IMO he's a huge improvement on the previous 9 - not that i'm knocking mickey but he was pretty limited - and he gives far less pens away!!

His passing on the whole (apart from a couple of dodgy ones this week) is far better than mickeys (and mcIllorum's for that matter who gives far too many forward passes).

I do think he needs to put himself into the game more often and ask more questions of the defence. Overall summary; getting better but still room for improvement. Needs to work on fitness.

As stated elswhere, if we worked harder off the ball it would help him and any other 9 too.

It's not his fault that our recruitment doesn't appear to have accounted for the fact that McIllorum and tommy might have a strong claim for the 9 spot too.

Mark Riddell is playing to a standard that I expect, which is good.

Then again, his game would dramatically improve if he takes the line on much more. Over a short distance he is deceptively quick and he can evade defenders when he runs at a straight angle. He is also quite hard to put down and is able to produce a good offload.

However, to do the above is energy sapping and he is also expected to distribute at every ruck, so fitness is a key attribute to be a top class hooker. With confidence of completing a full Super League season as well as a big pre-season, I think we'll see a hugely improved Mark Riddell in 2010.

I had no idea what standard he would play at because I knew nothing of him. If you consider this standard good or good enough I think you are easily pleased. He isn't a patch on some of better hookers we have had in recent times. He is not a patch on Newton wheh he was with us and going further back Robbie McCormack was miles better and of course delivered in his one and only season with us without having to "settle in" for 95% of it.

Also the idea Riddell will improve his fitness, which is what I assume you expect based on your second paragraph above is based on what? His dedication to fitness this year?

I think you are gong to be disappointed.

Dave

If every player is an improvement on the player he replaced then we are going in the right direction.

I think the majority would agree that Riddell is an improvement on Higham.

Agreed as is Phelps on Mathers & Gleeson on whoever ended up at centre.

When did the current era begin?

If was talking about hookers from the era of the 3 point try I would agree but both Newton and MCormack played Super League for Wigan in the grand final era. Both played under the 10m rule. To suggest they played in some by gone era is not correct IMO.

Both were better players for us than Riddell has been so far and McCormack was up to speed right away.

Dave

Is Riddell better than KFC, Clarke, Buderous, Randall etc. His SL counterparts? That is what counts and if he isn't (and I don't think he is better than many at all) then being better than someone you didn't rate doesn't count for much does it?

Dave

I saw Riddell play in the NRL some years ago at St. George. If memory serves, he did much more from dummy half - taking the ball up a couple of steps trying to wrong-foot the markers before offloading (as Newton used to do at Wigan). He also had a decent short kicking game.

I've been pretty disappointed with him so far. He hasn't done that much wrong bar a few dodgy passes but he hasn't really caught the eye either. Perhaps our one-out/totally predictable attacking lines don't help him much - but often he seems content to throw a short ball out. He certainly doesn't create any headaches for the markers.

On the other hand, I have to admit we often look much more lively when either MclLorum and Tommy are playing hooker. But that could be partly down to the fact that we often push the pace of the play-the-ball once Riddell has been substituted.

Dave,
He is an improvement on what we've had for the last three years. He is better than Clarke. Boderus has been a waste of a spot, (how many games has he played)

Riddell has done o.k.
You didn't defend him last week when Wigan scored ALL their tries when he was on the pitch, but are very quick to attack him for ONE bad pass on Friday.



I suggest you come into the South Stand bar after the game v Hull and see if he is really fat. I'll guarantee you'll find he isn't.
rlhttp://www.superleague.co.uk/statistics_player.php?hs1

He's not been as good as I expected but he hasn't been as bad as some people have made him out to be.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but Tommy L is a far better hooker which makes me wish we had signed a scrum half instead. I was actually calling for us to get rid of TL till I discovered how good a hooker he is. I still maintain we will not win a trophy with TL as scrum half.

And Riddell v Cunningham


rlhttp://www.superleague.co.uk/statistics_player.php?hs1

Look at Cunninghams missed tackles, errors and penalties.


He's nowhere near as bad as Dave is suggesting.

Riddell could find the cure for cancer and David would still complain as he replaced his beloved Michael Higham.