39 metres for Lees yesterday but he made the most tackles on either side with 39. Is that enough at international level? The only way it can be is if you’ve got other forwards picking up the slack going forward IMO. He has that with Walmsley, Paasi, Sironen and co at Saints and plays his role really well. I think you need to be a bit more rounded at international level. I wouldn’t pick Liam Byrne for the same reasons because unless you can up that output with the ball, you’re going to be treading water for long periods.

Nowhere near enough. It's more than the pure yardage though NK. You can 'damage' the opposition (for want of a better term) with the strength of your runs even if you are taking it into the teeth of the opposition and not necessarily racking up the yards. Lees has nothing in attack. He's too easy to deal with at this level.

He seemed to add a better running game at the end of 2022, when I thought he was absolutely superb in the absence of Walmsley and he played a huge part in Saints winning the GF but it looks ti have regressed again this year. I do rate Lees but just not at international level, where I don’t think his game suits what is needed.

On a side note, Welsby highlighted why I think he’d need to move to 6 in the NRL IMO. He made 55 metres at just over 3 metres a carry. They won’t entertain that at fullback in the NRL but they’ll most certainly entertain his energy, desire and that world class assist he came up with.

The same quality of pass that SOL came up on almost a weekly basis...

The saints fans seem to have forgotten about that though

Aye, it’s only the second best pass I’ve seen on that ground. It was a beauty mind. I didn’t think Johnstone got enough credit in reading it though. It would’ve been easy for him to snatch at it to early, rather than waiting for it to drop for him.

Fair play to JW, it was a cracking pass! Not the first time we have seen it though

Wiganers are built different

Who can forget the pass from SOL to Sarge (at saints)-left to right at pace very difficult to execute with precision but
but SOL did.Classy very classy (and we won that game).

Unlikely any of us will ever see a better pass.

One of the best passes I've seen on a rugby field. Outside of Wigan I think he was always criminally underrated.

The exception being, I think Nathan Brown came out after that game and said Lockers took them to school that day.

i can't see who the NRL 6 it is that Welsby could replace. I just don't think he's that good.

I've just been (belatedly) watching some of the Pacific Championship games. Is he better than Dylan Brown, say? Is he hell.

Do you rate Luke Metcalf? Luke Brooks? Jack Cogger? Brandon Trindall? Sean O’Sullivan? Jackson Hastings? Te Maire Martin? Tyson Gamble? Jamal Fogherty? Chad Townsend? Toby Sexton? Sean O’Sullivan? Jayden Sullivan

All down to start in the halves

Welsby is a twice the player than a lot of these, still with a load of improvement in him.

People thinking the NRL is full of elite talents is a myth, most of the top SL players would be great over there.

There’s a half back crisis over there currently (particularly with the best number 7s (DCE, SJ, Hunt, Reynolds) all retiring soon.

Aidan Seizer is starting for Wests FFS.