You're problem is if Tommy plays HB you only have one very mediocre hooker in McIlorum. Tommy is a worldclass hooker & great HB, but if he is playing hooker you are weak in HBs. DEacon can fit snugly into your plays but all he can do is pass, he has no penetration & pace. A new hooker or HB should be a priority. Tomkins would probably be the best SO in SL if he played there but he is a better FB. How pleased I am your achilles heel was exposed.

As you say Sam has'nt looked fit for a few weeks now,but to have the discussion about is he a fullback or a standoff is'nt as simple as that.
This season he has carried the team at times,by not only joining in from fullback but playing standoff on the 4th and 5th tackle. At other times when clearing the lines he has been in the acting halfback posistion,which should be the hookers job.
All this workload as well as taking the high balls from the opposistion and being the last line of defence in the tackling department means he has been taking a bit of an hammering for the last few weeks.
Fans keep comparing him with Billy Slater,what makes Slater that much better is that he plays fullback,joining into the line at the ideal moment and leaving halfback work to the halfbacks.
Last night Sam was seen to be limping a few times,I hope if he has a problem he his given time to rest the injury or get it sorted and not be left to carry an injury through the 4 nations. I really think Sam is showing signs of burnout given the workload he has had to carry this season.

I think he's better in the halves, but it's tough to argue that he hasn't been effective at FB.

I'd also be very surprised if he wasn't injured for the playoffs. He's looked jaded these past three games.

This. The guy you've missed and not replaced this year is Riddell. Despite improving your pack with Lima and Hoffman you haven't had anything like the same go-forward.

At the start of the season I thought Wigan were crazy playing Tomkins at FB not 6, not least because I thought his defence/positioning/catching wasn't up to it, but he's learnt and improved on that with experience & looks a very good defensive FB, as well as the obvious attacking threat. But as said above, like Chase at Cas, when he's your only threat the good teams can work out ways to blunt him.

The truth is probably that Sam has just ran into average form for the first time in his 18 month spell at FB! Did people really expect World Class performances from him everyweek for the next 10 years!!!!!
Players have spells of good form, average form and bad form! It happens

Best FB in the World?

World class attacker but issues with his defense - three of Saints tries last either went through him - Gaskill or where he should have been Roby and Wellens.

Sam T is a very good full back but I think he is more effective playing at 6 as he is more involved in the game. I for one feared him more at 6

all season we have had no half backs with speed who can run into gaps finch and deacon r to slow and most of the time we run to flat bordering on forward passes or they lead to us dropping the ball. Also i think are forwards are like wet Farts. Carmont looks buggered as well and a bit thick keep picking ball up in dummy half and running into markers.

leave sam and pat alone,they are in the best positions.what we need is a hooker to replace piggy a strike centre and move joel back to replace hoff and a new trent lookalike in the halfs.finally thanks madge for making us feared again,just one cock up we should have put the reserve team out to play the welshmen,

Every defence knows what Sam is going to from full-back. It was the same with Brent Webb who has also gone pretty quiet recently. I have always been of the opinion that he is better at stand off as he has even more influence over the game, he has such a creative rugby brain. He is also.a cracking defender in the line, full-back leaves him exposed.

A strike half, big forward and strike centre and Sam can play anywhere on the field.

As it is he is our only realistic threat and as such defences can mark him out of the game. Further strike players will give defences so many more problems and also allow Sam more space.

I would put mellor 7 sam 6 matty russell 1 and put finch hooking hes miles to slow.

Sam at fullback provides a perfect opportunity for a player like Mellor. We're crying out for a halfback who can run with the ball and cause problems for a defence as well as doing the basics. Rather than move Tomkins out of a position where he's been a consistent threat when on form and having to reshuffle the side, almost certainly putting a less than adequate replacement at fullback, why not just try playing an attacking halfback in that position and leaving Sam where he is. I certainly think the way that defences focus on Tomkins so much during games would provide a good opportunity for a running halfback to create some space.

very very good player but yet again we see a certain section of fans making him out to be a super hero ffs, the needs to learn when and when not to pass the ball on a couple of occassions last night he should have passed but didn't as well passing when he should have retained possession, like Faz in his final years it looks like we are relying on Sam to much.

A fully fit Sam has so much talent, he would be brilliant at any of the three-quarter positions. Maybe though, given that Deacs was completely burned out and Tommy is more effective at hooker, we should have moved Sam back to stand off. having said that, what happened, happened. Just hope he doesn't play in the four nations and gets a long, well deserved rest.

Quite right; he looked more like a turnstile when Gaskell went past him.

second that

IMO Tomkins is a more dangerous player at fullback even if he receives the ball less there. When he does receive the ball he is more likely to have space and time to run, be running onto a ball where he can sniff out some space, and also more likely to be fresh. I don't see him as a player that commands a game more as a player who makes decisive contributions, he might make 3 or 4 big plays in a game that lead to scores. Also having him out of the line makes it more difficult for opposition teams to target him, you can't say "run at the fullback to wear him out" like you can say run at a player in the line.

He only has space to run sideways, he can't move forward because he gets the ball behind the attacking line and has to run round the back by which time the defenders have met him.

Full back is Sam's best position.
We will have Wane as our coach for next season and with his history in coaching the youth teams at Wigan I do think he will give lads an opportunity when a position needs filling.
Our U20s are the best in the League and have proved it again by winning their GF for the fourth year on the run. We would be very foolish not to give these lads a go in the first team when they are so good.
Deacs may retire and if not isn't going to play every week. Mellor can play at 6, he will have experience all around him with Finch and Lockers. SW will try him there next year I'm sure.
If Sam were to have time off for injury or rest then SW will put Russell in there. Pat's been there and not really done it. Time to promote.
As for forwards.
Props we'll have Fielden, Lima, Prescott, Mossop and SW can promote Spencer and Crosby when he feels the time is right or due to injuries. It is rumoured Dudson is being signed and he plays prop.
With second rowers we'll have Hock, Hansen, perhaps Lauaki, Farrell. Tuson and Hughes who will have more game time next year, also Joel if a centre can be found.
Lockers at loose.
The one difficult one is centre, we need a right centre now and a left centre when George goes. Filling both those positions is the real problem the club faces.
Full back is not a problem, Sam is the best around and if he's not available for some reason then it's time we promoted Russell.

Great post. Im encouraged about our whole team and the future of it with the players who are coming through except the centre spots. Just look at the rest of our squad and it has quality throughout and some great young stars. Centre does need sorting out but all teams will have problems to sort out and i still feel we are in a very strong position compared to others.

Everytime Sam has a couple of quiet games this gets brought up and it's balls tbh. He's a freak of a player and can play both positions superbly well but when he has a quiet spell it doesn't automatically mean he's in the wrong position and vice versa when he has a run of brilliant games.

Sam's long term position will be decided by circumstances. If say Matty Russell develops as he could at fullback we'd have a devastating 1 in him and 6 in Sam. If on the other hand Mellor pushes through at 6 we'll keep Sam at 1. We may sign a class halfback and that will keep him at 1.

All ifs and buts but one thing is for sure he's a great player and it's such a shame we don't have 2 of him. I'd love to have him at 1 and his clone at 6.

Sam Tomkins is not only one of the best attacking FB in the game he is defencivly very good as well. If anyone thinks he is not a full back then tell me why is he in the running for MOS as a FB.

Best british fullback by a country mile.!