There aren't really that many alternatives on the market so it may be better to keep the faith & let our half backs be coached to greatness.

There's a much better alternative.
Any combination of Ratchford, Bridge or Wheeler.
Any of these three as a hb pairing would give us the best team in SL.
No question about it.

We all seen what R&B did for 6 or 7 games last season, before then we couldn't buy a win, then TS tinkered and the results began to once more to stutter.

Results speak for themselves.
Put them back at 6&7.

The fact is Myler and GOB just aren't good enough, it is that simple, the reason we beat v St GI.
Not the ref, not the high tackles, not the obstructions... A pure and simple mismatch in quality of hb.
GOB did his best and like the thread says, has potential but he doesn't have it now with his kicking.
Send him out on duel registration until it sorted.

the kicking game was always going to be our biggest problem this season.

Last season it was bad... then we lost Monaghan.. which made it pretty much the worst one in the league.

Bottom line is we have no kicker to get us field position...... i still think we need an organizing HB with a decent kicking game... without one we are a bit like a rudderless ship.

2 seasons on now and the gaping hole left by Lee Briers is bigger than ever.

But to be fair to GOB.. i think he has been excellent this season. I think he would benefit hugely from a brilliant HB to play with.

Or this.

I had senior Koukash moment there, but it needed saying.
Yes smell the custard, we've got class and top draw players in all areas throughout our squad, holding up our current hb pairing that together don't measure up to any other in SL and perhaps some in championship RL.

Yes we will and have won games this season, but they have been down to a big effort in defence other than the attacking football we've seen throughout the TS era.

The St George last play / kick was of the highest quality. I think you'd be hard pushed to go out and buy a half back and be sure that he'd get anywhere near that level. Brisbane Broncos, for example, were very poor in comparison. I don't think it's that easy to go and get one off the peg. So for me I think we are best to work with what we've got ... but you never know?

Jesus H, we lose our first game of the year to an Aussie side in a 'friendly' with no impact on the league and suddenly we're atrocious and our hb's need shifting out?

Get a grip.

GOB & Myler stay.

Do you not think we'll be taking lessons from Widdop & Marshall's kicking game, distribution etc? That match will be played and replayed to the players for weeks to come and we'll see the benefit.

Don't you think Myler has been sat down in front of countless video of how to have a great kicking game over the seasons?
I stand by my comment that our close wins were due to having a monumental effort in defence over a creative hp partnership.

Anyways, very soon Myler if not this week will be dropped.
TS made comments about great one or two efforts was singling out Penny and Wheeler and then in the same statement without names said how we had one or two at the other end of the scale!??

That was obviously his opinion on Myler because only he other than one great pass and one good kick had an all round near shocker.

Mark my words, Myler will be dropped, if not next week, certainly very soon.

TS cannot ignore putting Wheeler at 6 for much longer, why do you think we signed him????

Wheeler at 6, GOB at 7, Bridge at 3 and Ratchford at 1.

This will happen.

So is RD contending that O'Brien and Myler, individually and collectively, are not as good as the current England stand-off and a near-legendary Kiwi scrum-half? Hardly a disgrace: in fact, where is the SL team with halves to match those two?

I am convinced if Ratch, Bridge and or Wheeler were at 6 & 7 we'd have beaten them very well.

Widdop was the clear difference between the two teams.
His kicking was flawless over and over.

Don't get me wrong over GOB, his game is developing steadily and worthy to continue at hb, Myler however isn't and hasn't.
Had we have had a footballer in with GOB we would still had of beaten St Gl, perhaps not quite as convincing.

Indeed, the current England stand-off was of true international standard.

Wheeler is a brand-new element, so we can hardly be surprised if TS doesn't pitch him right in at 6. As many others have pointed out, Bridge is clearly not a natural no 6 and has a VERY mixed record when playing there for Wire. Ratchford may well prosper alongside Wheeler [iIF[/i it turns out that the latter can be a creative 6, as Ratchford, too, is not a creator of gaps and spotter of line-breaks in the Briers mold, rather a dangerous broken-field runner who needs someone to set up such chances for him.

