His defence is fine though, hes now great under the high ball (albeit he wasnt at the beginning of the season) he has been controlling our game play since he made his debut vs whitehaven, even then as a young lad he was telling all the senior players like barrett and lockers where to be and what to do. I know you're not slagging off Tomkins but your opinion of him is very short sighted. He is much much more than a broken runner with a magic step.

Don't get me wrong I don't think they are his only skills but I'm sure you will agree they are his strongest for now and the skills which are most natural to him. I as a Leeds fan understand he has more to his game. McGuire pre injury was Leeds most creative player. He is far more than a support player that people who now little of him still role out. I think tomkin is the real deal! But has to work on parts of his game. Even the best of the best are still learning! When Tomkin has a long/short passing game and a long/short kicking game as natural as his step and running game he will be one powerful Jedi. I think he might be held back by the weakness of the SL comp and genuinely believe he needs to be in the NRL to fulfill his potential. Not to say he won't be a great player if he doesn't go as he's awesome already. But in all honesty I can't see him not going. Playing for madge by the time he's 26.

Hang on he started at half-back. He can do all that. But as a FB he doesn't have to as much.

I will tell you now though he is our best long kicker by a mile.

Short passing game... did you not see him put Lockers through for the try???

Long passing game... did you miss him linking up in the line firing the ball out to our outside backs???

Short kicking game... Hudds at home this year when he best the team by himself and got the ball back after kicking through and scoriung... or Catalans away when he did the same. How about LEEDS away when he chipped over, or wire away last year when he did the same.

Have you not seen him play? He has all that in his pocket I'm afraid.

Not to mention the organising he does for our team, he is always talking, making sure our line is deep. Him and lockers did it all last night.

I havn't even started on his blistering pace, his step, his vision...

He is the complete player, the best British talent since super league started.

So you are telling me he has a passing game and kicking game to rival the best in the world?

Did I say that?

Has anybody got as good a kicking game as Thurston? I don't think so.

He is still quality though. As for his passing game, it is better than Slaters, Slater doesn't do much of it. Slater is still a better runner though and clears stuff up at the back for fun.

Like I said, Tomkins grew up as a half back and played his first year in our team there. He has those skills.

As for being world-class though.... when Hayne chips over and regathers and scores he is called world-class..... Tomkins does it time and time again.

Hayne, slater and co are doing it in a much tougher league and at the toughest level of all origin! That's the difference. doing it against Leeds this season who have been frankly crap isn't the same.
Thurston is a complete player, Lockyer is a complete player, cam smith, wally Lewis, joey johns, Alfie langer they were/are complete players!

Tomkin is awesome, has stacks of potential but is far from(to quote you)" the complete player"

By saying he is is an insult and disrespectful to those who played before him!

I agree they are doing it in a much tougher league. I have no arguments about that. But that doesn't make ours a poor league. He has done it against the best teams over here who on their day could match the top teams in the NRL. Warrington are a class side and he has done it against them. He makes top players look silly who have played Origin and NRL, he made Kearney look silly... he has made Hodgeson look silly on quite a few occasions.

He is a better player than Hodgeson and he was class in the NRL. Finch played for NSW, I think even Finch would admit Tomkins is a special player, proabably better than him.

They were all complete players I agree. That doesn't stop Sam from being a complete player. He has everything. He might not be as good as those players but then again he is still very young and only in his second full season. I'm pretty sure Madge and Hoffman have said he would be quality in the NRL. I think I will listen to them and not you. All the coaches and players think he is class, players even stand off him, he roots players to the spot.

Either way, you could only dream of Leeds having a player as good.

To be honest I love the game so much down here but it's so far up it's own ar$e that they probably wouldn't be too bothered who he is! They were talking about the bulldogs the other day on one of the pundit shows saying how the dogs had signed nobody for next season and their recruitment was a non starter? No mention of signing the best British prop by a mile! Until you are down here doing it you are nobody. Just a face on a dressing room cheat sheet for 2 games in November.

I expected that.

Maybe aussie players would do better in suepr league if they knew they had to prove themselves.

Graham will be class for the dogs. They will love him in no time.

Was in a fishing tackle shop first thing this morning and in the queue for the counter...

Two guys were talking RL and i listened... One guy said "That Tomkins is an alright player".... The other nodded and said "Yeah but Wigan would be $hite without him".

I decided not to join in with this conversation.......... They were Stains fans....

Sam even gets a mention tonight on sky

he also got a mention in the warrington commentary haha