Agreed - but given a choice between Tomkins and Barrett, I'd choose Tomkins every time - he's home grown and to see him develop into a world class player will be exciting to watch, whereas Barrett had reached his pinnacle long before he arrived at Wigan and frankly looked disinterested in his second season.

If we actually played rugby for the full season rather than trying to suddenly become a team at the end of the season in the big games Sam and the rest of them would not make half the errors they do in these big games, this is the reason why we cannot advance beyond the semi, they are more clinical due to being better drilled in game time.

Still I forgot, we are happy to support a team of nearly men these days who only play for 5 weeks a year but when the pressure is on come up with the errors due to the fact we have not practiced them in the season.

Yeah we all know that problems at home lead to Trent's on field performance, but how would you feel knowing you where the best player in your field, just to get shafted in the MOS awards.
But I just wonder what our luck would be like this year if Trent had honoured his last year of his 3 year deal. Trent, Tomkins & Tommy. In the half back roles.

You're either a dummy or a double-agent. Either way -

Sam probably wouldn't have got a game, like last year.

I know we will never find out but how good could Sam have been, if he would have had the benefit of an an extra year learning fom Trent???

Said a few weeks back how good would it have been if we'd have had Barrett at 6, Sam at 7 and Leuluai at hooker!

I'd have loved to have seen that.

I do blame the 's who voted the MOS in 2007, (

well done dicks) IMO Trents professional ego was severally dented and that was a big driving fact in him going back home. Lets face it some 40min punk gets MOS yet New South Wales want you to come back and play SoO. As an Oz what is he going to do???

Tommy came to us as a 7, and isn't a bad one.

He goes OK at hooker for me, I've never seen him set the world alight, but then I didn't see alot of the world cup so maybe he really is an awesome 9.

Our coach may well be playing him at 9, but only because our other hooker is injured. Tommy is the best 7 we've got considering sam has to play 6.

Still Nobles fault though

think his missus had more to do with it than anything. about 95% of it.

The only two things Brough would bring to Wigan is

1 - Penalties conceded
2 - Kicking Game

Tomkins is not anywhere near Trent Barrett's class.

I think what let us down tonight was poor choices on the last tackle or anytime we were in their half. Gardner knocked on early in the first half from a high kick - Francis Meli is never safe under a high ball but what did we keep doing? Putting little grubber kicks that went straight out. I kept screaming all game to put a high kick to Meli or Gardner. Saints did to Phelps and Roberts.

That said I didn't think we deserved to win or lose that. A draw would have been fair IMO.

This is off the cuff a but as it was obvious from last night that Sam T needs a playmaker around him.
Deadline day for this years signings has gone so we've to go with what we've got.
Perhaps if Piggy went to 6, Sam to 7 and Tommy started at 9.
I thought Piggy started forcibly last night and was making more yards than we anticipated. Often breaking their line and needing support.
Pig has played 6 at Parra and Tommy's fav position is 9. He started his career at 9 and it was Daniel Anderson who moved him to 7.
In the World Cup Wayne Bennett moved Tommy from 7 to 9.
So who's judgement would you go with Anderson's or Wayne Bennett's?
Just a thought thought about Mark Riddell. Maybe do that move during the match, I just think it could very well work!

Just give him time to develop what gets me is how certain be call him world class he is still learning give him a coulpe more years then bracket him as worldclass look at Luke Robinson he was meant to be the next big thing

Sam is still learning his trade as they say and has bags of talent which everybody can see, and hopefully will carry on to achieve great things at Wigan. But to me he's on the same learning curve as what Luke Robinson was on, they both as youngsters at Wigan had a big future, but for me for all the ability Luke had he couldn't grab a game by the scruff of the neck and do that something special.Now with a few seasons experience under his belt, i feel he has developed this skill at Huddersield.Basicly Sam needs game time at the highest level to develope this skill.Things take time and we need to pat the young lads on the back and not to nip pick at their developing game.

God some of you lot need a reality check.

Tomkins was very good last night but it was never a night for playmakers. The game was as tight as any game ive ever seen and in the end it could of gone either way. Saints had the better of the first half and we had the better of the second. What lost us the game was trying to force the pass to find the killer score. We just lacked a little composure and patience. Saints were out on their feet halfway through the second half and all we needed was field position and pressure but we kept turning the ball over looking for that killer try. In dry weather it might of been a different story.

Other than that i thought the tactics were spot on. Noble had obviously told them to kick early in the tackle count near their line and on many occasions had the execution been a touch better it would of worked. One that sticks in my head is Phelps kick for Richards. Just a bit lower and Richards would of caught it and scored. The kick Tommy put in early stood up in goal for an age before Saints defence got to it but the rest of the team just didnt quite react to it.

Conclusion we lost yes but that was the best team in SL on their own ground. If we play like that every week from now on we are gonna be very hard to beat. In the end Saints won the game with a try that on a dry pitch probrably would never of been scored. There was nothing between the 2 teams.

I appreciate that we have different views on Noble and i agree the tactics were spot on last night although i have to say i would have called for 2 straight away when we had a shot a goal in the second half.

The problem i do have with the way then team is coached is that BN asks his players to pull off the 50-50 plays at the business end of the season without them being prepared throughout the full season to do so. Our execution at times can be very good but as seen last night it was poor, the season is not just about getting into the top 8 it is about gelling combinations and working on plays so that you have more of a chance of converting that 50-50 play. Expecting them to produce the goods in the final with no real honing of those moves/plays in the regullar season has cost us in the past when it has come ot the elimination semi and cost us again last night.

I agree in hindsight 2 points may of been the better option but at that point Saints looked like they were down and out. Had we got the try it was game over. I suppose thats the good thing about hindsight though.

Im not sure where your trying to go with the last paragraph. Im pretty sure Noble doesnt go out to lose games at the start of the year. You and i have both made our thoughts known about Noble and i dont see any point in going back over it. The reality is nobody knows for sure if hes here next year or not but for now everybody should get behind him and the team. If he does get a new contract then im sure he will know he has to win more games early season and i think he will do as he wont have as many disruptions to key positions within the team.

Seeing as were looking for a scrumhalf I'm just wondering what peoples opinions on Joe Mellor are, I'm not saying he's the answer to are problems, I'm just wondering if those who attend reserve games know whether he could eventually make it to partner Tomkins.

What i am doing on the last paragraph is saying we need to hone our performances in the early season in order to have more chance of pulling off the top performance when it counts.

The last few years and indeed this we have gone from negative tactics for much of the season to then looking to play the big plays in big pressure games, we need to use the early season to gell the big plays not suddenly roll them out at the end of the season and expect every pass to stick.

Joe is o.k. but I don't see him making it at Wigan. He has decent pace but IMO isn't the organising scrum half we are looking for.

Thnx rogues, it's a shame if that turns out to be true, because he's always looked reasonably decent to me.

no need to look for a no.7 sam is a 7,a no.6 is top priority,certainly not brough

--as for sam being better than trent



get a grip!!!!

I think we're going to have to put faith in the club's hierarchy. With Sam's 5 year deal, he's the pivotal halfback we've been lacking, where players such as Long, Deacon and Briers have had different half back partners, there's always been that constant.

If we get a world class 7, play Sam at 6 and vice versa. He's certainly good enough.

no disrespect to Lulu - he'll makes a fine hooker - but we really need a number 7 with some class and nous. If Sean Long had been on there, he'd have ripped us apart...