Just a hyperthetical one but, what would your first 17 for wire be if all the players on the squad list were available??
Mathers
Hicks
Bridge
Grix
King
Briers
Monaghan
Morley
Clarke - (despite my sheer hatred for him!!)
Carvell
L Anderson
Westwood
V Anderson - (on recent performance)
Harrison
Wood
Higham
Cooper
I just think that Rauhihi is good but until he controls the passion he has for offloading the ball in silly situations then he should be "rested" - some may say it is good to have a prop that can offload and I have no qualms about that but there is a time and a place and for example against Wigan he couldn't help himself.
I dont think TS has a best 17. I think he plays the best 17 to face the given opposition. The forwards are more or less settled but I like what he is doing with the backs. You don't know who is going to play where. I have a wry smile on my face after the first couple of minutes of a game when you realise where they are lining up.
Against Hull, Bridge started at FB with mathers on the wing but then Briers tried kicks to the corner with Bridge popping up there. How confusing must that be for an opposition coach? You have King swapping wings just to face Ainscough, Players like vinny popping up on the wing?
I like this unpredictability, Clarke is even playing as a 3rd halfback during games (and putting in some great assists by the way)
This versatility gives us greater strength in depth with the same number of players. In the past we have played players like Noone and Burns on the wing and looked like fish out of water but now players would feel more comfortable being shifted around. It keeps players on their toes and the opposition.
Riley deserves his place on the wing, though TS may occasionally choose a bigger guy like Johnson when we play a side with their own bruisers. Rau has had a good season but even he must know that, at 35, this is his last year.
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