Your an idiot. FACT



Anyway back to Hughes and people like Cherry Pie who want to talk like adults about stuff.

I don't think this is a simple case of the dreaded '2nd season syndrome'. I'd argue the biggest factor is his switching to a new position. In a way it's almost his 1st season as it's a complete new position and ball game for the lad.

In regards to the physicality aspect I agree it's not been there for him this year. If I remember correctly however he trained as a centre in pre season and it's not to far to imagine the back-room staff have conditioned him to play that position.

Spot on. Liam Farrell was exactly the same. He broke into the first team in 2010 playing in the grand final. In 2011, we didnt see much of him at all. He was quiet apart from the magical moment at the derby. Every young player usually does have a dip - some longer than others. Jack Hughes will be a great player for us in the second row position. Never thought Hughes would be a centre but when we absolutely need him, its okay for us to play him there. For me, we need a quality centre. I think thats what we are missing in our team. Thornley onto the wing as long as he sorts his defense out. His positional play in the line just isn't good enough.

It might be the switch to centre that has caused him a few problems although I'm pretty sure he's played most of his games in the pack. Conditioning-wise the focus may have been on improving him as a centre (focusing on speed and acceleration) but even so he's roughly the same size as he was last season and he had several excellent games in the pack.

I also think as a forward who makes his mark by running good lines he hasn't been getting the same sort of service from Smith that he did last year from Finch on the left. Play him alongside Blake Green who has a gift for putting players through gaps and he might play a better game, but that's not likely to happen unless Farrell's form dips.

He needs to work in his ball carry in a big way. Cracking player but needs minutes now going forward.

I agree with the O/P. I don't think this is a case of 2nd season syndrome. I posted when Hughes was given the No 4 shirt this was a bad move.

In SL athletic 2nd rowers like Hughes and of course his predecessor Joel Tomkins can play centre and do well there most of the time because quite frankly there isn't much opposition as we seem very thin on the ground nationally at centre.

Hughes looked to me like Joel MkII last season - when he was in the pack. And that is/was the best position for both of them despite having good games at centre sometimes.

So I agree with the O/P. Wane needs to end the experiment and next season give Hughes a different number. It won't be a 2nd row number assuming H stays so that will need a bit of man management to make sure it isn't seen as a negative by the player.

I agree he also reminds me of Joel. For me al Hughes needs to develop is regular minutes in the first team. Look how much Faz has developed from regular starts/game time this season.

Last years semi final at Huddersfield Hughes played on the right did he not? I thought he was one of the few players who had a good game that day and he created gaps and made things happen. If we were to judge him against the worlds best centres - Hodges/Lyon he not up there and if you compare him to the worlds best second rowers hes not up there but he does have an unpredictability aspect to his game and has a good work ethic that gets him in the team above the likes of Gelling. We shouldnt knock utility players they have the toughest job in the game and Hughes is doing a fine job.

Thought he struggled yesterday at right centre.
He may have trained to come off the bench into the pack, then when Goulding went he was in the position he hadn't trained for. Agree he's a very good player but he didn't look a centre yesterday at all and IMO had a poor game.
I thought at the ground maybe Gelling should have gone right centre, Hughes left centre and Thornley to wing.
All opinions but I think we have to start playing Hughes in a settled position or two, right side though doesn't seem to suit him.

On the evidence so far, I don't reckon he thinks quickly enough to be a centre. A great physical player, but he's made a number of errors this season.

He's a forward without question and I'm hoping we bring in Sarginson as a utility back to enable us to get Hughes back in the pack full time.

He needs regular minutes in one position to kick on now.

IMO Wane should continue with Hughes at centre, Goulding and Thornley combination wont set the world alight and given Goulding's questionable injury record it is definitely an area where we need cover.

Comparisons to Joel are always going to happen and IIRC it took Joel at least 18m or so to learn his trade at centre

Joel never learned his trade at centre, he was bog average from start to finish.

He like Hughes was an excellent back rower who would be half decent emergency cover at centre.

Never a centre, he just doesn't have the brain for it. I think it's a bigger jump than people imagine going from Second Row into the centres. I remember Phil Bailey was pretty poor when he played at centre, but was much better in the back row.

I'm sure Phil Bailey moved the opposite way didn't he? I'm not 100% convinced but i'm sure his Aussie call ups were in the centre.

From what I remember, he had played a bit at centre before coming over, though his preferred position was in the back row. He was signed as a centre, but move swiftly back to second row when we signed Gleeson [if memory serves]