OK then

Talanoa and Fonua provide much of the go forward themselves. They might not be quite as effective for you, but if you had them I guarantee you'd get up the field a bit easier. We've not got any Ade Gardners who hang on the coat tails of everyone else and score bags of tries from it.

If you dont rate them then that's fair enough, but Talanoa in particular would be one of the first names on my team sheet.

As for Sneyd, you name me a scrum half anywhere that can boss a game when his forwards are getting bashed about.

Jesus this challenge cup win has brought the bitterness to the top.I have read some tripe on here but this takes the top prize. HullFc Challenge Cup winners ..top of the league . live with it and stop making yourself look a right tool

Firstly your quoting a fellow Hull FC fan secondly there really hasn't been much bitterness apart from the odd poster just a debate on players from each team so as always when you pop on here you make sure there's at least one tool present

I assume you meant to quote my post which if you read you will find contains no bitterness. What I was trying to convey was that a team that is winning doesn't mean its constituent parts are better just that they work better together. Take Talanoa as a for instance, if you dropped him and put Sio or Josh into the team I don't reckon you'd notice the difference. I think barring Shaul you could say that for the full back line.

Exactly my point but they can't see it they just think because of were they are that all there players are superior which isn't the case Houghton has been excellent but in the first few games when things weren't going well for them the fans were complaining that his distribution was to slow and they needed another hooker to spell him but like I say they just think your been bitter

I dont think all our players are superior, but I wouldn't really swap more than a couple for their rovers counterparts. The main reason being what you guys have been saying, we've found a nice system where even the more mediocre players can make really positive contributions. Man for man we aren't overwhelmingly better than you (although I would say we are stronger on paper in most positions), its the system as a whole.

Talanoa is the one I really disagree on though. I think he'd improve any team in the comp, and that's not just because we're winning, I've thought that almost from day one.

Fair points and that is backed up by the fact that last year with essentially the same line up you struggled for most of it. The couple of additions you added, namely Taylor and very good 2nd row back up (not meant in a disparaging way but essentially Pritchard and Manu have acted as a better foil for when Ellis is spelled) have made all the difference. Credit to whomever highlighted the areas to strenghten and getting the right players in.

I've felt for a couple of years the likes of Wigan have flattered to decieve and have got by with the fact they can bring in very good back ups when key people have been absent.

We see it time and again that players that have been seen as great at one club move to another and essentially fail due to not fitting in with the new squad.

We'll have to agree to differ on Talanoa, I know the Hull fans love him but I don't see anything out of the ordinary with him probably say the same for Fonua as well.

Talanoa does everything to a very high standard. There isn't one facet of his game that anyone could say was average. We thought he may have lacked pace (having rarely seen him with space in front of him) until a few weeks ago (Widnes I think) where he showed some serious pace from 50 meters out.

not the best winger in the league of course, that's reserved for those who can pull off the freakish plays, or who when the get the ball in any position you feel they could score, Manfredi & Solomona for instance.


Fonua is even a stranger one to bring up considering you've seen centres like Thornley, Minns, Salter & Welham at Craven Park the past couple of seasons, and you watched him score and set up our two tries in the CC Final.

Again, there's is very little he does wrong Incredibly storng doing the dirty work in defence and running the ball out, can put his winger away with ease, scores tries and can pull off the Willie Manu-esque offloads. A shaky start when he first came into the side half fit granted, but one of the best centres in the league at the minute.


A combined back 7 would look like this IMO:

Shaul
Sio
Fonua
Yeaman
Talanoa
Kelly
Sneyd

Agree absolutely. And that's not to suggest you're 'punching above your weight' anything daft like that. You've got good players, but, and IMO more importantly, you play cohesively as a unit and execute a simple game plan very well. It is a team game, ateotd.

Last time we were half decent, it was based around a good kick chase and not making many errors. Nowt fancy, but everybody knew their job. And we seem to have had more injuries every season since Morgan left, than any season when he was here. We had unheralded players that could a job too, like super Sammy Latus.

You're right Frankie. Nothing wrong with our front row.

Bobby Blair is class but has played 2nd row just twice this year, because of injuries. James Greenwood is improving all the time and is only another season away from being a standout second rower. At Loose forward, we are bang average. That said Clarkson and Donno are no worse than Danny Washbrook, who is in desperate need of a Rooney style hairweave as well.

Regarding the current Hull FC team, the end result is the sum of several of its consistently standout key components this year.

Shaul, Fonua, Sneyd, Houghton, Manu, Minichello and Ellis are the best in the Super League in their respective positions this year. Scott Taylor has had a good season and might scrape in to the dream teams of some deluded fans. I have no room for him in mine as he's such a badge kissing, chest thumping nob, outnobbed only by Danny Brough, so that's pretty nobbish. Sorry Scott, but if you ditch the nob factor, you're in.

I forgot about greenwood he has been good just never had our full team on the pitch at the same time

personally I'd have Sio and Kelly from your team. Possible Walker as a bench prop, but all 4 of our props have had very good seasons. Greenwood would be a decent squad player, along with Lawler.

Is this the same front row who your fans have been wanting to be shipped back to OZ most the season?