You just made @RLMeltdown

I always take the dream team with a pinch of salt anyway.

I'm sure that Kirke and Bailey will consider themselves unfortunate not to have been selected.

<lights touch paper sits back and waits for another Southstander thread to become a debate on the merits of Ian Kirke and Ryan Bailey

>

And the team that finished second by a point dont have a single player in the team .

But they're so old they'll have forgotten all about it in a few minutes...

On a serious note, I hadn't picked that up previously. However, having thought about it, it seems to me that quite a few of the marquee players for Warrington have, through injury or poor form, not been consist stand out performers this year. Just my opinion mind and I've only seen them when they have been on the TV!

IIRC, Sam Tomkins has now equaled the record for consecutive selections - which currently stands at five. Jason Robinson (1996 - 2000) and Kris Radlinski (1998 - 2002) being the other members of the select club. The only current player with a possibility of joining them next season will be another Wiganer - Sean O'Loughlin.

No Joe Vickery???

And that has to be the worst Dream Team kit ever.

I think it's a fair selection.

Tomkins is one of the top 5 try scoreres in the league, despite missing quite a few games. I can't think of any other fullbacks who have been better than him across the whole season.

No one from warrington has especially stood out for me except westwood and higham. Ditto leeds except peacock. Of course many huddersfield players have performed at a consistently high level so i think those selection are warranted.

With these type of things a winger will nearly always be judged on the number of tries or scoring eye catching tries.

Lineham has produced some eye catching performances, he's a new talent whereas hall has been around so i think they just looked on him favourably. Not saying this is right, it's just the way it is.

With crooks, again he notched up a couple of hatricks on sky, he's a new talent, and people immediatly think 'this kids special' and he sticks in their mind when selecting this. Ian thornley is probably as worthy selection as crooks

He's produced some consistent displays for wigan this year despite not being a name player. Watkins has had 2 spells on the sidelines but has been very good across the season.

I don't agree with any of the above, it's just what i think is the logic behind the decisions.

From what I can recall, people in previous Dream Teams hang around.

Apart from Kevin Penny.

And possibly Chris 'One Season' Hill.

(on this actual Dream Team, I'd fancy Leeds' Best 13 against this lot......with JP playing for both!)

Chris Hill's been excellent the 5 or 6 times I've seen him play this year.

Jamie Thackery made the 2005 team!

Chris Hill is excellent every single week. (probably cursed him for Saturday now).

Then I guess you'd be surprised to learn that approximately two-thirds of the 135/136 (the danger of collating these things after the event) have thus far found themselves in the 'one dream team selection' category. Of course that could alter a little if any of this year's nine debutants can find some sticking power but the past selections are littered with those unable to.

I'd list them if I were 100% confident on the eighteen dream-teams (perhaps A-Fire-Inside could assist) but I'm not at this point so I won't.

Suffice to drop a few one season wonder names in: Brian McDermott (1999?) , Brian Carney, Chris Joynt, Danny Orr, David Solomona, Henry Paul (and brother Robbie never made it), Terry Newton, Leon Pryce and Leeds' own contributions Mark Calderwood, Brad Godden, Tonie Carroll, Marcus Bai and Matt Diskin.

(By the way it appears the most represented club would be Wigan followed by fresh air then St Helens and Leeds followed by more fresh air then Bradford, Warrington and Hull. Gateshead got two players in during their sole SL season and perhaps the club recording the biggest fail so far is Widnes who have yet to get any player in from their six seasons in the top flight - although I'll repeat my lists are unconfirmed.)

Hall and Higham should have made it for me

Tries scored
Charnley - 30
Hall - 15
Lineham - 14
Briscoe -14

Metres made
Hall - 3553
Charnley - 3153
Briscoe - 2502
Lineham - 1960

Probably should've been Hall but think less tries than previous years have counted against even though he's scored more than Lineham. When you look at his try stats solely from the last few years, to go from 30 to half of that looks bad yet his metres made should've got him selected.

Top 10 metres
Peacock - 3592
Hall - 3553
Chase - 3193
Cockayne - 3184
Charnley - 3153
Hanbury - 3147
Hardaker - 3058
Crabtree - 2954
Hill - 2824
Amor - 2809

One stomach bug (that ruled him out of Salford away) and he's the top metre maker, and the only one that even came close to the physical freak that is Jamie Peacock.

Odd creature Thackery. Shame he never prioritised rugby.

I thought he combined his love of rugby league and knocking on quite well.

I think members of the media (and Wigan fans) are still in love with the great Wigan sides of the 80s and 90s and the extent to which their players are over rated is reflected by this.

Or have the Wigan coaches just been terrible? After all, with so many better players than Leeds, St Helens and Bradford during the Super League era you have to wonder why Wigan haven't been as successful as those three clubs.

I think people read too miuch into the Super League team to be honest. It is a team of individuals based on their individual exploits.

Rugby League is a team game, and putting the best individuals together for a one off will not necessarily mean it will be a good team. On that basis it does not matter which team they came from, or inparticular how sucessful or not that team is. It is all about the individual.

Wingers for example will be in the dream team because of the number of highlights they have. Number of tries will be a major factor in that. It doesn't make them the best winger, it just means they have made the headlines that year.

Tomkins shouldn't be close to best fullback this year due to his number of games. But as far as highlights goes he pops up at the right time, and Wigan's win record with him playing is much different to without him.

Ben Crooks is another example. He is not, and has not this season, come anything close to some other centres, but he has set the right headlines throughout the year.

Agreed.

Individuals win Dream Team places and MOS. Teams win the GF

Fixed for clarity

You sound just like Sir Kevin.