Tom Lineham (Warrington) - Strikes off the ball Grade C - 3 Match Penalty Notice

Good player and a liability.

Opportunity for someone to take this place away from him. Mamo deputised well last year, but I think Ashton outside of King would be a great threat. Even if he went for Roebuck for a more robust type of winger, it’s a good chance for someone.

Silly again from Lineham. Too many of these.

I think that is 21 matches Lineham has been banned during his time at Warrington. That is more games than some people play in a season. Perhaps he ought to volunteer 3 weeks work to one of the charities that we support as some form of penance.

Can't see him getting a new deal and doesn't deserve one.

I agree, but I'd be disappointed because on his day he's a decent finisher.

In reality, there's no excuse, the amount of service that he gets compared to the other flank, so it can't be frustration. It's not as if he's gone in hard and they're 50/50 calls where we could say he's unlucky. It's not easy to see where he's been provoked and reacted . No, Lineham's and ergo our problems are of his own making, borne out of either his decision making, or his stupidity both of which are unacceptable in professional team sport.

My question is, is he working his ticket?

Get rid, he is too much of a liability

Austin is an international winger......

If that's the case UR he's even dumber than most of us give him credit for. If he stuck to playing the game to his undoubted ability he would be an asset to most teams but his repeated brainfarts make him nothing short of a liability taking up salary cap space.
It would be difficult for him to negotiate an acceptable deal with Warrington or anyone else when the other side have a list of his visits to the Red Hall in front of them.

You wouldn’t mind as much if we was a prop with a bit of grunt (what we lack) but the blokes a winger FFS.

I love lineham and think he's a brilliant Winger, but yeah i wouldn't offer him a new deal at the end of the year. Ashton to take his spot and Lineham will have to work extremely hard to get back in to the team.

Ashton is not a winger, I repeat, not a winger!

Will be glad to see the back of him. The brains of a rocking horse.

I do like Lineham, he is capable of scoring some great tries. And I think he’s been a little hard done to in this instance, three matches for a little shove seems a lot.

But if it is as many as 21 matches, there’s really no excuse. That’s not all review panels being hard on him.

The thing is, I don’t think he’s stupid. Listen to his post match interviews. He can clearly think for himself, he can be funny and doesn’t trot out the poundland media training clichés that every team seems to rely on.

Bit of an oddball.

Curate’s egg of a player. I like him, but last seasons incident followed so closely by this means he is a liability so it’s a no from me.

Which means currently of our 2 1st choice wingers, 1 is missing and the other is unrecognisable as the player of old. Youth may be given its chance!

Lineham did improve when Price took over, and for a stretch he was a pretty good player. But now he's one of our uncomfortably large group of players that are standing still or sliding backwards and he misses a lot of games.

He has had a decent try scoring record through his career but he's been up and down, had injury problems, suspensions, questionable decision maker sometimes, and we did pay a lot of money for him. At his age now you know what you are getting with him, he's not an upcoming player with potential if he can iron a few things out.

He's one of those players that people on here list when they are trying to make arguments that our squad is just as good as Wigan/Saints we just need a better coach. When he leaves us, I bet he won't get picked up by Wigan or Saints.

When Powell takes over it will be revealing to see which players he moves on and what clubs they sign for: it will answer a few things about the quality of Price's squad.

He’s also not the best fullback in the squad, can’t play anywhere else other than wing and offers nothing from the bench. If I were him, I’d take my chances on the wing.

But he’s a genuine game breaker and our fastest player. You play him fullback with Ratchford at lock.

Whether he ends up at FB or not, Linehams's stupidity opens the door for Ashton. Being on the wing needn't dampen Ashton's attacking impact in the same way it didn't lesson Jason Robinson's, for example, another player who didn't start his career at winger and probably wouldn't have felt it suited him.

Of course having a coach who doesn't use his wingers as extra props would help.

He is though, he plays wing or Fullback.

I understand this notion of Ratchford as a loose forward, but it would sanitise an already unconvincing pack in order to make space for a fast player and expect him to create out of nowhere.

Ratchford is the best fullback in the squad, Inglis aside as we are yet to see what he can deliver. Organisationally he out ranks Ashton, he is VASTLY more creative in the third pivot role and has enough of a running threat to create and exploit gaps himself.

Ashton, at this stage, is raw speed. And that is good. But raw speed running at a flat, unbroken defensive line gets tackled pretty easily. We can’t squeeze out a pack member for another pivot and expect to make ground, break tackles and win quick play the balls. Cooper and Hill are under enough pressure for that as it is.

If Ashton is a fullback, and only a fullback, he better wait in line. But he is at best second choice. If I was him, I’d be banging on the coaches door forcing his hand to pick me on that wing and getting the chance to prove what I can do for 80 minutes.

Absolutely on the money.

It all comes down to what you think the job of a fullback is? Is it to be strong defensively? Be good positionally? Good under the high ball?

Or is to become a third halfback? To arrive in the line at pace at that precise moment in time to play that final killer pass that players such as James Tedesco and Latrell Mitchell are maestros at. It’s such an advantage in the modern game having this weapon.

I think you’re slightly overrating Ratchford especially as the third pivot. He’s decent in that department but he’s certainly no Brett Hodgson.

I think in Ashton, whilst yes he is nowhere near the finished article and will make mistakes defensively, I think his potential and his ability as an attacking weapon is tremendous. His try last year against Castleford where Currie set him up was superb. His ability to return the ball at pace and break the line outweighs Ratchford as does his ability to support players when we make a break ala Ryan Papenhuyzen at Storm. I rate Ratchford but I think Ashton gives us so much more in an attacking sense.

Can you let me know the last time Ratchford exploited a gap/beat a man please?