Didnt say drop him Matt .....
He`s done nothing wrong???? why because he kisses the badge and pumps hi fist (i love that by the way ) but he can do that at centre or wing.... his posistioning on defence is shocking and he has a lot to learn unfortunatley we are not good enough to give him that platform...
Donlan is wasted at any other posistion!!!

Donlan will continue to play for us for two years tops; Mort could stay with Leigh for the next 10 years, so give him the experience needed to become a top class full back and he'll manage it. Certainly doesn't do a young lad any good to be shifted about all over the place (I too love the Tim Henman style fist pumping and badge kissing btw).

I'm afraid Ian Mort has a long way to go before he can be relied upon at fullback. Fullback is your last line of defence, irrespective of attacking ability! A fullback has to be a sound tackler and be able to position himself to minimize the opposition attacking options, Mort is not improving in these areas! If Stuart Donlan is to add anything to this team we must, see him at fullback because, in the other positions he's played for us, he has not performed!

play donlan at fullback SIMPLES!!!

nothing against morty good prospect( for future)

paying a f/b to play wing/centre/standoff CRAZY. MAKING A POSITION TO JUSTIFY PAYMENT he is a full back honestly leythers where was he playing when sl clubs came in for him???????

He managed to give fev one of the softest trys of the season last night. I would also like to see Donlan given a run at full back with Mort on the wing as i dont think he should be dropped as he has been one of our better lads this year, i just think Donlan at 6 or centre is a waste of our major signing

Matt, I agree with your sentiments, but learn from the errors Widnes are making this season. Play your best FB at FB! Donlan is the best in this league in that position and Mort can learn off him - rotate if you like. But such a gifted player who is clearly uncomfotable at 6 is a waste.

Morty is a fullback end of and needs to learn his trade. He will be the long term full back at the club. The question needs to be asked can we afford for him to learn his trade in the first team at the expense of results? Maybe we should consider sending him out on loan to an NL2 club or other NL1 club.

Got to agree i'm afraid! Mort is making to many mistakes! if we were scoring plenty of points then maybe the odd mistake wouldn't be such a disaster but we are struggling to score so it is really costing us!!

He'll be a good un for the future but let him learn from Donlan, maybe rotate them for spells in a game!

Donlan at full back for sure, mort is not as good its as simple as that, the coach does not even have a hard descision

Agree with Matt.

Morty isn't the finished article yet but to make him the player he can be we need to persevere in the position we want him to develop in - dropping him or shunting him all over the park in favour of a relatively poorly performing SL has-been isn't a good youth policy in my book, and I thought that was what this season was supposed to be about.

He's also shown pride in the shirt and plenty of passion, so to favour somebody who may have gone further in the game at other clubs but is only here because it's convenient would be another poor signal to send to the younger players.

long after Donlan has gone so leave him at FB to gain the experience its better for the team in the long run, it did'nt stop me screaming at the tv though when he let them score but this will happen more if they take him from FB hence keep him there.

thank god some people know the score. We look CLUELESS in attack cause watson is having to do everything donlan doesnt look intressted at 6 and doesnt get involved no were near wnough feel sorry for Watson

Donlan really has to be fullback. Tackling wins games and, a good tackling fullback 'will' win you games. I remember a Challenge Cup tie at Salford and John Woods, kept breaching the Salford defence only to be stopped by the Salford fullback time and time again. It won Salford the game!
Anyone see that game? I think David Stephenson made some last ditchers also! The last time he made any tackles, I THINK!!

The thing is if Donlan goes FB and Mort slots in "elsewhere" then time comes that Donlan leaves us what do we do go out and buy another FB or put Mort at FB again where he wont be any better than he is now imho i think its best to keep him at FB now where he can only get better and for me he 's had more good days than bad in that position.

As i have said previously on here we cant keep saying we are building for the the future have been watching leigh for 35 years and we are always buliding for the future!!!!! We spent a lot of money on Donlan he is a full back the best in the league bar none so......YOU PLAY HIM THERE!!!!!!! end of !!! its all about winning we are in the results business and as someone else has put on here you cant learn last line defence when you cant rely on whats in front of you and at the moment we cant so donlan it is am afraid.. Again i will say i love mort passion thro` and thro` but its not going to do him any favours coming under the pressure he does each week..

Whilst we are talking Donlan and fullbacks, I remember seeing Donlan,Steve, at Widnes running through the Widnes defence before attempting to round the Widnes rookie fullback. Donlan was hot favourite to round him and score when, Rookie not only catches him but makes an outstanding tackle! Rookies name, JOE LYDON, 18 !

Might be an idea to try Mort at stand off in the second team and see how it goes.

Quite frankly I don,t think Donlan is doing us any favours at stand off.

I will say this though, I think Ian feels defeat, just like the rest of us.

Donlan came to us as a fullback. He needs to have plenty of room to spot an opening with the pace he has. England RaRa's found that out with Jason R., Put any player with ability in the middle of 12 forwards and they are going to struggle, I don't care who they are. Maybe Rowley will figure that out ,after you play us I hope.

Donlan looks a shadow of his former self.seems uninterested maybe the captaincy his weighing heavy on his shoulders.He was always a class player till his move to Leigh.Nanyn and Watson look to have a good understanding as they did when they played together at all their previous clubs.

Maybe put him in his natural fullback position not in the centres getting no ball or at 6 where he just shouldn't be playing!

Donlan was a quality player at Leigh before he moved on to Halifax, Huddersfield and Cas and he still is now. Class is definitely permanent and I am sure you would immediately see the best of him if he was to be selected at full back, where he would most probably prefer to be. I also rate Mort, but if we are discussing the form of Donlan, I have no doubt his form would obviously return in his best position.

Has he played a game on the wing for us though?

Simple aint it.....interchange them between the 2 positions also - will keep oposition teams guessing where the counter attack will come from and Mort will still learn under Stu.

Hallellujah!

Mort may not have had his best game for the club yesterday (and I'm sure he wwill be the first to hold his hand up)

Mort has saved us many a time this year with last ditch one on one tackles (and sometimes two on one). All full backs are under the spotlight in such situations and okay, he dreadfully misread a situation yesterday but that was not what cost us the match.

Neither was Morrisons knock-ons in the 1st half.

Neither was "Watsongate".

Neither was Armisteads "average" performance

Maden scored an extremely difficult try which many would have not scored in a million years and okay he missed a couple of tackles but this not lose us the match.

Nanyn scored a try that not many other players in this division would have scored and chipped in with another and without these we would not have been within a sniff of winning the game so a couple of "apparent" missed tackles did not lose us the game.

Whether a drop goal at 24-24 when pressing the Rovers line "lost" us the game we will never know.

A number of players gave below par/average performances and this collectively with some poor play options definately contributed to us losing the game.

Thank god for Watson, heres praying for Williams to arrive to compliment him and take some of the burden of his shoulders.

I still saw improvements in a lot of our play yesterday against a side which in my opinion is better than Widnes, however, there is still room for massive improvement. Okay so we lost, but I still feel we are moving in the right direction. That I am happy enough with as long as we continue to see signs of progression.

Was anyone not committed yesterday? I suggest no, and this is one of the biggest gripes a number of the keyboard warriors on here said that if we had that then it would be a start. We also tried to move the ball a bit more again than early season, again a point which a number were crying out for.

What do some folk want?

That's pretty well as I saw it too. I was disappointed, but did see some signs of improvement. That's all we can ask for, at this stage.