Right before I start I have to say that I think Hughes has enormous potential. He's got all the attributes - size, skill, strength etc that you see in the top players.

BUT

1 - I don't think he is or ever will be a centre
2 - I don't think his performances this season have been good enough

It has to be said that it's not entirely his fault as he's been called upon to play in the centres and also in the 2nd row. Whilst, according to Bilko's site, he's played something like 17 games this season i don't think he's had any real opportunity to focus on one position and make it his own. You only need to look at the development in Faz this season to realise that a pro longed run in a one position is what it takes for a young player to truly find his feet at this level.

For me it's obvious that he's a 2nd row and a good one at that. You look at some of his performances last season (Catalan away jumps to mind) and i'd argue with anyone until i'm blue in the face that we've got a very special 2nd row talent on our hands here.

Wane has to end this silly Hughes centre experiment before it ruins the lads whole season. With Tuson now confirmed as leaving it's time that Hughes is moved ahead of him in the 2nd row pecking order. The development of Hughes must now take priority over that of Tuson as only one of them will be here next season.

its all well and good saying hughes shouldnt be in the centres, but what do you propose we should do if one of the are injured? people are concentrating on the defensive vulnerability of the position at the moment in relation to thornley, so whos to say that another player would be as competent as hughes. it seems more important that wigan dont lose games by leaking points and hughes' development be slightly delayed than the other way round. plus, hes 21, hes got plenty of time. liam farrells got 3 years development on hughes, so i think he can afford to slot in if necessary.

Going forward with Tuson leaving and Gelling back to match fitness the obvious option is Gelling to cover the centre spot as and when and Hughes to replace Tuson as the 2nd row bench player.

At the end of the day Hughes is walking around with the number 4 on his back but that's obviously a position that Thornley has nailed down.

Hughes isn't the first young player to have a dip in form after stepping up to Super League. In fact it's one of the biggest clichés in sport.

I don't think switching between centre and second row will have done him much good and his performances at centre have been putting out some pretty strong signals that he is not, nor will he ever be, a centre.

When playing at second row he doesn't quite seem to have the required physicality yet, but that's the case for many athletic forwards - Joel Tomkins lacked impact at first and so did Harrison Hansen. That should change over the coming years.

At this moment in time he does have the size to play at centre but his handling skills just aren't up to scratch. It was plain to see last night that every time he got the ball a) he wasn't exactly well positioned in relation to his inside and outside man, and b) he never looked likely to get the ball out of his hands once he had hold of it.

I think Hughes just needs a bit of time. It wouldn't be the first time that a player has made the England academy side and then failed to live up to their potential - it happens quite often, but in Hughes' case he has already had some excellent performance in Super League. He's clearly capable of playing at this level he just needs to keep working on his game and hopefully he will fulfil his potential over the next few years.

I think the best comparison to make would be with Joel Tomkins. He didn't establish himself immediately and had a dip in form too, but he eventually become comfortable in the pack (only to be shifted out of position to centre of course).

Gelling is not good enough to be a Wigan player. Fact

Posted on the wrong thread...fact...

Jack Hughes is an excellent left side second row. He is neither a centre or right sided.

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.