https://warringtonwolves.com/news/2020/ ... ntil-2022/ What I take from that is Prices comments. He’s been a really good sounding board for me and is a strong leader within our team which I expect him to continue to grow.” So why is he not the or a captain.

https://warringtonwolves.com/news/2020/ ... ntil-2022/ What I take from that is Prices comments. He’s been a really good sounding board for me and is a strong leader within our team which I expect him to continue to grow.” So why is he not the or a captain.

Excellent news.

The most talented player at Wire.

Sensible 2 years at his age, definitely a contender to be captain. Very intelligent, hugely talented and underrated by most of the league. Quite possibly best player.

Brilliant news for Wire. In 2022 he will have done 10 years and will probably get a testimonial. Very fitting for one of, if not the best player in our team.

And to think, two seasons ago, there was a slack handful of people slagging him off as:

- Too Slow.
- Too Indirect.
- Too Lateral.
- Too weak defensively.

They were crying out for us to move him on. There were people all around me on the terraces saying the same and if anyone dare call them out on it they must not be able to see properly. I've said it before and I'll say it again. since we started winning stuff 70% of our fans haven't got a clue what they're going on about. They've never played nor they don't understand the intricacies of the game. They don't actually watch the game what players do off the ball, their tackle technique, positional play ect. All watch are the big hits, fancy flick passes and tries.

Ratchford is a class act and was messed around far too much. Granted though, he was brought into a team with players well established in the positions he could fill. Imagine the player he would be now if he was molded as a fullback as soon as he arrived?

Ratchford's only fault is at every back position...he doesn't have a fault.

He is the one name you can bet our opposition don't like to see on the team sheet.

Great news, one of my favourite Wire players in what has been our most successful era in a long time. I’ve never met him but he seems a good bloke who just gets on with his job. I would’ve made him captain based on what I know.

Definite captain.

I think when we signed him it was as an eye to replacing Briers. Bringing in Myler and Ratchford made sense as people were talking of those two as a potential England halfback pairing of the future.

I don't think it would have been a bad thing if we'd have stuck with him as a 6. You could make a case for him being better than all the others who played 6 between Briers and Austin (Bridge, O'Brien, Gidley and Brown).

If he'd been used as a specialist fullback right from the start, would he be a better player now....? I'm not sure. I think what has separated Ratchford from the very top players in the game is he has a few limitations. He has never had a kicking game that can really damage a defence, which was a limitation at 6. He's more of a running player. He's like Iestyn Harris was, an elusive runner with good footwork who glides past people. But he lacks express pace which caps his upside as a fullback. If he had Matty Ashton's pace he'd probably be the best outside back in SL. When he slipped past someone he'd be able to run it home to the line.

The other thing is more of a character/personality one. He seems like a relaxed, cool character. Generally that's been good, he doesn't flap under pressure and he's played well in big games, if he hadn't got injured in the 2013 Grand Final we'd have won. He's handled moving around different positions well, he doesn't seem to be uncomfortable in different roles, doesn't complain, seems like the kind of guy who is just capable and can be relied on.

But, I wonder if he lacks the super-driven intensity that very top players, Radlinski, Tomkins, Wellens had. For a long time Ratchford would be the guy who would run casually with the ball in one hand and sometimes lose it. It's hard to make this kind of conclusion from the outside, but I just wonder....

On the plus side, if he'd been a player whose game had been all about pace, I'd be thinking, hmm, 31, 33 by the end of this contract, will he be a declining asset. He could actually peak over this time.

I don't care what his position is...so long as it puts him is a position where he gets his has on the ball.
He is our most skillful player.

On top of that I'd add that his vision as a fullback is outstanding and his intelligence when joining the line is what puts him at 1 instead of 6 for me. Some of the things he's executed at 1 during the last couple of years have been world class. Limited kicking game compared to the best [ihalfbacks[/i, but still some pretty decent stuff from the boot over the years when compared to the average fullback.

Sure but we have to consider now whether playing him there is best for the team going forwards over the next 3 years.

If Widdop's injuries are persistent then Austin/Ratchford in the halves seems sensible.

If Widdop does come back and lock down 6, then maybe its a case of playing him at 1 in 2020, but looking to transition him towards replacing one of the centres in 2021/22, with Ashton moving in to 1.

Ashton will have the speed that Ratchford doesn't but Ratchford can still be an effective player from centre.

Of course this is just 'fan speak' and professional coaches have a far more informed view, so if they had a different take and think I'm talking utter bullucks then I defer to them

The age ratchford has reached now were the peak years for a certain Lee Briers who fulfilled his potential in terms of consistency levels at the back end of his career. Ratch still has a big role to play for us, I'm hoping he see out his career with us and enjoys a few more successes along the way.

Great game tonight bar the fancy pass to Lineham’s wing.

If Widdop HAS to come in at halfback I’d drop Gelling and put Ratch in the centres.