I’m sure Peet knows best but Keighran was 77% last year and Smith was 63% if my maths is right.

Smith improved but his striking is still inconsistent.

Smith improved dramatically in the final 5/6 games. It would be interesting to see his conversion % for these games.

I'm not sure where that sort of info can be found but realistically it only actually looked to turn in the HKR semi and the Catalans final when I've looked on BBC. He was 100% through those 2 games and going in to the test series but before that I looked on the results section and just going off the trys we scored, to the conversions he made from the start of September, he was 12 from 22 I believe (it's just the Cas game I'm not sure on but I think he got 1 from 5 in the first half and was then taken off for a rest at half time IIRC and Hampshire took over) so around 55% over the month. He had ups and downs in August, including a poor night off the tee against Hull but an excellent night away at Catalans.

I'll go back to my earlier point, he proved he could do it in that test series (and a couple of high pressure games before) and deserves the chance to keep the job but unlike last year, he has proven competition.

Consistent goalkicking would make us an even more dangerous side but it is striking how Smith has nailed the high pressure kicks. Not just the playoff and Grand final but Challenge Cup QF and SF (both had kicks from the touchline).

Correct

And not going to get too much into the Harry Smith thing - because from my personal experience the people who bagged him as a player and said he wasn;t good enough then jumped all over the Goal kicking issue which i admit deffo affected his confidence early season (1st half of year) and made a bit of a problem into a much bigger issue than it was.
He nailed the big kicks when it really mattered and in Big games like Good Friday, and they ignored some of the awful conditions (Like HKR away 1st game of season) when I don't care who you were you weren't kicking 2 or 3 of those from touchline in that Gale!
The same people then refused to not only see his goal gicking improve but actually his performaces first half the season playing wise were very good, and progressed to excellent back end of season

From & including the Saints game when he missed a relatively simple one he kicked at approx 72% in June to July 7th

From July 7th through to end of year he kicked approx 75% (Whcih included the Hull & Cas games were the kicking admittedly wasn't great).

I haven't got Stats to hand but in 2022 he kicked more goals than anyone else, at a higher percentage I think than anyone else with similar numbers of attempts.
That was easily forgotten by some

Absolutely. I don't have an issue with him keeping the job and I think he's shown he's got the mentality to actually kick better when the pressure is really on. Pointing out he actually didn't kick that well until the play offs last year isn't to be mistaken as me questioning him, it's just pretty factual but he's shown he's got what it takes and I do expect he'll show far more consistency with it now because he looked absolutely full of confidence at the end of the year. Also if part of it is concentration (as kicking at lower percentages in lesser games would suggest), him having Keighran breathing down his neck should focus the mind.

Harry Smith the goalkicker has been a bit up and down but Harry Smith the player has just got better and better and is now looking like a top level international scrum half. I think the confidence he will have taken from that end to 2023 will impact on all parts of his game going in to this season.

As I've said above, I think Harry Smith the goalkicker and the player can be separated and I always have done that. In general he's been a reasonably average goalkicker or maybe I should say an inconsistent goalkicker (some great spells and some poor spells) but his all round game has got better and better and I think the signs are that his goalkicking will catch up to the overall level of performance. To keep turning up in the biggest games and kicking to high percentages shows he's got the balls for it and that is a massive part.

Is Kieran right footed? can they not both just take kicks on their more comfortable sides.

They are both left footed

Wonder how Keighran will do at right centre. I know he’s very versatile but seemed to play on the left exclusively for Catalans

Strong squad team will be something like this.

Field
Eckersley
Keighran
Wardle
Marshall
French
Smith
Thompson
Leeming
Byrne
Isa
Farrell
Ellis

Walters
Mago
Dupree
O’Neill
Chan
Douglas
Hampshire
Farrimond
Hill

Intersting for me who starts at hooker and who gets the nod on the wing, Douglas or Eckersley

I’d be really surprised if O’Neil wasn’t our starting 9.

Eckersley for me gets the nod on the wing, his carries are stronger than Douglas.

40 nil to wigan, 1st bit sloppy and rusty but much much better 2nd half some really good tries scored.
Very promising, looking forward to the season now, good rugby fix been a while

Just a few concentration lapses with the final pass let us down in that first half. I thought they fixed that up well in the second half and the forwards were too powerful for them. Fingers crossed there are no injury issues and we can look ahead to Cas.

Was a little concerned at half time as Wigan were poor in a few areas - slack contact, poor discipline and breakdowns in attacking structures. Bevan French looked particularly sluggish (dare I say maybe a tad overweight?). We'll have to be careful with the new ruck interpretations as we racked up the set restarts.

But a very promising second half - having eight subs clearly benefitted Wigan as they have far superior squad depth to Hull. Mago, Leeming and Field were the standouts to me. Douglas looked lively on the wing. Thought Hull fell away badly. Fingers crossed the knock to Walters isn't anything serious.