Sorry for the long title and the time since sources at the club said this but does anybody see a ready made replacement at the club?

Tony Clubb

Morgan Smithies

We don’t have one that I can see.

We have lads that can play 13 but we will have to significantly change the way we play.

Lockers said it himself but named three players rather than one. They were Smithies, Partington and Joe Shorrocks. I think he was just basically saying we don’t need a signing to replace him because of the young options coming through, rather than pinning his colours on one player.

Lockers is a one off at the moment, look how England/GB played without him in the last three years. The only other "ball playing" #13 that comes to mind is Adam Milner and he's nowhere near the same class.
As you say Wigan will have to play differently. Personally I would play Lockers from the bench but as a prop, similar to how Andy Farrell played late in his career.

As others have said, this will probably usher in a change in style. My preference would be to use the loose as an extra prop as other teams are doing:

P G.Burgess
H Powell
P SIGNING
SR Smithies
SR Farrell
LF Flower

S Bullock/Clark/Partington
S Bullock/Clark/Partington
S Greenwood
S Smith

I’ve said it before several times but the role of #13 is changing. The link between the halves isn’t the role anymore as props and back towers continually take over. I could see anyone of our props/back towers going to #13 but I think at the moment Smithies would be my choice (dependant on how he goes in 2020).

GB badly missed O'loughlin. There was no link up between the backs and forwards and nobody to hold the defence up like O'loughlin does when he goes right into the line and then passes.Nobody can do this anywhere near good as O'loughlin and id guess its years of practice that has enabled him to perfect it.

I think we should give Liam Farrell a crack at loose forward as he has a decent skill set at least until Morgan Smithies can grow into the role we need an experienced forward playing there for the forthcoming season

Faz would probably be my choice to play 13 at the start of the season because I would like to see Smithies played wider to ease the burden on him and I’d also like to see Greenwood back in the starting line up. We do not have enough strike and go forward in the pack to leave a guy like Greenwood out. He’s not the toughest but he’s always a threat and I think we’re a better side with him in it. I’d use Lockers from the bench and line up-

11-Smithies
12-Greenwood
13-Farrell

14-Lockers

Smithies is never a 13. Doesn’t carry the ball like a middle and doesn’t have the passing skills to link the play.

Flower can’t be long behind Lockers in retirement or being moved on; same goes for Clubb.

Partington shows no go forward or passing skills; so I’d rule him out.

Josh Woods missed a trick. Should have spent a season bulking to meet the physical demands of a ball playing 13. Was never going to making it as a half; way too slow.

Maybe it’s time to bring Owen Faz home. He’d be a 13 in league.

It has changed at most clubs but that doesn't mean we have to go the same way. I think it would be a real shame if we start to look at our loose forward as just another prop, particularly after 25 years of Farrell and O'Loughlin.

We learned to play without Lockers when he was injured .

No it doesn’t you’re right but positional/tactical changes at pro level do tend to trickle down into amateur and thus young players coming through will, eventually, learn to play in that style. The days of an inch perfect 15mtr cut out pass from a LF are almost extinct, it’s sad but most forwards these days can provide that halves link.

I think it'd be daft to move Faz. He is very good at doing what he does in a very clear and defined way. He isn't a ball player and isn't a middle.

Smithies for 13.

More 'daft' to put Smithies there.

Is picking the lesser of two 'daft' options really the best option to take.

Realistically we've got 6/8 months to sort out what we do when Lockers retires. For me the most sensible option would be to see if anyone steps up during the first half of the year, whilst also keeping tabs on who's available from the NRL. If we have to bring someone in then so be it.

Don't put square pegs in round holes. Either recruit someone in the 'ball playing mould' or play a prop there and go with 3 props.

Smithies doesn't have either qualities. He's not a ball player and doesn't have the go forward of a prop.

I think Smithies possesses some of the skills of a 13. Great in attack, has shown good link up play glimpses, good D and fitness wise he could go the full 80. 2020 is a make or break season for him in the LF sense - as it is for anyone else trying to stake a claim for the shirt. I do however think it’ll probably go to Faz which isn’t a wrong or bad move IMHO.

I agree with Owen Farrell being a league 13 but I just don’t see him coming back. England captain, earning 000’s more than he’ll ever earn in league. I can’t see it happening.

Great in attack? Never seen it. His go-forward isn't there. Never seen anything which would suggest he has the passing vision, rugby brain and skillset to link the play with passing etc from the centre of attack.

He does however have a great engine; great in defence (don't think anyone would argue with that) and 'put himself about'. I've said it before but he's far more a Harrison Hansen than a Lockers or even Liam Faz. I just don't see him suited to the role even if you go down the 3rd prop route.

We've been blessed with great 13s from Hanley (even Phil Clarke) Andy Faz and now Lockers. Maybe half the reason Lockers is still our 13 at 37/38 is the fact that the successor isn't there. Unless you're looking at playing a 3rd prop, it's clear to me it's time to get the shopping list ready.

Agree on the square pegs into round holes &, FWIW, I wasn't suggesting or advocating for Smithies either.

I was more pointing out that this isn't a sit on it and see what happens kinda situation. Realistically if Lam has any ideas on internal guys then he's only got a short window to see how it goes.

I think he is great in attack personally but each to their own.

The rest of your post though I agree with (other than the role suitability sentence). Recruiting a 13 is an option but I think it’s likely to go to Faz. He does have the hands, line running, engine and defensive capabilities for the role and it also resolves the ‘left sided second rower’ problem with Greenwood and Smithies (providing the former is still at the club) completing the back row.

Another option could be Bullock, considering Flower and Clubb just won’t be 13 and rightly so. Though I haven’t seen enough of Bullock to really say if he could be a 13 and if we do go the 3rd prop route like clubs seem to be doing, it would on the face off it fit into that mould and make sense.

I'm not arguing with you here, but what makes him great in attack? I like the kid, but if i have to think about highlights from last year the majority of them are defensive. I personally can't think of too many times he carved up the opposition, made a few breaks or slipped a few offloads etc.

Not aimed at you, but I'm massively conscious of extreme our fans seem to be. Everyone is either great (Marshall) or dog turd (Burgess) etc.

I'd be comfortable saying Smithies was great in defence and finding his feet in attack.

No I know and you make a fair point, his highlights are in defence I agree but I stand by my ‘great in attack’ statement purely based on the stats;

- 21 appearances
- 1 try
- 1227mtrs from 213 carries (5.76mtrs per carry and 10 per game)
- 23 tackle busts
- 2 clean breaks
- 4 errors

Now for me, for an 18yr old kid in his debut and breakthrough season, they are very good stats. Put them into context v Faz/Lockers and admittedly they aren’t as impressive but as I said in the context of him being 18yrs old and only just made his debut this season, they are very promising.

It’s also worth noting that his natural position is 13 and he played there for academy too.

Is he ready made and ready to replace Lockers? Absolutely not.
Can he develop into that role? Absolutely
Will he ever be as good as Lockers at 13? He has the potential but his style of play is different to Lockers’.

FWIW I agree entirely with fan extremism point.