Lee why is this still going we got owned end off

Agree with the part about Sam, he's good at FB in SL but will struggle to ever show his class there against the best teams in the world.

I don't think Joel needs major work conditioning wise even if he was to play centre. He's never going to be the classy ball handling centre but his size and his turn of pace look like they could be devastating out wide. It's just his footwork and his timing of the pass to release the winger that he needs to work on IMO.

I don't think you can blame Goulding as much as people are doing. Gleeson wasn't fit and when he is, he protects his winger very well and that didn't happen last night.



I have said he should be playing 6 all along. It's not just top class teams shutting him down at 1, I don't think he is big enough defensively to cope as a last line of defence. To know this is true just think of Radlinski and his cover tackling which was on a different level. So for me when Finch and Richards are fit I hope to see Roberts at f/b and Sam at 6. I think we will need his pace there anyway.



Well I think if we use Sam at 1 and Joel at centre we won't be seeing the best of either player. They will both be being played out of position and while both may hack it at SL I would always be thinking we would be even better with them in their proper positions.

I personally think Goulding should be dropped for a week or so in order for him to learn how to stay on his wing. He's an excellent player yet he needs to brush up on his defending skills a bit. Just like Joel was put on the bench rather than in the starting 13 for the past 2 games, yesterday it looked like he had realised why and so didn't really put a foot wrong. The same needs to be done to Goulding, some of his mistakes I think cost us tries last night.

There seems to be a bit of scapegoating of Goulding going on here... he didn't have a great game but I'm not sure that he did any worse really than Roberts, who seems to be the golden boy still, despite being nowhere near his best, but perhaps I was watching a different game...

+1

Sums up my evening too, pleasure to watch a game like that, no we weren't the better team, but we pushed a VERY good team close, and bar a couple of errors could have been World Champs.

I don't see it as the end of the world and fingers crossed i get to experience it again next year.

^This! The defence got caught flat footed a few times and Goulding rushed inside to try and snuff out the attack. You can't just hold off when they're 2/3 on 1, Cooper and Gasnier can go the full length just as easily as Nighingale and Morris. Slightly o/t did Gleeson return? I take it he went off injured

You can hold off if they're 2/3 on 1. If you commit to the tackle and miss you're out of the defensive line and they're 2/3 on 0 and have a clear run. If you don't commit then the player with the ball in hand will keep decreasing the space that his centre and winger have to work in unless he makes a decision to pass or go himself. Joel was covering very well during the game and probably could have dealt with anyone running back on Goulding's inside shoulder. As long as Goulding kept himself between the centre and the winger he still had the chance to make a tackle on both men. As soon as Goulding rushes out (which was so easily spotted every time) the player with the ball easily makes a pass and there's plenty of open space which a player with pace can exploit.

Just think if St.George had been a few games in to the NRL season.

If Goulding hadnt of gone for that ball it was a nailed on try anyway. Goulding wasnt great but to be honest he got hung out to dry many, many times. SGI worked the ball very well and with Gleeson not 100% then a player out of position they made massive yards there every time.

Goulding is a hard working & solid SL level player but nothing more. ATEOTD this was a one off match and for the rest of the season he’s going to be playing against guys like Blanch, Riley, Gardner, Hodgson, Hall, Calderwood & Colbon who he can deal with unlike Morris who tonight was simply a different class. Sadly it’s a SC world we live in and if having a guy like Goulding in the side means we can splash the cash elsewhere then it’s ok by me.

As for Amos, he’s got a lot of soul searching to do. His rep is built from some scintillating performances at the start of last season but sadly that’s almost 12 months ago now. For me when you evaluate his whole career at Wigan to date he’s been a poor signing simply because we know how good he can be but for the majority of that time he’s not reached those heights. As much as i’d like to see Sam move back to #6 I very much doubt Amos has the rugby brain or skills to play at FB in the style we require. He’s a broken field runner with an excellent turn of pace but as last night showed he’s not got the handling skills to come from deep and give that killer final ball to the winger on the touchline.

Lets just pray Pat can return asap because I truly believe that Morris wouldn’t have found it as easy going against a dominant presence like Pat.

Just watching it back now, try 1 wasn't Goulding's fault, Stevo actually explains it well, the defence had drifted too far inside, you had Gleeson and Leuluai tackling their second rower who gets a great offload away. So Goulding's facing 2 on 1, they're that close to the line that the tackle has to be made pretty much instantly. Goulding takes the centre and at least forces them to make another pass, then Sam misses the final tackle and they're in.

Try 2, Leuluai takes the wrong man at first, leaving himself bound to lose the collision, Sam T not strong enough to make the tackle. Try. Of course another big reason for it was Prescott giving away a penalty, just as Gleeson knocking on set up try 1

Some people have missed the point here, I am not suggesting he is a poor player and I am not saying anything is his fault. He had a tough night against one of the top 5 wingers in the world, St George play to leave the wingman having to deal with an overlap because they have so many runners.

Goulding is a quality player, is he as good as Morris? No...... but I don't think Morris could cope for a whole match being left open by the guys inside. Even Pat would have struggled tonight. I love having Goulding in the team, he runs it back far better than Amos or Sam and he is always hungry for work.

In super league world class wingers are not needed, its world class centres you need. Pat is different because he has so much more in his game.

Try 3 is down to Goulding, should have stayed outside