It is HIGHLY unlikely that we will sign a FB, surely you can see that?

And I do apologize Mr Radlinski

Agree FB is an area where we don't have anyone playing it properly.
We also haven't any props playing their position properly and that's why we've only won 4 out of 11 because of the prop disaster, not the FB problem.
Although as I said we do need a good FB.

Props and a 7 are the main concern. But a true FB is an issue.

I can't but think about what a mess this season is so far.

I'm suprised at a few people questioning Smiths mom award on Sunday.

I thought he was excellent and really cut Celtic apart with a fantastic range of passing and great vision. His work for the Riddell try was outstanding as was the ball for Lockers second. His kicking game was also very good and we looked a more organised team with him in it.

The big worry with him as ever is defence but with a solid centre and second rower at the side of him he looked alot better(although he wasn't really tested).

On Sunday, for the first time in ages we looked capable of unlocking the opposition's defence at will. But my question is - did that owe to Tim Smith or to crap opposition?

I think it was a bit of both. While I agree that Tim Smith had a better game for us, I think he's still way off reclaiming his NRL title as the Most Talented Rookie, or whatever it was.

As others have said, even a half-decent outfit will target him repeatedly in the defensive line. Wakefield certainly will, as they did that on the first day and scored two tries merely by brushing him out of the way.

Sam, though physically a lot smaller, is a much stronger tackler.

I'd be very surprised if Tim Smith stayed beyond this year. Which - if Tommy continues his transformation to hooker - will surely mean that we need another half. This may even be prioritised over another prop, though if Coley goes, which he probably will, this will also become a glaring weakness in the team that the club won't be able to ignore easily.

Smith did well on Sunday in both defence and attack.

There was never any doubt about his attack in my eyes. He is an organising half back and an outstanding passer of the ball however never a 6 in a million years.

The problem is the defence and IMO Celtic where very poor going forward so he still has alot to prove.

He needs to defend against decent opposition once he does that then he can have his starting shirt back because attack-wise he is a very very useful addition to the team and him and Sam could link up well.#

Nothing against Tommy I think he is a great player and hope he stays with us beyond this season but not at scrum half.

Smith is simply so far proving not to be good enough to play in such an important position long term. I just hope IL already has his eye on a new 7.

I'd agree that it was abit of both.

The good thing about him though was that he looked alot more enthusiastic and more willing to take on the line.

A big problem with him so far as been the fact he's been easy to read by the opposition defences due to him never taking the line on. He doesn't have to take the line on that much to put some doubt in the defenders minds but he does have to do it a little or else they'll do what they were doing earlier in the season and just marking his runners in the knowledge that he won't run it and will therefore run out of ideas.

I said after the game on Sunday that Smith needs runners and to be fair to him he hasn't really had it so far. If he gets players running good lines around him he'll find them and to me thats upto the coach to sort that out.

I'd have Hock moving all around him.

The O'Loughlin try was a perfect example of this. Again - the opposition was crap, so I'm not going to go OTT, but Lockers ran a perfect line, the ball to him was as perfect as it gets, and the timing of the whole move was bang-on. The fact that it all seemed to happen on the hoof rather than as part of some pre-planned move was very heartening. But it's too rare an event at Wigan these days, and we shouldn't get carried away.

Hope Smith himself doesn't get carried away.

He needs to keep improving and keep trying. The nagging doubt is at the back of my mind that it was only Celtic Crusaders and it's upto him to put the doubts of everybody in the bin by playing well against better teams like Wakefield and then Saints.

As everybody knows though the lad must have something about him because you don't win a rookie of the year award in Australia and break the record for assists in a season without it.

I'd imagine that, like so many others in the Wigan backs, you could argue that if a burly set of forwards laid a platform, he'd be much better able to show his skills.

But I wonder for how long we'll keep trotting this partial excuse out. There've been many occasions this season when we've failed to strike from close to the line.

My main concern re. Tim Smith is his obvious personal problem. There is undoubtedly a very skilled player inside, but he freaked out under the public pressure of playing in Sydney, and though we can't really compare with that over here, he's probably come to the next worst place for it - Wigan.

You're right, he has to kick on from here in a big way, but that won't happen if he doesn't get first team selection next weekend, and I'm already partly hoping that he doesn't because his defensive weakness will immediately be exploited. It's a headache for Noble.

It's a make or break spell for Smiths Wigan career imo and possibly his career as a whole.

He'll keep his place against Wakefield imo and he needs to continue his good form and build up a run of good preformences because if he doesn't and gets left out of the side again i don't think he'll get a way back in. If that were to happen he'll struggle to get a new contract anywhere let alone Wigan and that would be sad for such a talented player.

I really hope his teamates and inparticular the centres and second rowers help him out in the next few weeks. He is a guy that needs runners and if those guys like Hock, Hansen, Gleeson etc are willing to make runs for him he'll find them with well timed, accurate passes and that will beneift Smith, them and the whole team.

If they don't he's a dead man walking.

If Tim Smith plays then he needs runners, using the correct angles. He his a superb ball player and has a good short kicking game. He is not a running half back in that he is not going to score from 40 metres out.

Defensively he is poor, but so is Michael Dobson. At Parramatta Smith had the likes of Nathan Hindmarsh to help him.

So IMO it's a trade off, his attacking ability v his defensive frailties.

A difficult decision for Noble I think.

However if you look at other teams, they carry poor defenders, Dobson, Briers and Long spring to mind.