Quote ="bewareshadows"Re: Wilkin.
I think this guy is one of the best team players. He plays what ever position the coach throws him into, will play off the bench if asked to. Players of his career length do have injury seasons which I think he has in the last 2 or 3 seasons. But because he will play anywhere he gets pushed about by the coaches. In his early career he played alot of back positions and loose forward. As the years go on he gets pushed more and more into the 2nd row or as a sub for 2nd rowers.
Yet when we get caught short these same coaches then look to Wilkin to take up the 6 position. Think about it could you fulfil a specialist role at your work, if you just train and work at a generalist role for most of your days.
IMHO his talent has been wasted by coaches down the years. He was the natural loose forward to take over from Scully, but we have had wasted years of Flannery and co taking the loose position, with no kicking, vision or ball distribution in their natural game. Flannery is a 2nd rower solid in the tackle and strong if not amazing going forwards. But put him in a gap and watch him go.
This year Wilkin has started at 13 and Flannery in the 2nd row and they have both looked the better for it.'"
Wilkin's problem is that he will forever stand in the shadow of Paul Sculthorpe. He was touted by one and all as the next Scully when he signed from Hull KR and, unfortunately, that label stuck. The comparison was unfair from the very beginning as he lacked Scully's height, physique and herculean strength. Against such hype it's a minor miracle that he's managed to achieve this much - especially when you consider that for many years he was saddled with the dreaded label of "utility player", which has killed the prospects of many a kid. His versatility can be his downfall as it must be very difficult for a coach to resist the temptation to shunt him around different positions.
Clearly his best position is loose forward as that role gives him the freedom to insert his valuable distributive and kicking skills into the attack. But not every coach has been willing to give him freedom to operate in such fashion week-to-week. On numerous occasions he's been forced to lobotomise his game and function in "head down" mode. His brief England career illustrates the point as he has never been used correctly.
I think now is the time for Wilkin to shine. With two young and inexperienced halves we need a third axis of attack. Lomax and Gaskell were outstanding against Leeds but we cannot expect them to always be so. Better sides will apply far greater defensive pressure and their thinking time will be slashed. It's here that Wilkin can shine by taking some of the load off their shoulders and acting as a safety valve. Hopefully Simmons will have the guts to give Wilkin much-earned freedom to express himself operating as the experienced pro on the field making key judgment calls as he sees fit.
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