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.

O'Carroll has been the outstanding prop in the two reserve friendlies, easily outplaying the highly rated Mike cooper of Warrington.

I can well believe that RG.

I also think he is a useful back up option for us. He will do a job, won't let the team down. He is still too small to be a front line prop forward in 2010 RL.

I've never seen O'Carroll have an off game for us, he always trys his hardest and busts tackles, nothing i've seen from him tells me that he can't make it in Super League. Give him a go!

Not for me he wasn't?
Maybe In Your Opinion?

My opinion
Doesn't take enough out of the other team when taking it in, doesn't hurt them enough tackling to be a Front Line Prop.

If MM wants to "rest" someone and feels he can bring O'C in etc which will provide benefits further on down the line then Fair enough, go for it.
If MM wants to play his best team I would have a small wager on him picking Prescott over O'C.

As for Prescott's "Loose Carries", I make it 1 per game, not outstanding I admit, but likewise not awful as some would have us believe (Bear in mind 1 of those was quite clearly a Ball steal vs HKR).

As Twosevezero said earlier, If O'C gets picked fair enough, I'll get behind the lad.
Who would I play if there was a "BIG" game this weekend, one we HAD to win?

Prescott, Every day of the week.

Nobody as far as I can see is putting the mockers on him, most people who are picking Prescott over O'C are saying it because they think Prescott is the Better Prop, not that O'C is Rubbish.
I believe O'C will play quite a bit of SL However at the Top Level I think he will struggle to hold down a Regular Front Line Position.
He could however easily play Many Years as a 1st team regular but IMHO teams that want and are challenging for Honours won't be knocking our door down for him?

PS
Having stood next to him, and looked down on him, I can tell you he is the Height people are suggesting!

Regards his size or lack of it, one think that O'Carroll does regularly generate due to his lower centre of gravity is a quick play the ball.

This may not be as eye catching as a prop hitting it up with 3 or 4 men hanging off him, but it can often be just as advantageous to our team regards getting us on the front foot and getting the defence back pedalling.

One thing that I have seen Leon Pryce do all his career at Saints is take the ball in on the second tackle and actively dive in at the tackle finding his front and off that play saints get a roll on apply the pressure.

We have a very dangerous team of broken field runners, Tomkins, TL, Roberts, Phelps Ainscough and Piggy can and will take advantage of a defence on the back foot. While the taller guys are fighting in the collision being held up to delay the PTB O'Carroll invariably finds his front as he is so difficult to hold up due to his low centre of gravity and this in the modern game in my opinion is a very important tool that should not be underestimated.

If he wasn't our best prop forward in 2009 before he got injured who was? Andy Coley was playing awful and had been demoted to the Reserves (in place of O'carroll), Fielden wasn't exactly on fire (getting smashed around at home to Castleford?) and Feka was just Feka. Sure he was making go forward, but was way too overweight and unfit & was a liability in defence. I'm genuinely curious who you thought was performing better. The general consensus from Wigan fans at that time (see the O'carroll injured thread) was that Eamon was our best performer.

I agree with you that MaGuire will probably still pick Paul Prescott, but I would imagine that O'carroll must still be in the back of his mind with his outstanding performances in the Reserves (according to Rogues). His loose carries are still an issue and could hamper his long term prospects at prop forward for a championship winning side (just as 'in theory' O'carroll's size apparently will).

And as for the final comment, every game we need to win. Mike MaGuire should pick the best team available and that is not a team picked on paper, or having preferences or sticking with experienced players - it's picking at team ,on form, who deserve their spot. IMO O'carroll should get a game against Les Catalans with Paul Prescott making way for him. You disagree to that is fair enough.

I never said people were calling him rubbish, but people are putting the mockers on him. They are completely ignoring his performances in Super League when coming out with statements like 'he will never make it with his size' when he clearly is capable of playing first team rugby at this level. He was great last season before he got injured. Short memories some people have. Ignore his size, ignore his age, ignore any comparison with Prescott and just concentrate on his performances on the pitch is what I say.

He held down a regular first team place for the first 7 weeks of Super League before he got injured. On that basis I think he has the capabilities of doing so. But you also contradict yourself in your statement you have said"at the Top Level I think he will struggle to hold down a Regular Front Line Position."'"

Exactly. I don't buy into Eamon O'carroll being too small at all. I think it's complete rubbish - why? - because it has never been a problem when he has played for us in Super League.

I was at the Ireland v Samoa game at Parramatta and O'Carroll was the outstanding prop that night against some very big forwards.

I think what we'll see is Maguire using two out of three of Prescott, O'Carroll and Feka in rotation, as long as Fielden and Coley are performing as well as they are at present.
I also think we'll see the same with Joel, Hansen, Bailey and Mossop.

It's a great "problem" to have.