Step up the man.
Now it the time to get behind Dec and give him all the encouragement and patience with it. With only 4 days to get in as much as a pre-season partnership with Austin he can.
We need to remember this before attacking every little mistake he makes.

He's not spent the whole pre-season stood watching those two. He wouldve been practising with both so there an no excuses. Good luck to him, I'm not his biggest fan but have a feeling he's going to do well.

I get your view on Patton, RD, I really do.

Yes 100% he wasn't a bystander.
Wasn't my intention to suggest so.
But it would be foolhardy to assume he's also had the full set up too. The partnership with Brown and Austin would have been where the intensity lay.
Patton has at worst been around most of the preseason gear, but that still doesn't mean he'll be slick.
We need to give him some time with pouncing...there are one or two on here will be 'I told you so' trigger happy to prove a long running issue.

If he can’t cement himself as a Super League level half now then he never will. I’ve always rated Patton and really hope he takes the opportunity.

Absolutely....well at Warrington anyway.

Look at it this way...

We made 2 finals and top 4 last season.
There isn't any way Patton will be a poor as Roberts.

So I will expect at least a par of last season...I suspect it'll work out a fare deal better.

I've seen nothing over the last 4 years or so to suggest Patton is a SL quality half back, certainly for a club with ambitions of silverware. If he was, he'd have nailed a first team spot in the halves by now. I hope he goes well if he gets a chance as there's nothing I'd like to see more than a local lad do well at his home town club and I'll be cheering him on, albeit in hope rather than expectation. Go on Dec, make me eat my words, I'd be delighted.

Clean slate, superb opportunity for him, cannot wait.

With a good quality HB rarer than hens teeth I guess Patton will have at least half a season of starting as first choice rather than sitting on the bench waiting to do his cameo. On the plus side SP can at least designate him as first choice goal kicker as he is an improvement on Ratchford by some margin. And unlike Brown, Patton still has pace which helps when we are close to the line or in need of backing up a break. As to whether he will show the guile and speed of thought to blossom into a genuinely creative HB, I suspect most people will (politely) say that the jury is still out.

It looks as though Mamo was brought in as cover for a number of positions and possibly with a view to Lineham moving on at the end of the year. It would be good to see him getting a run of games to test where his best position really lies though. From what we saw in the Widnes friendly it would be a waste if he played more games at Rochdale than at the HJ, particularly now that we have only a squad of 28.

I don’t like the idea of moving Ratchford from fullback, I think that’s where he poses his biggest threat for us.

Even if Dec does play out the season as first choice, we still need to bring somebody in. Livett had a couple of games there I know but another injury could put us in a really sticky situation.

No we don't want to mess about with Ratch he has improved with each season since holding down one position. Better to get a replacement for KB whether it be Dec or Harvey as cover than change the spine even more.

We made two finals last year with Roberts, with our new signings I expect two trophies this year, nothing less. If we fail to get that I will be calling for Patton's head, along with Price's and rubber duckie's.

Time for Patton to grow a pair of cahoonies and take what may well turn out to be his last chance. As many have said, the over-riding sentiment is hoping he nails it. Come on Dec, grasp that baton.

We won 10 games in a row(as I'm sure duckie has mentioned a few times!)with ratchford at half back. Put him in there, where his bad tackling wont be so much of an issue, and get mamo in at fullback.

As the king of squirrel and peanut butter sandwiches once sang, "it's now or never" for Patton.
He's been handed (in unfortunate circumstances) a chance to shine. This will be his fourth season around the first team. Do it, or go to Widnes/Salford/HKR etc.

The issue now, is, who's the club's infield organiser. This WAS Brown's job. Is it to be Patton, or Austin, who (from what I hear) tends to be an off the cuff player.

Ball"s in his court, now

There is a lot of structured movement coming off Austin.

There may well be, but I'm on about actual organising, shouting out plays etc. This was obviously Brown's job, until a few days ago. We now have an issue.

obviously?

Did you not watch the Challenge Cup games last season, when Brown was mic'd up, barking out orders, plays, player's positions, and there was a camera following him round. Pretty obvious to everyone, that he was the team organiser.

Come on Rd, Roberts was dissapointing and definitely not marquee but he was still our best half last season.

I hope Dec goes well and is given a chance, BUT he absolutely has to take it now. Gutted for Kev Brown, id have liked to see him replaced this season really but wouldn't have been massively dissapointed if he was partnering Austin in our starting lineup. Horrible way for any wire career to end, he had a key part to play this season for sure.

I'm sure you are right. This is a blow to Wire and we'll have to think again. I think we'll be OK but we'll know more when we see Austin on a regular basis and we see who we bring in as a replacement back up.

Explains alot.

I was at them.

Commiserations re Kevin Brown. I feel for the player, a sad way to end a career.

As has been said, a real opportunity now for Dec Patton. I hope he delivers.