I think he lacks confidence tbh and it’s held him back from going from a very good player to a World Class one. The big finals come round and he looks nervous rather then like he thrives in that environment. He looked like the goal kicking got on top of him also. He was told by Wayne Bennett he doesn’t talk enough on the field and again I think that comes down to confidence.

He’ll go to the NRL for sure but I personally see him coming back within a year or two because unless he’s in a very very good team, I think the weight of expectation on his shoulders will be too much. I do hope I’m wrong (even though it would mean he’d stay there) because I do enjoy watching him as a player and there is a fabulous player in there somewhere.

What is irrefutable is that when Williams was out injured last season the team fell apart. When he came back Wigan won every game including the Grand Final. That's how important he was.

It’s a rare situation with Williams were a player is very good yet still frustrates people because you just knows he capable of being even better.

I’ve got a couple of mates who say he’s rubbish and I tell them they’re having a laugh but I still think we’re yet to see him play to his best on a consistent basis and if he’s going then time is running out.

Consistancy is What Williams needs and not just the odd game here and there he's got it in him just wish someone would give him a good shake and wake him up!

I agree. Irrefutable proof that he’s the best half back at Wigan. Is that your only point or am I missing something?

A lack of quality in the replacements rather than Williams being indispensible

Very well put.

He's class pal.
When he has a quiet game, it's not so much down to him, but rather opposition targeting him and restricting the ball movement towards him. He has the most devastating short attacking game out of all SL imo.

The poor games Williams has are often when he has very few players running alongside him. If he has't got support he gets forced inside and an easy target for a decent defence.

It's very easy to blame the man with the ball rather than players who aren't in view (when they should be!).

A fair point, it is also a case of a lack of other creative options in the squad - we have 1, 7 and 9 who offer zero creativity, even last season we were heavily reliant on Sam T adding some creativity rather than our 7 and 9 and without him we have even less.

Williams is a good player rather than a great (he has many areas that need to improve to be considered great) but struggles sometimes as he tries to do too much due to a lack of other creative options in the team, shut down Williams and the team struggles. Only Lockers offers any real threat.

I wonder if he's not in his best position...

I think you’ve summed up not just mine but a lot of other posters opinions on GW. The more and more I see him under Lam the more I’m getting the feeling he’s a player that needs to play to a structure and not to be left to his own devices and be the sole creator. It’s times like this with TL as his HB partner I think we genuinely miss a Matty Smith type HB to partner GW. TL is incapable of organising or creating anything, he’s 2yrs past his sell by date for me. GW is trying to do the job of two HB’s and he can’t carry the can for both.

I for one wish Matty Smith had never left always thought he gave us more than what Williams does atm!

Whatever Marty Smith did or didn’t do he was by Williams side at the best spell of his Wigan career for my money at least

Any credibility you may have had has now been lost forever with that one post.

I thought his post about Matt was good.
I believe Wigan would look more settled if MS was running out will GW in the halves tonight.

Obsession with Matty Smith needs to stop, he was very very average at best, what we needed when he left was someone who had the same traits as him but could perform them to a higher level, someone like Luke Gale or Marc Sneyd

Same traits? You mean slow, poor passing accuracy, poor decision making, poor defence and consistently kicks the ball directly to the full back or winger for catching practice but had one or two decent games when it was throwing it down with rain? I think you’re being unfair to Sneyd and Gale if you think they have the same traits as Smith!

I bet you wish you had Matty Smith now!

Always thought he was ok for us better than Williams that's for sure

Anyone who says we have the better player in Williams is living in dreamland! Waste of a marquee player uninterested miserable and not worth all the brown nosing on here!

yes he did all the things Williams can't do , organise direct play ,and had a decent kicking game

Matty Smith was garbage. at one stage he was getting the exact same criticism that Williams is now getting. People wanted him dropped because he was offering nothing down the right.

It wasn't everyone giving Smith grief only the usual haters you tell me anyonebthatvis honestly happy with Williams?!

Williams has provided a lot for us over the last few years. Even when not playing well he was creating his fair share of opportunities and regularly among the highest for assists in Super League. There's obvious talent there. He's certainly not come close to fulfilling his potential though - he's not really played as you'd expect a 'marquee player' to do. However, I think the expectation and 'marquee' tag has always meant Williams isn't judged for what he's produced, but by what people think he isn't doing that someone of his billing should. As a result, he's often one of the most harshly criticised players despite rarely being among our worst.

Having said that, one of the questions seems to be whether he's mentally tough enough. If Adrian Lam is right and the contract issues are affecting his form (and I remember his form was very poor before he eventually re-signed for us last time) then it doesn't exactly bode well for his ability to face whatever is thrown at him. I know players are human beings, that they are under immense pressure and these things can make or break careers, so I have some sympathy, but it's hardly a unique situation he's in. It happens to players across many sports. If Williams is so frequently thrown of his game by things like this I'm not sure whether he's ever going to fulfill that potential.