A good kicking display last night but he cannot kick if he is not on the pitch. Do we build him up and play him at second row given that we have Greenwood, Farrell and others or do we play him in the centres where we already have options? I am not sure that he is the best option in those positions but we are still weak in the kicking department.

Based on last nights performance, I’d keep him at centre. It’s clearly his best position. I do still have my doubts about him ability wise but I can’t sit here and say last nights performance from him was anything other than superb. It was certainly encouraging.

We play him! That standard of kicking at Leeds wins games.
My preference would be centre. He will play 80 mins and early pens could get us ahead on the scoreboard. Converting 4 into 6 is so important.
We signed him as a centre so play him there. His attacking play committed 2-3 players into tackle him and he defended soundly against Hurrell.
A player who took his chance last night.

His goal kicking really is outstanding from what I've heard off Swinton fans. Having a top quality goalkicker can be important and it's something worth considering.

I'm not really sold on him being an option in the back row this year as I don't think he has the size to really offer much and he's not as 'all action' as Isa and Farrell who also lack size. Presumably Greenwood is going to come back into the mix somewhere so Farrell and Greenwood are going to play the full 80 and O'Loughlin will get minutes too so it wouldn't really be an option anyway if we need his goalkicking.

We might need to see a bit more of what he can do in attack to see if he has the pace or handling to be good enough to be first choice centre. Our right centre usually gets little opportunity in attack so we wouldn't lose too much and he seems to be a better tackler than Sarginson. The problem is Sarge is valuable for his carries and workrate and Hankinson doesn't get anywhere near that.

Our front row is still poor and even though Clubb had his best game of the season and is getting closer to the player he can be we got nothing at all from Navarrete, Bullock and Partington in terms of making the hard yards. It's the outside backs who are really having to put the work in. Players like Gildart and Sarginson alongside Faz and Isa are the ones we're really relying on to get us going. Apart from Clubb our middles were nowhere near good enough and that probably shows how bad Leeds are!

Better than some give him credit for. If he keeps playing well, keep him in.

We don't have a better defensive right centre at the club so play him there. Maybe if he gets a run there we'll start to see more in attack.

If Sarge plays it probably needs to be at fullback or on the left. We can't shift Gildart or Burgess so Lam will have to make a call between.him and Hardaker.

Right centre with Sarge moving to wing. I like Marshy covering but I’m not sure I could leave with of Sarge or Hank out.

He was great last night, hopefully starts to get the credit he deserves when playing in his favoured position.

Given kicking is so often the difference between winning and losing, add to that his defence is typically really good, for me he’d start right centre. (Questions why we would sign Bibby).

The question then becomes what do we do with Sarge/Hardaker. Personally I think Hardaker has been consistently one of our best in what has been a pretty poor team. His last ditch defensive efforts and ability under a high ball would give him the edge but would be unfair on Sarge not to be in the starting lineup.

At least we look to have some competition for places...

He did well defensively last night, but attacking wise he isn’t a threat. If we are to just have him in the team to kick goals we may aswell sign Jamie Foster and Barry Eaton.

With his high work rate and defensive capabilities and lack of an attacking threat I think second row may be the way to go, but he’d need to learn how to play that position in running good lines and put a bit of timber on. That is the only way he could have a future here, and even then he’d be fourth choice. I honestly can’t fault his effort I admire him for it, but we should be looking at better centres.

I think that's an idea worth considering. Gives Hankinson a chance to show what he can do at centre, keeps Hardaker in the side who's been one of our best players this year and means we don't lose Sarginson's excellent work rate and good carries. Plus there's scope to move those players around if something isn't working.

I like Marshall but his effectiveness is limited on our right edge because we don't generate enough space down that side. His carries (while improving) are nowhere near as good as our other outside backs.

For me I would give him a go at right second row his kicking means he plays. Hes got a bigger frame than Isa or Faz and his D is good. Faz moves to 13 we lose some of what he gives us when hes on that right edge at least in that role he can can have more effect. Result it allows Lockers and Isa to do prop stints along with clubb and Bullock solids us up a bit. I play Sarge at full back him linking on the left frome 1 helps George with options. He a average right centre half decent left centre and a good full back, Zak to right centre needs must at moment. Sammut goes 7 powell/Lulu to 9/bench.

