Quote ="Ron"So you based most of your post on guesswork..... why are people even bothering comparing two players in different positions... compare Mossop to Paul Wood, who may be battling each other for a 4 nations spot if Mcbanana doesn't keep picking Peacock on reputation.'"
I've always thought Paul Wood was one of the most overrated props in the league and remains so, but his error count will always prevent him being considered for England.
Metres stats in particular are always difficult to assess for props, as effectiveness in the collision is often more crucial. In terms of our clubs for example, Jeff Lima is regularly criticised by opposition fans for being dominated in the collision, but has better metres per carry (7.12) than the likes of Wood (7.10) and Prescott (7.0) who seem to more regularly win the collision - obviously some cheap metres are being made somewhere (i.e, kick returns, etc). In this context, on observation Mossop's main advantage over the aforementioned is that he wins the collision nearly every time and gets a quick play the ball. Therefore whilst his work rate and total metres is lower giving a slightly underwhelming appearance, with his average per carry (7.33) and general output (aside for less offloads and better discipline) more comparable to the likes of Carvell, it is difficult to find a statistical measure that distinguishes actual impact of a prop. People seem to rely on the narrow stats provided as gospel to justify a good player, for example James Graham is lauded too highly for his individual impact based on total metres alone, whereas it is actually his tremendous workrate and durability in terms of carries that marks him out as special rather than the actual quality of individual drives in the game (average per carry only 7.0icon_cool.gif.
Overall Wigan have three props (Mossop, Lima and Prescott) with surprisingly similar stats, but differing in actual performance and impact. Coley on the other hand appears to be in decline from an attacking perspective, but has measurables like aggression and strength in the tackle that arent attributed.
