I’m hoping Price persuades him to be patient with the dummy half role. He may get the chance to prove himself at half back when injuries arise even if he isn’t first choice in that position. If he goes to Wigan I’m not entirely sure what he offers them above Powell.

I don’t think Price is the kind of person that can be held to ransom. I honestly think Patton should persevere with current position, as an earlier poster said it was the making of Michael Monaghan.

Huh?...
You haven't thought that through Easy pal.
We have a pre-season and KE has more than that...we will know far in advance of 'perceivering during the season'.
If he ain't good enough at hb...he'll not be playing it.
However I know he is...you don't forget how to ride a bike...
I think KE will need the long pre season to slim back down to hb weight....then we will see that skill again.

As will Sandow. I can't wait to see Sandow blow away the Championship and the middle 8s too.
How long he will last there without temptation is another question altogether.

I'm referring to Patton being patient as he won't be first choice half-back. The thread drifted.

Kyle Eastmond, not for me. Centre...maybe, even then would he replace what we currently have?. Key half back after being out of league so long? Nah...there is a lot better out there if we look hard enough.

Arh sorry Easy pal...well Patton isn't as good as KE was, but he could have a role here.
There is some doubt over KE, and Patton is preferred over Smith. Patton only has to make himself un-dropable.
Everything is in Patton's own hands...waiting around has nothing to do with it...yes, under TS, as he had his favourites, but this doesn't seem the case with Price. Look at Livett. Your good enough to own that jumper you'll keep it until it's took off you.

Patton has the opportunity and his destiny is in his own hands. He'll not lose that bench spot. If one of the spine gets injured, cometh the man. If he fails, then he'll likely fail at Wigan too.

On here the view of Patton is quite split i think. For me, is he super league standard? Yes absolutely. Is he the standard of where Warrington aspire to be? unfortunately..... No, and hes had enough chances to try and convince me otherwise.

As long as he is in this squad he has a chance. I want him to succeed. I want Warringtonians in our team.

Price has given us the healthiest environment we've seen here in decades. The players have bought into it.

Not denying that RD. Same with Penny. We all want the Warrington lads to do well. Course we do. For me though...he isn't quite good enough for where we want to be.

Very happy for him to prove me wrong mind you.

I know everyone thinks Patton has had his chance at HB but there are chances and good chances. Look how much better Kev Brown has been behind a decent pack this season. Gaz O'brien also suffered from playing behind a weak pack. Tyrone looked fantastic last Saturday but the space he had was due to a dominant pack making plenty.

Exactly.
Been saying it forever. All Brown has ever wanted was to play behind a strong pack. It's no wonder he was always getting injuries. Trying to go forward by himself.

Where exactly should we be 'looking hard'? The fact is that there are very few high quailty half backs in SL and it's likely that even a straight-back-from-Union Eastmond would be as good as 90% of those playing in that position now. His potential for being much better is high.

With regards to Patton, he came into the team at the back end of 2016 and looked inexperienced but not massively out of place in A LLS winning team. In 17 we made NRL / NSW and ex kangaroo players look bad. We made Brown look bad when Bennet still had faith in him to take him to the world cup so all through last year and the early parts of this season is maybe not a fair reflection of Pattons ability at halfback. He has done ok in short spells at 9 but we still dont know what he can do at 6 or 7 playing in a team that is full of confidence and playing for each other (which they werent until April 1icon_cool.gif. Maybe the spells at hooker could be a longer term plan to toughen him up and for people around him to start to trust him, the forwards can get used to him calling the shots from 9 so that if he does have to drop in at halfback and he will be hearing all the calls from Brown and Roberts. I have not given up on him yet.

This Patton debate would have been super toxic if we had been struggling.

Aussie coach comes in, keeps home grown halfback out of the side in favour of big money Aussie import who is apparently undroppable despite indifferent form, and is now playing him out of position, meanwhile Wigan are apparently set to sign him.

That should have been debate of the year on here!

But a winning team, apparently happy camp has strengthened Price's position amongst the supporters.

Fair post Sally

A more relevant debate might be what is Patton's best position. I've always thought he lacks the pace off the mark to be a top half-back but he's looking like he could be a very decent hooker.

Patten is handy on the bench...much more value than Dwyer had been.
A bench of 3 forwards and Patton will win us the double.

Not sure if the door closes on young Smith now.

I'm finding it difficult to believe that Wigan see Dec Patton as a first choice half-back. Mind you I have been wrong before.

You could argue he's as good as Matty Smith and James L...they are both champion players for Wigan.

I agree, but they do have a habit of developing young talent further. One could also argue that they find it difficult to believe that Warrington see Kyle Eastmond as a first-choice halfback or centre. In both cases, time will tell!

It's strange that some are thinking that Eastmond might play centre in League. He will be being lined up as a Stand Off. He plays centre in Union but that's totally different.
re. Patton ... Wigan will have to be very clever if they can give him extra pace off the mark.

I agree.
I said it before. He needs the extended pre season to condition himself to lose fat. He'll be right come 2019 for hb.
Everyone seems to judge the book by its extra covering.

Why, it's where he ended up for Saints? He was good with the ball at 6 in terms of ability, but when he was with us he was literally terrified of taking the line on. At centre he was dangerous as early ball would give him plenty of room to use his pace. Those who have watched him recently are questioning whether that pace still exists and for me that's what will decide both where he plays and whether he'll be a success.

If he still has pace the logical place for him to play is fullback. It's where he'd be playing if he came through the league system now.

He'll get that pace back when he loses a stone.
....yes I'd play him fb and get Ratchford back at 6.

Ratchford at 6? Quelle suprise....he's fine where he is at the moment IMO, decent under a bomb and joining the attacking on both sides, where previously he, or may be we, went predominantly left.