In the short term keep him where he is and the same with Sarginson for me. We’ve not been good enough this year to put in a performance of a decent standard and then start leaving players out who were amongst our best in that performance. We need to build competition and a desire to win your place back IMO.

Based on that display last night, he starts at Right Centre until further notice.

We've not had a consistent kicker since Richards. That was 6 years ago.

You play him. Even if he were average...his kicking was deadly accurate and you carry him.
The thing is...he looks a handy player too.

Could we not consider Hankinson at 13. Playing at centre, which is his preferred position,would suggest that he has decent ball handling skills. He can kick and is if he packed on a bit more muscle would be a decent size and fairly mobile at 13.

Would also then give the option of using O'Loughlin at prop for short spells.

It's enough to make you think we don't really need Hardaker...

Yes. he's been one of our better players this season. But that's starting from an abysmal base. And he always looks like he's running through treacle to me. If people are happy with Sarge at full-back (I am one of them), and if Hank is a better goal-kicker than Hardaker, and we have options in the centres and back-row...

Set against all that, though, will Sarge even be at Wigan next season?

And i thought he was very high on the "Scapegoat" chart.... Fickle, fickle fickle...

Who?

Sounds unlikely which I thinks a shame.

We were having a conversation on the way back from the game last night about the loose rumours of a swap deal with Cas for Hardaker. It sounded a fanciful more that a concrete chance but the talk was Hardaker for McMeekan and if that was put to the club I wonder what their thoughts would be? They could get a good quality right sided second row to balance Greenwood or Faz on the left (or probably Faz at loose forward in time) with Sarginson bringing his energy from the back and in to the bargain potentially avoid the trouble you feel Hardaker may bring at some point.

All probably irrelevant but sometimes chances come along that make you make tough choices for the greater balance of the side.

Wing? Hardaker will come back in at FB, he’s too good to miss out, so Sarge back to centre and then it doesn’t really matter who his winger is, they won’t receive a pass anyway and Hank is more dangerous in the air.

I agree McMeeken would be a more useful addition to the squad. Faz and Greenwood are all well and good, but how often are they going to be injured?

BTW I don't see, and have never seen, why, given two left-sided second-rowers, it has to be the senior pro who'd played there successfully for years, Faz, who has to move to accommodate Greenwood, instead of the other way round.

The last three games I can remember Hankinson playing for us off the top of my head were last night at centre, on the wing at Magic and he came on in the second row at the Nou Camp. His performance at centre to those two before was chalk and cheese as it’s clearly his position. We’ve then got Sarginson in a position that is by a margin his best best but that then leaves Hardaker out of the side. It would be Hardaker I’d consider putting on the wing in Marshall’s place next week (Marshall doesn’t look fully fit with that knee to me). It minimises disruption and he’s been very good in that position in his career.

Why not leave Hanks at right centre Hardaker at full back for a few games and Sarginson on the bench after all he might be going next year any way .Sargison on the bench can play in the backs Hanks could move into the forwards if need be .Goalkicking has been a problem since Richards left if Hanks can kick goals then let him be the kicker .Having Hanks playing regularly could improve his capabilities as a team player.

He kicked one great kick from touchkine converting gillys try, next 3 were simple kicks which matty smith would have probably kicked one maybe 2 of and last one was pressure free. I was more impressed with his general performance as much as anything. I think its only fair that he is judged after playing 6 games rather that having him as the saviour for one good game. My opinion is that he is an average super league player who had a very good game on Friday but as i have said on many occasions until they have had a fair run its unfair to judge completely. Large sections of this forum slagged Wigan off for signing championship players? Does this mean the very same people will now give Wigan and IFL some credit for making good signings???

He did what he had been asked to do which was police Hurrell. Can he have an impact going forward? We really need to think about the balance of the team because at the moment we do not look a threat and games of attrition will not win the fans back.