he isn't gonna play for england anyway, unless someone mcguire or myler gets injured, TS has stated that STomkins is just going for the experience this time.

fielden on bench . smith starting . sam not playing. might all be rumours though

Team news on Sky said Tim Smith would come straight back in for Sam Tomkins.

Again not happy if true considering he has such a big say on the 2nd half last week and the fact that he more then likely will get a rest next week.

If things go well without Tomkins against Celtic i don't expect to see him in the first team for a good while.

The way i read that was Smith was back in the Starting 13.

Think the ones to miss out will be Joel and Mike Mc tonight saving them for a big game next week.
When Joel will go to LF and Mike Mc to SR with Veivers going to FB and Phelps to SO.

Hope your right(that Tomkins doesn't miss out).

I'm all for giving him the odd rest but he got that for the Hull KR game and will more then likely get another next week.

We're a better side with him in it and he has to have a place somewhere in the 17.

Totally Agree - Plus with not having Sam next week, McIlorum is going to be our young bright spark so he has got to be fresh for that.

Id Rather Riddell miss out tonight anyway

Its the first year for a very long time we have had so much competition for places in the squad.

Just go's to show as a club we are going forward next thing i would like to see and i am sure it will happen is we start to loan out some of the reserve squad to other Super league clubs and maybe some top NL1 sides like Saints and Leeds do.

We are only half way trough I.L. 5 year plan and already its looking good.

From what I am led to believe there will be no more players going out on loan for a while (maybe the rest of the season)
Wigan have been struggling to field a reserve and academy sides over a weekend, so much that they have had to bring in the likes of Kieron Richards and Mick Farell.

Smith and Tommy in the halves tonight, Piggy and Mac hookers. No Sam

Yup.

Shocking.

I just don't see the point in playing Riddell and McIlorum in rotation.

Although both are decent hookers, neither provide noticable impact from off the bench and it's a total waste of a squad space.

I don't get that decision.

It's because it's the easiest option at the end of day.

Times running out for Noble with calls like these.

The reality is we can't have Sam, Tommy, Timmy, Piggy and Mickey Mac in the 17.

One will have to miss out.
Next week it would have to be Sam. Is that the reason Noble is going with the other four this week?

We need to win the game this week though and we have to play our best side regardless of what will be happening next week.

Our best side includes Sam Tomkins without a shadow of a doubt.

Why not go the full hog if thats the case and leave Lockers and Hock out.

With the depth of squad we have now Noble has to make very hard decisions and pick the team he thinks will beat the opposition we face. It might upset a lot of supporters but it is good for the club to have so much competition for places.

If it was my choice I would have had Sam on the bench and Micky Mac as 18th man.
We are leaving out a player with "pace" and a good defender to bring in an organiser in Smith.

But, I'm not the coach, and don't see what happens on a day by day basis.

If it was my choice I would drop Riddell. All the other 4 players have had some very good performances over the last few months where although Riddell has been no disgrace he has not really set the world alight.

Where as I would have Riddell as 18th man.

I really hope that any squad decisions made for tonight haven't been done so with next week in mind.

We're not in a position to risk not choosing our strongest side possible.

It's great to have competition for places and it's something that we've been crying out for years to have.

When you do have that though you must use it right to get the best out of all the players. If a player preforms he keeps his place whoever he is and the guy who's out of the side through injury/suspension or whatever must wait his chance whoever he may be.

We do have to get Smith back into the side tonight without question which meant dropping a player but if we look at it on form then more then likely Riddell should have been the man to make way or at a push McIlorum but that isn't as easy for Noble to do as it is for him to come up with excuses for dropping Sam Tomkins due to his old duty of care(a line i've no doubt he'll trot out).

Not good imo.

I dont see why people are so shocked? Since Smith left Sams only been in the team by default and if Smith hadn't gone Sam wouldnt have played since. I cant see him or Ainscough playing for a good few weeks now.

FACT - We play our best rugby when TL is at 9 with Tomkins and Smith in the halves.

This is why people are getting annoyed.

I'm not shocked, I just find the decision strange.

For me, the halfback headaches all revolve around the hooking role. It's not the fact he hasn't included Sam that has me questioning the decision, it's the fact he has two similar players interchanging at acting halfback and it's simply swapping one style of a hooker for another with the same attributes which offers little impact. The better option for me, would be to switch Leuluai to hooker who we know can make an impact, and putting Sam into the halves with Smith, as we know he can more than play above standard requirements and also make an impact.

Simple.

I understand what your saying but he has to pick a side he thinks will win and if the side has not got Sam in then thats the way it is he is with the players all week and knows how they have gone in training we only see the end result. It might also be a destabilizing job on Salford changing the team from last week its not often you get the same side 2 weeks on the bounce is it could be a bit of mix it up so they will not be able to anticipate the play.

There could be lots of reasons he has not picked him if that is the case he could have a knock been a bit under the weather or as said before just mix it up for Salford or even Tony Smith might have asked Noble not to play him you dont know. I would think it just to give Salford a different team to play from last week.

If you have the balls to either tell a senior australian he's dropped or a guy more senior then Tomkins who's in good form that he's dropped but Noble hasn't!

A complete waste us even having a youth setup whilst Nobles here.