Before anyone starts panicking, I am not talking about George leaving the Club I would just like fellow fans opinion on what will be his best position gong forward.

This question came to mind after reading an article in todays M,E,N, see below.

I copied the M,E,N link but it would not load, there are some interesting comments in the article, so I hope someone brighter than me (probably most of you ) can put it up.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... e-10204606

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... e-10204606

In the modern game there is not a huge difference between 6 and 7 - it seems to vary from team to team who does what, unlike the past where there was a much clearer distinction between 6 and 7.

I suspect the issue will be more who plays alongside Williams and how the roles are spilt rather than specific 6 or 7 roles. Williams has done very well this season (Wane does know something then) and next season I think he will be even better with more experience - also having Sam Tomkins around may help as well taking some of the creative load off Williams as at times he has been the main creative player for the team.

I just hope that fans/media do not put too much pressure on him next season as he is still a young and relatively inexperienced player after all!

I don't think even the Wane haters believe he knows nothing. He certainly deserves recognition for standing by the lad, even if he did have reservations about his best position (IIRC Deacs almost persuaded SW that George would be best at hooker?).

As a junior, he was scrum half to Ryan Hampshire's stand-off. Surely this should be the long-term plan?

What's the difference between a "play-making six" and a 7?

one rolls the ball through a tunnel between the forwards , the other doesn't

Two options for me which are either

Hampshire & Williams

Or

Sam & Williams with another FB (not Hampshire).

I'm a massive believer there Sam would be the bestate HB should he move there. At his time of switching to FB he was, imo, the best HB in the league and was only really breaking into the team.

Positional play and names for positions have moved all by all accounts.

If I was new to RL I would be confused by the naming. I mean do RL centres play in the 'centre' no, they're one in the from edge. Does the scrum half always fed the ball into the scrum and play off the back of a scrum? Not really. List goes on, props don't really prop up the scrum and the hooker doesn't really 'hook' the ball in the scrum anymore.

Even coaches/players now refer to new terminology, 'outside backs', 'middle' 'left pivot/right pivot' dummy half etc.

I think this is where a lot of confusion regarding positional play comes from, teams can play with a 'left pivot/right pivot' with the 6 and 7 mirroring each other on either sides of the pitch, or play more 'old school' with the 'stand off' standing the scrum half linking up as the 5/8 in the line as the second pivot/receiver, this role at times is now more commonly associated with the FB who often plays second receiver on either side of the pitch, effectively playing like a old school 6. (Edwards use to play off Greg etc).

In the long run you'd love to think this will be the case but it's unlikely. Matty Smith might not have the running threat of either of these two but I think his kicking game (from deep) keeps him in the side and will continue to do so under Wane and our current style of play.

Wane can't win with Hampshire and it's become a stick to beat him with and has also heaped huge pressure on the lad himself. I'd love to think that next year Wane will be able to give more opportunities to Hampshire but in the halves and not at full back. Sadly I believe thats the position Wane sees him in and without an injury to Tomkins he'll play no more then 5 or 6 games which won't see him develop again. He'd have been better going out on loan this year and playing a full season somewhere.

I'm stumped with Hampshire who's fault it is that he's not played more or even if anyone is at fault at all tbh.

Good to have lots of option for next year

I’d like to think that eventually Hampshire will partner Williams but I don’t see how he will ever get that opportunity unless an injury gives him a sustained chance, even then Wane would probably give Powell the opportunity. He is too good not to be playing Super League IMO so suspect he will go to one of the other big sides and we will carry on as we are until either Williams gets poached or Smith retires, with Shorrocks probably coming in by that time.

you just get that gut feeling that Rocky will turn out to be another "Sean Long" he will go to another big club and become our nightmare and tormentor in the future

FWIW I agree about Smiths kicking game keeping him in the side but for me that's one part of Sam's game that's massively underrated.

Smith is a decent guy and a good pro who has offered us much needed stability but he's also a limited player.

I think he should spend 2016 on loan at a SL club. For all the hype around him at junior level, he's never looked like a superstar when he's played in the first team. He was given a very good opportunity early in the season, he was first choice FB for around 10 games until his performances dropped and Bowen was put back in and hasn't really looked back apart from a couple of dodgy incidents. I've never bought into the criticism that he's being played "out of position" because from an attacking point of view he should relish the extra space from FB. 12 months at someone like Salford, HKR or Widnes should go a long way to telling us how good he really is and not how good he's been built up to be IMO.

Rocky has played around 19/20 games this season, he has been promised more time in the halves next season and I think next year will be his breakout year, there is the option of another year on his deal in our favour after next season so I fully expect him to have cemented his place (If good enough) by the time we risk losing him

I can see him being our captain in the next couple of years or so.
Once he becomes a senior player within the team I can see him kicking on again in terms of his ability. For me he is already the best all round half back in the competition and with him being a Wigan lad it makes it that much sweeter.
In terms of his best position it has to be at 7 with either Sam or Hampshire at 6.

He did a Q&A on twitter this evening and said he prefers playing 6 over 7 and 9.

As someone has posted earlier in this thread, at times George has seemed to be our most (or only) creative player which means that by playing mainly on the left when we go right the creativity isn't there. This is borne out by the fact that the most clean breaks have come down the left, either by George breaking himself or when he backs up a break created by others.
As my user name says at times I am still in the past (getting worse) I am thinking back to when the scrum half was the fulcrum of the team who would be the most creative player on the pitch.
As someone has said things may change when Sam is back, but I just hope that Sam being back does not stifle the blossoming creativity that George is starting to show.

He'll grow and become a senior player and part of the leadership team IMO but I'd guess Sam Tomkins will be earmarked for Lockers captaincy as soon as he calls it quits.

He’s had 15 games this season but only one of those has been a start at SO (as a result of both Williams and Smith being unavailable). I don’t see how it can be his breakout year if they only play him at FB, he’s never going to dislodge Sam Tomkins after all.

I think Hampshire will probably go out on loan to a Superleague club. He can't have a season sat on his backside not playing, it's not fair on him and not good for the club. The new reserve league hasn't been sorted yet and may include only a minimal amount of games anyway. If he does go out on loan I hope Wigan make sure they have a recall clause in the contract, we've been fortunate this season with injuries in the #1, #6 and #7 positions and I don't think Fell or Shorrocks will be ready for the 1st team next year if they occur.

This would seem a logical move.

A 12 month spell at his hometown club in Wakefield playing in the halves wouldn't do him any harm. We'd learn more about him watching him play there then we will watching him in training here or even in games (if he's playing full back).

We would love him at Wakefield for the next 12 month.

Wigan would be well served by this as it would give Ryan plenty of game time and avoid a great deal of travel time.

Trinity also have a good record of development of these type of players.

Kyle Amor was a massive recent example.

The danger for you is he might not want to come back.

Amor never returned to Leeds, enjoyed his time at Wakefield and is now doing very well at St Helens.

I'm not sure how much can be read into Williams / Hampshire playing together at U19 level. We don't have a lot of competition there after all.

My view is that Sam Tomkins should be playing in the halves, his pace has already slowed down from his peak a few years ago, and that move will take place sooner rather than later. Sam is a once-in-a-generation player, who will be a brilliant half back for years to come. Williams will play alongside. Hampshire will play full back, if at all.

We can't accommodate everyone. But - It's a great problem to have. After all Saints have no-one after next season. If Hampshire goes to Leeds or Saints, ask yourself this - which 2 would you rather have from Tomkins, Williams and Hampshire because you can't accommodate all three, IMHO of course.