Sam to have "head test" at the weekend, to see whether he can play on Monday. Thnx to Bilko on Twitter for that. Also we may see the return of Hansen against KR, a few weeks earlier than expected. www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... _1_3417262

Sam to have "head test" at the weekend, to see whether he can play on Monday. Thnx to Bilko on Twitter for that. Also we may see the return of Hansen against KR, a few weeks earlier than expected. www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... _1_3417262

pat.........he came into the line brilliantly on sunday.....and was safe as houses under the bombs.

If Sam's out, it has to be...

Pat to FB
Goulding to wing
Carmont back in at centre
Hansen in for Tuson (who keeps falling off tackles)

HH is still injured I believe

Quote ="dirtbag83"HH is still injured I believe'" www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... _1_3417262 “He’s worked very hard and done everything we’ve asked of him, and there’s a chance he could be right for Monday." Michael Maguire

Quote ="dirtbag83"HH is still injured I believe'" www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-w ... _1_3417262 “He’s worked very hard and done everything we’ve asked of him, and there’s a chance he could be right for Monday." Michael Maguire

Attack: Roberts full back, Pat left wing.
Defence: Pat full back, Roberts left wing.

Best of both worlds?

until Dobbo susses it out and puts the bombs to Amos.

Pat FB.......Amos not on the field

Pat to FB and Roberts on the wing with Goulding

Hopefully none of this will matter and the punch to the head will not have been too serious for Sam...

However, I really do think you're overstating Roberts' weaknesses under the high ball. I could say in response that it is rare that you need 3 players back on a regular basis for kicks, and that Pat and Charnley would take the majority of kicks - but I trust Charnley even less for high kicks than Roberts.

Roberts got caught out in out (returning) game against the best kicking game we have played against all year. He didn't struggle last year, or the year before. Roberts at full back with Pat on the wing is a far better attacking prospect than any alternative I can think of, and imo is no worse in defence than any others.

Carmont is expected back, so you'll have to choose between Goulding and Roberts for the wing spot. Personally I think Goulding doesn't deserved to get dropped - he played well on Sunday - his pass for Richards' try in particular, was superb.

I'd obviously prefer for Sam to play (and then the team picks itself), but I think it'd be interesting to see how we go without Sam in the side. Let's see who else steps up!

Amos isnt half the player he was last season.......ok......he was on the end of broughs kicks at the galpharm and had a sinker.

does every full back have a sinker against huddersfield?.......i doubt it.......which proves Amos isnt a full back.

clearly lacking confidence.......leave him out of the equation...we have better options imo

Amos for me.

Don't want Goulding on the wing.

Amos Roberts.........has made over 200 NRL apprearances at fullback.............. as well as playing some of the best fullback rugby I have ever seen at Wigan............ last season. This indicates that he might be capable of playing.................fullback.

Danny.......Brough's........kicks were some of..........the best I have seen. Any............fullback woul.......d.............have struggled with those kicks....plus there was no kick pressure.................................

Overall I thought he had a good................game. He ran the ball back well..........made over 200 metres............and as we put kick pressure on Danny Brough..............he dealt with everything else thrown at him.................

Sure he lacks confidence........but he is our best option at the moment...............as Matty Russell has never played anything other than U20's..........................and is not on dual reg........Pat Richards offers no attacking threat from fullback........and is more effective on the wing.

Pat Richards is wasted at fullback...........Amos Roberts is wasted on the wing...............IMO.

So what was I watching when he supported Goulding's run and got the ball and scored on Sunday? I thought he did quite well to move up into the line from FB, especially as he wasn't expecting to play there.

Whether he is more effective on the wing is a matter for discussion, but to say he offers no attacking threat from FB is quite clearly untrue. Plus he is our best player at catching the bomb. If Sam does miss out, I'd be surprised if MM went for anyone else at FB.

It's incorrect to say Richards offers no attacking threat from fullback, but I think to say he offers very little threat would be more accurate. What he demonstrated when supporting Goulding's run was simply good support play, something all players should be capable of. What lets Richards down at fullback is poor passing in the attacking line and an over reliance on simply driving the ball in rather than looking for the pass. It's hard to do a sweeping attacking move like the ones involving Tomkins when Richards is coming into the attacking line. That's where Roberts offers far more than Richards. Richards also doesn't really have much of a step or much agility, which I think is pretty useful for a fullback because often they are well marked and a player will charge out of the line at the fullback expecting them to get the ball. Tomkins gets caught out quite often by this but he can also step the challenge, whereas Richards isn't quite as agile and can be closed down too easily.

Why ?

Completely agree Cherry.Pie.

As for Goulding, whilst he hasn't done anything wrong at Bradford, in fact he had a very good match: Carmont is the better centre; Richards is the better winger. He would be my pick ahead of any other players for those positions, but the issue is we may have lost a full back. Beyond this position we just play our best.

It's obvious Richards is a different type of player to Sam, which makes comparing the 2 a little problematic. Support play is something we don't do as well as other teams, and it's easy to underestimate it's importance - in fact, a lot of players have made careers out of it! Pat showed on Sunday that he knows the right place and time to chime into the line in attack, which can be very useful. I agree that he doesn't have the stepping ability/elusiveness of Sam, and it would be hard to find a more effective attacking full back in SL (than Sam) - and I also believe Richards is better suited to the wing - but without Sam, Pat would be our best option at FB imo. Granted other players can play there, and if MM believes that Roberts is doing enough in the U20s to warrant another go, then so be it. I'd just be surprised, that's all.

That's not the Maguire way though, is it?! He's shown on many occasions that he's happy to change a few people about to cover for 1 injury (Lockers at 6 for example). The balance of the team is most important, and if that means a bit of shuffling, then that's what MM will do!

I agree with you in terms of what Maguire will do (although Lockers at 6 isn't exactly a new idea) and I do expect he will leave the team as it was at the end of last match, with Carmont coming in at centre, if Sam is injured.

I just can't see it as the best option for us, removing one of our best attacking threats as a poor substitute for another.

Dont you know? Goulding will always be a scapegoat amongst some fans on here no matter what he does. The 2 tries that Goulding set up were about as good a piece of centre play that you will see and if Carmont had set up those 2 tries then he would have rightly been praised to the heavens. However because it is Goulding some would rather just focus on the one bad read Goulding made in defence, and it is not like other Wigan players did that on Sunday is it. Likewise Joel has done one decent flick pass to set up a try while at centre and, despite fluffing quite a lot of chances there by being greedy, he can do no wrong there with some. Different rules for different players.

Amos at his...............best would be my..............numb..er one..................fb but...it's been a while...................since he was that.........................good.

I've just seen some brilliant Wigan kids on tv in the Widnes game, then come on here and people are still harping on about Roberts. For gawd's sake, move on.

Sam is obviously a bigger attacking threat from FB than Richards and obviously Richards is far more effective on the wing than at FB. But just watch the highlights from last season against Wakefield and Crusaders and Richards performances in them games. He was outstanding. Fair enough it was against weaker opposition, but them games showed what he offers from FB.

Your not wrong there I was in shock by the comment that's why I quoted why? I think people forget why goulding got his starting shirt for this season , the amount of try's he scored on wing last season and how solid he was . That's why the comment on Roberts on wing goulding no were near made me laugh , what a joke