In games against poor sides, he is better at 1. In big games he is better at 6.

I'd say Richards is the best FB at the club when fit. His height is just more useful on the wing.

He offers nothing in terms of kick return or attacking threat.

Roberts for me, would be a 1.

Tomkins needs to be playing 6 for me, he needs to get more of the ball in his hands and that is in the halves not at 1.

You have made my day.
I like Mickey Mac, but I argued with half the posters on here how good Riddell was during his first season.

He is/was a class act, excellent distribution, solid defence and a good organiser. Everything that Mickey Higham wasn't.

However many of the South Stand preferred a badge kissing scooter hooker. Now they are beginning to realise what an asset Piggy was.

1, while we continue to play with split halves. Otherwise what is the point of having a running pivot playing as a first receiver? Much more effective running onto the ball off a 7.

I say this even more considering our strike out in the 3/4 is now lacking after the departure of MG.

For Leeds I'd go with:
Tomkins
Roberts Tomkins Carmont Charnley
Finch Deacon
Coley McM Prescott
Hoffman Hansen
Lockers
------------
Tommy Lima Mossop Farrell

Also it's hurting us having McM playing 70mins plus, need to spell him.

Safe as houses under the high bomb and he runs it back like a forward.

He's not very good at chiming into the attacking line and playing as an attacking fullback though. When he gets the ball he tends to just run it in straight without even the threat of an offload. He doesn't really offer a passing option or even a kicking threat like Phelps did last year and Roberts and Tomkins do (although it's not often used) which means there's a risk of him stifling cross field passing moves.

Roberts looks below average at FB when played there this season. Against Huddersfield he dropped a couple of bombs and ran it back at a jogging pace.
I'm really disappointed with his lack of spark, doesn't seem bothered to be a first teamer.

Obviously Roberts was pants under the high ball, but I still thought he looked quite dangerous with ball in hand. Couple of loose passes to the wing as well but I prefer him at 1 than on the wing.

Roberts at 1 + Sam at 6 for me.

I don't get the sudden vibe to play Sam at 6 where in effect he's a first receiver. Better as a pivot, a second receiver. Now more so than ever considering we're weak out wide with the lose of MG

If we continue to play as flat as we have this year it does not matter where we play him. Our first phase is flat out second phase is shocking for trying to pinch the yards and sacrifice the depth.

We will click but the lack of depth thus far is the reason we are looking fairly average.

I agree, attacking from depth with runners causes more issues and decoys for a def to deal with, its an issue.

7 is first receiver, 6 should be running of him and creating

while it is not a system I like 1 half these days always seems to take one side of the field, with the other taking the other.

Personally as a player, coach and fan I always like to see my 7 at first receiver and 6 at second, regardless of where we are on the track.

I do like the 'older' system of a 7 as a 1st receiver, I loved the 'golden triangle' where the loose acts as a possible 1st or 2nd receiver offering options on the other side of the pitch keeping the stand off to play off the scrum half.
Something we could run at Wigan with Lockers as a ball playing 13.

Regardless of my previous post, in the up and coming months;
I think Deacon's kicking and organising is very underrated.

Sam (as second receiver)
Charnley (new centre) Carmont Richards
Finch Deacon
Coley McM Prescott
Hoffman Hock
Lockers
------------
Lima Tommy Fielden Tomkins

I think Sam is better at 1.

Deacon seems to get injured every time he takes to the pitch though, he really came up short in the WCC too, looked right out of ideas and has no pace either. He did a good job at the end of last year but his best days are behind him now and he's in danger of doing himself a serious injury. He needs to be used as back-up now if at all. Out of interest does anyone know what would happen if Deacs now retired from playing and moved to the coaching staff as originally planned? Would we save anything with regard to the cap?

1 for me as in my eyes is playing 6 at the moment he just defends at full back out of the way.
The game has evolved now the job description of each position is slightly different, dont be fooled by the number on his back.

Your full back is / can be your 6. This is the role Sam plays he just defends at full back which is a good thing as he cannot be targetted in the line.

Just because of one bad performance we do not need to make wholesale changes. We need Pat, Fielden, Joel and Farrell back and Finch needs some to gametime to gel with the team.

Play him at 6 and he will get targeted much easier, he's the most hated player in england at the minute and teams would just go for him. Let him learn the game at fullback for a bit, hes only been in the team two years and i feel giving him the key playmaking role would leave him open to abuse from our fickle minority of fans.

i mentioned earlier last week that we shouldn't have played sam at FB and although none of the tries conceded against wire were down to him alone, all i will say is i told you so



wire are too big a team to have a scrawny kid at FB. should have had roberts there from the off if you ask me for a game like that.

It's a hard one to call. I was initially happy to see Sam at 1 because he can come into the attacking line from deep and cause some serious trouble for the opposing side in defence and this happened a lot last season. This season however he has been less effective (perhaps teams are more aware of his threat or his link up plays are too similar so can be easily thwarted) & what's worse is Sam has to come in and play first or second receiver for some of the plays because our kicking game in the halves is shockingly poor.

I would move Sam to 6 next week and bring Amos in at 1 if Deacon is still missing with Finch in at 7 and move Leuluai to 9 interchanging with McIlorum

6

With Deacon at 7 on the downside of his career it allows a younger player to fill in, in preparation for the position. Bleed in Mellor or Powell throughout the back end of the season with aim to them being a natural replacement.

Exactly. Look at the top FB's in RL. The description would be speed to burn, save under the high ball but more importantly can link up in the attacking line as a first/second or even third reciever.

Watch thre NRL, people need to take note on how the likes of
Slater
Hayne
Gidley
Weisser
etc

play.