Nope.

Tomkins is a great free running RL player.

But he's not a silky centre like Carmont or Gleeson and I can't see him getting that good either.

For me he's the guy to replace Hoffman next season at 2nd row.

I totally agree and have been saying the same for some time. He is a much better second row than centre and has a lot more potential in that position. At centre he is very average and I have not seen any evidence of him getting any better there either. He is still making all of the same mistakes that he has always done there, such as those you highlight, and he just lacks the skills, agility or acceleration to be effective there.

joel for me at second row easily becomes lazy, and despite having good performances in that position can just as easily have unnoticeable performances where he does not stand out. centre forces him to play every game seriously and despite mistake at the moment, i think he will come good

I have stated my postion on the matter weeks ago. He is a back rower.

Interesting to see the views of those who argued to the contrary.

It'll be interesting to see McNamara's take on this - will he select Joel as a 2nd row, or will the move to centre put a temporary halt to his international career?

It was also pleasing to note that whilst Wigan fans can be a bit down on Joel at centre, I had a look on the Leeds board who were rather more upbeat - "how good is he at centre" being a typical comment, possibly because they are used to the style of Senior who is the player that we would all like Joel to come close to.

Joel is doing OK. He's filling in as well as Bailey ever did, and on his day can even look good. However, hes still learning and defencively the Charnley partnership looked weak yesterday to the well paced kick (not unusual for 2 big men to turn like ocean liners).
But he's is certainly a better back rower, so on balance, I think we are better with JT replacing Hoff in the pack and a new centre coming in.

Given that Charnley got rave reviews last year at centre, Im surpised we havent see Josh move inside with Goulding/Marsh on the outside.

Of the two, Goulding is a better centre than Joel. Joel doesn't seem to have the agility in his feet to step, gets carried to the line too easily, and needs to learn when to pass to his winger.
When he came inside for the last try against HKR, running behind the PTB, he broke the line and fed George. It was a wonderful move from a natural forward.

Seems some people conveniently forget that he's still only had a handful of games at centre, and he's clearly getting better every game as he learns to play the position.

I think the Leeds fans are right, for once, and comparisons with a young Keith Senior are entirely valid.

except that Senior started life as a winger



agree tho that Joel will be as good as Senior with more experience and an off season coaching

What I would like to see is if Carmont is rested or out injured,switch the centres.
The other week when George missed a match Joel stayed at No 3 and Goulding was brought in at left centre.
Next time it happens put Goulding at 3 and move Joel to left centre,we allways seem to have more space when attacking down the left whilst allways seeming crowded down the right.

By doing this Joel would have more space to work in and could prove devastating with Pat.

Good filler, as the potential

Just wish he would score a few last tries

I am not. Charnley has always been primarily a winger throughout his time at Wigan, both at academy level and in the first team, and is a natural winger. He is doing well on the wing and he should stay there were he is most comfortable.

That's not strictly true. In fact he said he never classed himself as a winger, but he made his début on the wing against Widnes because that's where young backs were often put into the first team. He was always considered a centre.

and iirc sean edwards played on the wing early in his career.
i cant actually remeber senior playing wing....i just heard him state that he started by playing on the wing, then had a laugh about it.

ill bow to your better memory this time........

I think that might be a chicken and egg scenario. Are we more more comfortable going to right to left? Or is it a deliberate ploy because the coaches trust George and Pat (and to a lesser extent Hoffman who is usually our left-side 2nd rower) with the set move patterns more than Joel and Charnley? It would be understandable if that were the case because they are both new in those positions for us and neither started the season there

Whatever we say about Joel's form I think he'll stay at centre for the rest of the season barring injury so I think we'll get plenty of opportunity to see what he's capable of there. Like I've said before he has the physical attributes to be a world-beater at centre but whether he can master the intricacies of the position, only time will tell. I think we'll know one way or the other by the end of the season