat the opposition not him. He won't let us down in defence but unlikely to take on line and rip thru it.

Widdop has no excuses. His forwards have eat up the metres and bought him some space but he's failed to use it.

Matty Smith plays a very basic game but it showed Widdop up today.

Opposition fans didn't rate Andy Farrell. I even stood next to opposition fans who spent the whole of each game sneering at the 'massively overrated' Ellery Hanley - until he crossed the whitewash for his fourth or fifth try. To be honest, if you've been a Wigan fan for the last 30 years, you'll long ago have learned not to give a diddly squat what opposition fans say.

Based on what I've seen of him he's only the first choice because he's in the NRL.
He looked poor for the majority of last season as well though, and he was playing behind a pack containing; Graham, Hodgson, Cooper, and Tom Burgess (plus Whithead, and George/Sam Burgess will probably be in the starting pack as well next season), I don't think that's a valid excuse. It seems clear to me that when you actually examine his skill set there isn't much there. No long kicking game, no game management, no passing game, no real running threat. He's a great defender, but you don't pick your halves based solely on their defense. I really don't think he offers more than Gale or Tomkins would in the halves for England behind that very good English pack.