So, on Friday Ratch wasn't fit, Bridge no surefire miracle worker and Wheeler still working his way in for a place in the 17. What coach would not have played O'Brien and Myler together? Let's not forget, either, that Myler put O'Brien into the gap from which he scored.

Doesn't matter mate, it doesnt fit his agenda

I cannot deny that point As13
He probably had little choice and with current form of 2 wins with the hb's or Myler and GOB, TS doesn't have the reason to change and had to go along with it.
Now he has all the reason he needs to drop Myler.

Last season TS biggest mistake was to reinstate Myler imo, but I guess he had to give him the chance to prove his worth, and that's fare. But Myler let down again.

He has to be on last chance saloon this season. The appointment of Wheeler was to put pressure upon him to buck up.

TS cannot ignore this much longer out of sympathy, he's not the real deal and he never has been.
Bought in snap haste when the real money guy we ought to had splashed out on was Ratchford.

Hey we all think it, I'll just say it. No gripes on the kid but I cannot see his future here. Sometimes you need to put it into perspective, it's a job not a privilege, and he isn't doing it well for his pay grade.

I thought our kicking game was ok on Friday and good the week before at Hull.

What did Rubber Duck think about the quality of our kicking game at Hull?

I listen as good as I see.
What is your take?

I think a major problem with Bridge at half back is the amount of injuries he picks up & more or less every season he has a long lay off at some point, I am a great fan of Bridge's though,& i think his best position is centre.
As for Ratch ,i think he too is a great player & for many he is our favoured full back, but at stand off his reluctance to pass the ball would be a draw back as it was with Willie Aspinall many years ago.
Wheeler may be a good option but is overall fitness is still in question.

What alarmed me on Friday was that St G had two meaningful attacks in the first half & scored both times ,cutting through our defence easily. On the other hand, at times , we look as if we could spend 80 minutes camped on an opponents try line & still not score but we are much more dangerous from broken play further out from the try line. A player we will miss when he retires will be Mickey Higham....he seems to have the greatest nouse close to the line.
I think may be O'Brien 's missed penalty to touch could have played a big part in the result because we could have had six tackles from half way providing nobody dropped the ball.

I cannot comment Paul as I shamelessly didn't go.
I had work commitments.
There was precious next to nothing the SL show too.

Too right 9A
GOB simply doesn't put enough height into his kicks.
Not enough height to find touch, not enough height to give the fb something to think about with a bomb.
These are simply fundamental errors. GOB can fix them, he needs to start doing big weights on them legs. His running game and handling are very good and improving.
Myler however is not.

Did GOB not put enough height in his 40/20 at Hull?

Did GOB not put enough height into his 40m winning drop goal at Hull?

Why are you asking me those questions?

GOB sold one of the worlds best fullback's an outrageous dummy on Friday, running 40m to score.

The 40/20 and the drop goal decider last week against Hull.

His vision straight from the kickoff in one of our friendlys to put Penny away from our own half.

His solo effort last year against Wigan.

I don't know what more he can do.

Fwiw I think our kicking this season has improved, we've turned the opposition around a good few times this year but still not every kick was perfect, just like most teams.

Some of St G's kicks on Friday were diabolical but we aren't mentioning those ones are we? Just like we aren't mentioning the kicks we did that turned their fb and wingers around.

Same old story I'm afraid. We lose a game and the doom brigade roll out suggesting we chop and change a strong side and bring in someone new to plug a nonexistent gap.

Briers was brilliant for us and I love the guy, but a brilliant 6 hasn't won us the GF has it? Defence and a strong front row wins silverware.

We wrap up our sloppy errors and unnecessary offload attempts and we're golden.

Don't get me on Briers vw.

I'm not knocking GOB. I want him to improve on areas. He puts in great kicks in play but his bombs are little more than an up and under.

He ought to be trying to put snow on every bomb.

O'Brien is a talent and is developing we will see the best of him as the team improves overall, Myler I believe plays as TS wants him to play but that alone may not be enough, he did nothing wrong on Friday but as others have said he needs to kick on, in general I was more concerned about our line speed at times but that is a team matter not just individuals.

O'Brien I believe will see out his potential.

I didn't see anything wrong with his bombs on Friday either!! They were just well diffused by a good side