Tomkins is not anywhere near Trent Barrett's class.

I think what let us down tonight was poor choices on the last tackle or anytime we were in their half. Gardner knocked on early in the first half from a high kick - Francis Meli is never safe under a high ball but what did we keep doing? Putting little grubber kicks that went straight out. I kept screaming all game to put a high kick to Meli or Gardner. Saints did to Phelps and Roberts.

That said I didn't think we deserved to win or lose that. A draw would have been fair IMO.

This is off the cuff a but as it was obvious from last night that Sam T needs a playmaker around him.
Deadline day for this years signings has gone so we've to go with what we've got.
Perhaps if Piggy went to 6, Sam to 7 and Tommy started at 9.
I thought Piggy started forcibly last night and was making more yards than we anticipated. Often breaking their line and needing support.
Pig has played 6 at Parra and Tommy's fav position is 9. He started his career at 9 and it was Daniel Anderson who moved him to 7.
In the World Cup Wayne Bennett moved Tommy from 7 to 9.
So who's judgement would you go with Anderson's or Wayne Bennett's?
Just a thought thought about Mark Riddell. Maybe do that move during the match, I just think it could very well work!

Just give him time to develop what gets me is how certain be call him world class he is still learning give him a coulpe more years then bracket him as worldclass look at Luke Robinson he was meant to be the next big thing

Sam is still learning his trade as they say and has bags of talent which everybody can see, and hopefully will carry on to achieve great things at Wigan. But to me he's on the same learning curve as what Luke Robinson was on, they both as youngsters at Wigan had a big future, but for me for all the ability Luke had he couldn't grab a game by the scruff of the neck and do that something special.Now with a few seasons experience under his belt, i feel he has developed this skill at Huddersield.Basicly Sam needs game time at the highest level to develope this skill.Things take time and we need to pat the young lads on the back and not to nip pick at their developing game.

God some of you lot need a reality check.

Tomkins was very good last night but it was never a night for playmakers. The game was as tight as any game ive ever seen and in the end it could of gone either way. Saints had the better of the first half and we had the better of the second. What lost us the game was trying to force the pass to find the killer score. We just lacked a little composure and patience. Saints were out on their feet halfway through the second half and all we needed was field position and pressure but we kept turning the ball over looking for that killer try. In dry weather it might of been a different story.

Other than that i thought the tactics were spot on. Noble had obviously told them to kick early in the tackle count near their line and on many occasions had the execution been a touch better it would of worked. One that sticks in my head is Phelps kick for Richards. Just a bit lower and Richards would of caught it and scored. The kick Tommy put in early stood up in goal for an age before Saints defence got to it but the rest of the team just didnt quite react to it.

Conclusion we lost yes but that was the best team in SL on their own ground. If we play like that every week from now on we are gonna be very hard to beat. In the end Saints won the game with a try that on a dry pitch probrably would never of been scored. There was nothing between the 2 teams.

I appreciate that we have different views on Noble and i agree the tactics were spot on last night although i have to say i would have called for 2 straight away when we had a shot a goal in the second half.

The problem i do have with the way then team is coached is that BN asks his players to pull off the 50-50 plays at the business end of the season without them being prepared throughout the full season to do so. Our execution at times can be very good but as seen last night it was poor, the season is not just about getting into the top 8 it is about gelling combinations and working on plays so that you have more of a chance of converting that 50-50 play. Expecting them to produce the goods in the final with no real honing of those moves/plays in the regullar season has cost us in the past when it has come ot the elimination semi and cost us again last night.

I agree in hindsight 2 points may of been the better option but at that point Saints looked like they were down and out. Had we got the try it was game over. I suppose thats the good thing about hindsight though.

Im not sure where your trying to go with the last paragraph. Im pretty sure Noble doesnt go out to lose games at the start of the year. You and i have both made our thoughts known about Noble and i dont see any point in going back over it. The reality is nobody knows for sure if hes here next year or not but for now everybody should get behind him and the team. If he does get a new contract then im sure he will know he has to win more games early season and i think he will do as he wont have as many disruptions to key positions within the team.

Seeing as were looking for a scrumhalf I'm just wondering what peoples opinions on Joe Mellor are, I'm not saying he's the answer to are problems, I'm just wondering if those who attend reserve games know whether he could eventually make it to partner Tomkins.

What i am doing on the last paragraph is saying we need to hone our performances in the early season in order to have more chance of pulling off the top performance when it counts.

The last few years and indeed this we have gone from negative tactics for much of the season to then looking to play the big plays in big pressure games, we need to use the early season to gell the big plays not suddenly roll them out at the end of the season and expect every pass to stick.

Joe is o.k. but I don't see him making it at Wigan. He has decent pace but IMO isn't the organising scrum half we are looking for.

Thnx rogues, it's a shame if that turns out to be true, because he's always looked reasonably decent to me.

no need to look for a no.7 sam is a 7,a no.6 is top priority,certainly not brough

--as for sam being better than trent



get a grip!!!!