Prescott will be the better of the props long term imo, but I would like to see O'Carroll get a run this week, just to see what he can offer/what he has gained from the new setup.

Although it would be more likely Bailey & Mossop on the bench, Mossop @ Prop with no Prescott.

OC is too small.

He would have got absolutely battered on Saturday.

Shame, but he simply is not big enough to be a "front line" front rower.

Great attitude though.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight it's the size of the fight in the dog, look at Karl Pryce for instance.

It's not as if he is Rob Burrow playing prop.

People are going on about risk to Morale far too much this year but it has to be remembered that for every player whose morale is potentially damaged by being dropped/rested or rotated there is another player whose morale is improved by being given a chance to play in the first team. Why do people think that because Prescott is in the first team now his Morale is worth more than Eamons and don't people think that MM is capable of explaining to players the reasons behind their omission from the team without making them feel downhearted?

In order for Morale to be good across the board fringe players need to know that they are able to earn a place by their efforts in training, if not then we're back to the situation we have seen in the past few seasons where certain players feel like they are flogging a dead horse. Small but regular squad rotation is massively important unless we want to end up with a situation where we get a few injuries at a crucial time of the season and end up with players in potentially key positions who are not used to the demands of Super League.

Having the odd match on the side lines does not need to be seen as a punishment but an opportunity, its simple psychology

Well said Sir.

The last time someone tried to batter him, they got owned (Morley).

Exactly. I don't quite buy into the theory that he is too 'small' because his performances in Super League matches suggest otherwise.

Fans have short memories. His form last year was superb.

Just look at the comments people were making when he got injuredhttp://forums.rlfans.com/viewtopic.php?f

a good big un will always beat a good little un ....... or is that in boxing

Exactly

For me Prescott is a steady away prop that you don't really notice if he's on or not but the way Eamonn was developing he had a real presence on the pitch. I trust Madge's judgment but thats not to say I understand why Eamonn seems to be playing second fiddle to Prescott.

Can't argue with any of that IMO.

Why?

When has he ever struggled in a competitive Super League match? He was our best prop forward in 2009 before he got injured. He held his own for Ireland in the World Cup against some of the world's best. He is stocky and is more than capable of roughing it up with the big boys, as proven when Morley came off second best trying to flatten him. Not many players have done that.

Danny Nutley was a similar frame and he was the best prop forward in Super League in his short time with Castleford. Barry McDermott was another that was never the biggest, but had a successful career.

No-one so far has backed up why he is 'too small' to play Super League. (Not having a pop at you here BTW).

The game has changed since Nutley played, look at all the top sides props now, Peacock, Morley, Graham, Sam Burgess, all 6 foot plus and 16/17 stone, he just doesn't have the frame or power to compete with these, I'm not doubting his 'heart', but you need more than that at the top level now, if we are serious in mounting a challenge for honours O'C is not (IMO) the answer.I wish the lad well, and if selected he will get my full support

Sorry but this sounds like you're judging him on his size more than what you've actually seen of him on the pitch. Have a look on Wiki and I think it pretty much sums him up. He is a really hard worker and doesn't get bullied by anyone and unless I'm mistaken there's only one Peacock at Leeds, one Graham at Saints etc, they have other props you know. Eamon has blown the issue with size theory out of the water so many times.

Saying O'Carroll is too small is just stupid. Just look at the games when he has played!

Fair enough.

But I think he should get a chance before we put the mockers on him. So far he hasn't struggled in Super League when given a chance. I'm sounding like a broken record, but he was our best prop forward before he got injured in 2009. His frame gives him an advantage over opponents because he is stocky and difficult to grab onto. I'm not convinced he is 'as small' as he is made out to be. It would be nice if the new Wigan website updates the height and weight of our players.

The only problem O'Carroll had was not making enough metres. He was often quite a way behind the other props, even in the few games where he did well at the start of last season he was behind most of the back row in terms of the metres he was making.
In the current side our back row is working much harder and lifting some of the pressure on the props and that's on top of Coley, Fielden and Prescott improving their workload from last season.

There's nothing that says O'Carroll won't also improve this year, and he did make a good go of it in the friendly at Wakefield. He struggled the following week against Wire, but all of our forwards found the going much tougher at the weekend so maybe that's not too surprising. Against Catalan it is probably a good game for him to be included and then people can take into account that games performance before writing him off completely.