There are certainly similarities . . . . .

Newton a far more dangerous player IMO, in pretty much every sense of the word!

McIllorum is fantastic for us. He is unlike any other modern day hooker in that his primary role is to destroy. Which he does fantastically well (he now officially owns Roby). His running is better than he is given credit for - in the CC Final and the Grand Final he made vital breaks - and his distribution must be good enough, given how effective we are in scoring when he is on the pitch. The biggest thing about him is that he pretty much always out plays whoever he is opposite in big games. And that is a priceless asset. In contrast, Newton often saved his weaker performances for bigger games. Eye catching is not the same as effective.
Mac will have a more glittering career than Newton, and will be a far better for Wigan.

Maybe one day he will own roby's England shirt, although he didn't make a great stab at it in the world cup

Let's be realistic. MM is a fantastic player for us, I'm one of his biggest fans but he does have his limitations. He may well have outplayed Roby in the derby games recently but the whole Wigan team has outplayed St Helens. Roby is a better all round rugby player, his scoot has obviously good but over the years he has matured into a world class player IMO.

I would love Wigan to sign a creative hooker with a bit more pace (such as a Roby or a Clark, possibly even a Burrow) as I think the two styles would complement each other and it would offer something different. MM to start and the other of the bench. MM can offer cover & rotation for the back row and loose, he's proven to be more then capable of both.

Good post. Nice to see an air of reality and sensibility on this thread.

All this stuff about him "owning" Roby is so cringeworthy.

Interesting, I think Roby is shot. He isn't half the player he used to be.

The whole 80 minutes, tackle everything, scoot 3 times a drive has destroyed his body. Saints have run him in to the ground.

St Helens need to rotate him more and save his 80 minute performances for the big games. Similar to what Wane did with MM last year. One of the reasons he makes so many tackles is opposition teams target him to tire him out therefore making him less effective in attack. I don't think he is shot just used wrongly.

Don't tell me you're back on here. I thought we had got rid of you after Good Friday.

Every single time McIlorum plays against James Roby, he outshines him by a country mile.

By all means, you are more than welcome to have the best hooker in Super League in James Roby.

I'll take Michael McIlorum and keep winning trophy after trophy if that's all the same with you?

St Helens RLFC - Forever in our shadow.

St helens, best super league squad (on paper)!!!

Jog on

The way you keep using Roby as a benchmark to decide whether MM has has a good game or not shows how highly you rate him.

Why don't you just enjoy MM in his own right?

I feel sorry for Roby (well as sorry as I can feel for a Saints player!). He's having to carry a weak Saints squad a bit like Andy Farrell did with Wigan in the early 2000s and great player though Roby is, physically (and probably mentally now) this is taking a real toll on him. Farrell was unique in being able to carry a side without seeming to have any problems, but he was a very special player, athlete and leader. Roby was a very special player too but I think he has been ground down by the relentless pressure of playing with mediocre players at a club with high expectations. Roby should now be at the peak of his powers and Saints should be looking after him the way SW does with Lockers.

The fact that Saints have allowed Roby to be put in this position and that he is suffering as a result is great news for Wigan but terrible for one of the modern era's great players, who's later career will now be seen as a disappointment.

If I were a Saints fan I'd be pretty angry about this. As a Wigan fan I have to say it's great to see!

Because your lot insist on telling us hes the best in the league

hmmm. I think you're missing the point that Roby is the benchmark for modern British hookers.

Imagine there was another world class British LF. The natural thing to do would be to compare him with Lockers, who has been the dominant player in this position in SL for some time.

I don't think any Wigan fan has an issue with enjoying MM in his own right. Performances like the one he put in against Leeds the other week will be talked about for years to come, like Lockers turning up on one leg at the last GF and still making a massive contribution or Farrell's performance against Leeds in the game where he broke his nose. MM's was the latest in a long line of leadership performances that make you proud to be a Wigan fan.

And anyway, how could anyone not enjoy watching a player who can bully the Leeds bully boys? Even Peacock looked rattled. It was fantastic!

When MM plays like that, it's more enjoyable than it was watching a Tomkins or Offiah score a sensational hatrick of tries.

Welcome back. Great to have you. I always enjoy your posts.

Tell me though, is MM not the kind of player you need? The performance against Hudds was a bit better but the problem is you don't have many leaders in the side or any players who can intimidate or unsettle the opposition. I suspect MM would be a great signing for you (not that that is going to happen!).

Your team really needs a player like him and I'm surprised you don't see this. MM's leadership, aggression and physicality are hugely important to us. He's now getting to the peak of his career and I think is becoming a genuinely world class player. He's far from being a limited player, in fact he has some very special qualities, as the Leeds pack found out again the other week.

Anyway, welcome back to the best board on the forum.