Never the less I would still play him at stand off,just imagine a scrum twenty five yards from the opposition line with Sam running at you with ball in hand I would back him most times to beat the first tackler. As a rhinos fan I am more than happy for you to play him at full back.

He can do exactly what you just described when playing at fullback. In fact he has done and to much greater effect because there's more space to work with out wide and it's easier to step a player who is sliding across when you cut back inside on an angled run, which is something Tomkins does well. In terms of his running game Tomkins is so much better at fullback than stand off.

That's not to say he wouldn't be good at stand off because he's already proven that he can be the best stand off in Super League as well as the best fullback. Stand off just requires him to take a different approach and use different skills. Also, more importantly, Wigan's structure is built around creative halfbacks on both sides who pass the ball and only run very occasionally. Playing in that manner would waste most of Tomkins' best attributes whilst also require a change in the way the team plays.

To be honest, Wigan was a bit hard done by, we were gifted 2 tries that should not of been tries, that forward pass was a mile forward and Mguire knocked the ball on so none should of been given. I have always say you need the rub of the green in big games and a need a bit of luck and we had it on the day.

I think we was the better side and deserved it but no Wigan fans are saying we dont, the ones I have spoken to are just a bit miffed at the ref and I can see their point.

I have no doubt that you guys wont bounce back, your such a good team, the best in super league this year by a long way.

Much as at Wembley last year, there were some duff decisions, but the better side won on the day.

I'm surprised that nobody has brought this up.

The 40:20 that Tomkins let go into touch, he looked quizzical when it was given. The reason, the referee is supposed to shout "FORTY" if the ball is kicked from inside the 40 metre area. I don't believe Thaler did as he went to the video ref.

Just watch and listen to the Wire v Huddersfield game yesterday and Silverwood can be heard shouting the "FORTY"

Referees would normally shout "40", but for whatever reason Thaler didn't - just as he initially very demonstratively waved "play on" when Hall lost the ball on the Wigan line before changing his mind seconds later to award Leeds a penalty (a word in his ear from VR Ganson?). And no one will ever know why he didn't go to VR for the Maguire knock-on - even Jonathan Davies and the other BBC pundits slated him for that. The forward pass he gave against Wigan with them attacking on the right flank with 5 minutes to go was less forward than the one to Peacock for their 3rd try. And how about the blatant knock-on when Ablett let go of the ball when dazed before the 2nd try? Silverwood penalised a less blatant Huddersfield fumble at the play the ball yesterday.

Wigan did have the rub of the green in last year's final with the forward pass for Lima's 2nd try, the scrum that was awarded to Wigan 4 minutes to go when the ball came off Charnley, as well as Tommy try being awarded (correct decision that one, but some VRs (eg Ian Smith!) might have disallowed it for losing control of the ball while grounding. Having said all that, though, Ablett should have been penalised for an incorrect play the ball in the build-up to Leeds 2nd try which would have given a penalty to Wigan on the Leeds 20.

Swings and roundabouts, or something in Thaler's sub-conscious......?!!

The ref doesn't shout 40, I'm pretty sure they shout 'inside' or 'outside' depending on where the kick is taken. I'm also pretty sure that he says it for his own benefit to make it easier to decide on 40/20 calls rather than for the players benefit.

Silverwood definitely shouted FORTY yesterday and I've heard it shouted at lots of academy games. That's why I was interested if Thaler had done so on Saturday. Sam certainly didn't hear it.

Watched it back, Thaler does say 40 but not really loud enough for someone who was around 30 yards away at the time, he follows it up immediately with a much louder shout of ''you're offside Ryan''. Bit strange he then asks for the video ref to confirm it but probably just making sure, happens often with 40/20's. The kick Sinfield put up for the first try was a shocker for anyone to be fair to Tomkins, credit goes to Hall to for being in just the right place, a yard or two further back from him and the ball might just of bounced into touch.

Can you check on the replay whether the 2nd Leeds man (Ablett?) running up towards Sam was actually onside at the kick? I think he may have encroached within the 10 when Sam dropped the ball. Hall was definitely onside, and although Ablett(?) didn't touch the ball he could have been given offside - admittedly this would be very harsh, but the same thing happened in a game last year ( Catalans play off?) and the try was ruled out by the VR.

Looking at it now i think Ablett is just ok, it's close, but just onside, he does run very hard after the kick to put the pressure on Tomkins. Would be harsh, but Warrington got one disallowed against Leeds at Headingley this year for the same thing and Australia too against England in the 4 Nations Final so going by them it would of been disallowed if offside but he just stayed on.

Thanks for confirming - it would have been yet another "bad decision".

In the final analogy, though, Leeds were the better team and deserved to win. Just can't get over how lethargic/lacking in energy so many of the Wigan pack were: Lima, Mossop, MM, Hansen, Tuson. Only Hock, Flower and Farrell were conspicuous when going forward.

I think the start just rattled them and in turn got Leeds' tails up, if Sinfield put's in 2 poor kicks instead in those opening 6 minutes then no scores, no pressure, no concern. It's not a position Wigan have found themselves in much if at all over the last 3 seasons to be 16-0 down early on, it's usually the other way round, so must of come to a bit of a shock to the system for the players and it can't help if you've never been in that scenerio before to know how to cope, although they did give it a good shot, after the first 12 mins Wigan actually outscored Leeds 28-23. As i've witnessed at Leeds a few times over the last 18 months, when the match isn't going your way some forwards don't seem as keen to put their hand up and change that, when it is going well everyone seems to want the ball (view the praise the likes of Kirke & Griffin are getting on the Leeds board atm), strange but how it goes sometimes.

Leeds did what they set out to do, Wigan didn't. Maybe money pressure, injury pressure and expectation to win got to a lot of players, whereas Leeds got on with the job at hand. Wane should look at resting a few players for the big push. Gelling should be dropped, watch a replay of him from May and compare him to how he's playing now, he's not improved one bit. Faz has got to learn how to commit a fullback and learn how to pass, he looks th epart at loose forward. Sam needs to go to the Stevie Hampson school of bomb defusal. Matty Smith could not have come at a better time, thank the Lord!
Lets applaud Leeds and move on.