i thought what wigan had was the best talent to come through their system in 20 odd years in Hampshire?
given how highly he is/was regarded, its dissapointing that they've found so few opportunities for him to play in his natural position, even as an opposition fan.

Williams was also an exceptional schoolboy talent.

He was, but playing at 7, with Hampshire his partner at 6. Surely this is the pairing that needs to be given a chance at some stage?

Smith really needs to up his game and justify his first team spot in front of Hampshire, Williams or Powell. The argument that he is "experienced" and thus worth his place should not hold water if he is consistently underperforming . Something that has been the case so far this season.

Im finding this frustrating as it seems the scapegoat is always the person outside Smith and he seems to be geting away with under performing. As an experienced player he should be more under the spotlight than the youngster inside him.

Well after tonights ridiculous 2nd half where we lost it 12-1 despite being camped on Hull's line for probably 35 out of 40 minutes we certainly need someone to spark things up. Unfortunately whoever plays 6 and 7 will not, in my view, be allowed to play their natural game and so do just that.

I really do not believe Wane has a clue how to adapt his tactics to make the best use of the players he has at his disposal. So if Hampshire got the gig he would probably look unspectacular because instead of using his pace off the mark to run at the defense (for example) he'd be under strict instructions to get rid of the ball so we could move the ball wide. And if he didn't do this he'd be dropped.

EDITGeorge Williams started the game as the second Hooker off the bench, a move that Wane admitted he was talked into by Assistant Coach Paul Deaconand that's where he'll be staying in the near future."[/i

Well if Williams is bench hooker and Powell is the 6 in front of Hampshire. I give up.

LOgans the back up 9 who ever he prefers with Powell and Williams should be 6...he strikes me as being a bit of an idiot with that staement.

I don't get what changed his mind on Williams from just before the Widnes game when he spoke about being stubborn and how Williams would be kept at 6 even if he had early struggles as he'd back him because he knows what a good player he is.

A good performance against Widnes was followed by a good one against Brisbane and then a good defensive effort at HKR (when we had next to no ball) and then he was dropped.

It makes no sense and less so when you consider Powell has been pretty poor these past two games.

I'm well and truly baffled. Williams wasn't tearing teams apart at 6 but he was playing in a poor side. He also produced some very good play, made some half breaks, created breaks for others, created tries and caused problems with some excellent short kicks and generally offered a more direct approach that made the team a little less one dimensional in the halves.

Powell is a decent player but he has some big drawbacks. He's got a good passing game but his kicking is poor (despite being a strength of his at academy level) and he offers very little in the way of a running threat. Smith is the same. He's probably a better runner than Powell but defences know that if Powell or Smith get the ball they may as well slide out because it's almost inevitable that the pass will go out.

A halfback who can pass well and is a dangerous runner is always going to have a huge advantage because defences won't just slide across every time they get the ball, they'll hang off an be wary of them running it. Williams' passing will improve and he could easily become a very well balanced halfback. Hampshire is already like this. He already has a good passing game and is already a dangerous runner. The physical aspect is still an issue but that's the case with a lot of young halves. I think we need to start including Hampshire in the side. He's got a lot to offer and at the moment it's wasted.

Hampshire is a natural no. 6. Best prospect at Wigan since Sam Tomkins who also should have been played at 6 and not 1. Baffled with his lack of game time!!

Although I'm wary of yet more change at 6 & 7, there is no chance whatsoever we will go close to winning anything with Powell/Smith.

Far too similar - two steady eddies. One is fine but you need someone with a bit of X factor alongside.

Or somebody ala Sam Tomkins at fullback who will feed off two steady types but sadly Bowen is no Tomkins.

Nowhere near. He should have been, but he hasn't.

He's been a terrible signing, sadly.

He's only provided brief flashes of his former self (I gather he was a good NRL player? I don't watch the NRL), but on the whole he's been dire.

I'd have got rid in the offseason as he provides nothing to the team.

Agree totally with DaveO. There has been a lack of creativity at half back all season, which culminated last night in Wigan failing to score a try in the second half despite dominating territory. There is an almost unanimous consensus that Hampshire should be given a chance at 6 - his natural position. Wane's intransigence and refusal to give him this chance at 6 may well have repercussions in the future and his inconsistency towards Williams is also contradictory: last month saying he would keep him at 6, yesterday saying he would now be the bench 9. Surely, he has to let Hampshire show what he can do at 6, whether that be with Smith, Williams or Powell at 7.
My personal preference would be to play Hampshire and Williams at 6 and 7 - and let other teams worry about us having 2 speedy half backs, rather than us worrying about their perceived "lack of experience" or any defensive frailty. Half backs are almost always the smallest players in a team and the most successful may have been regarded as being "defensively weak" - Long, Briers, Burrow and Deacon, to name but a few. I'd also have Smith or Powell as the bench hooker to spell Micky Mac. Last night proved they are not going to be a successful half back combination against most super league teams.

Could it be, maybe, that when he has played this year, he didn't play all that well? Also, he didn't play well in the pre season friendlies. Just because he's young, talented and came through the academy, doesn't give him a god given right to play.

The lad is only 20, there are other talented players of that age who aren't playing every week. Jamie Doran, Oliver Gildart & Connor Farrell to name but three. We only have 17 spaces available week in, and week out. The coaching staff obviously feel that Bowen is the better option at FB and Smith & Williams/Powell are better options are HB.

Rocky's time will come.