Dont forget the physio walking through the kick, hang on that was a Charnley kick.

You must either be a WUM, Leeds or Saints fan. It's glaringly obvious we need a regular kicker but you pick a game where Charnley kicks 7 goals. Jog on you mug

Looking at Matty's averages over the last 3 seasons - I'm guessing they are SL games only as they are from that site - his average is 72.5% this season 71% 2015 and 70% 2014.
The top 3 kickers' averages this season are Syned 80% Richards 74% Walsh 81%. Last season Sinfield 85% Gale 78% Dureau 82%. A top team should be generating 160 - 170 kicks per season so an average of 70% would cost us 17 goals over a season as against an 80% one. Of course these could be in a meaningless thrashings or a sudden death playoff, but I would certainly prefer going into a big match with an 80% kicker than a 70% one.

What was he doing he just appeared seemingly out of nowhere

Despite it being sunny the wind was a huge factor and it was against Matty on those first two kicks, which made it impossible. Matty seemed to lose confidence after that and handed it over to Josh, who did well after missing one exactly like Matty's two.

I would let Powell have a go for now.

In all of our games against Leeds last season they scored four more points than us which was just one try more with the kicking ratio the same. Phil Clarke quoted this fact on Sky so I'm pretty sure it will be accurate.

If you've watched Pat Richards this season his kicking has been very streaky. I'm not sure what we can do about it, because getting a specialist kicker like Mantellato for example may solve one problem but create another, because he isn't good enough to get in the team. And his kicking ratio isn't that much better than Matty in any case.

josh is leaving and you seriously think matty smith is a good goal kicker and you call me a mug you stupid f**k

I'll ask again, as you conveniently didn't answer. Did you go yesterday?

Did you see Pat Richards licking on Friday night?

yes i did go as i do every week home and away and if you look at the time of my post it was just after matty smith missed his second kick and before josh took over the kicking duty's
and no i did not see pat Richards LICKING on Friday what was he licking ???
and are your trying to tell me you are happy with matty keeping the kicking duty's for the club for the next few years ?

As I've said before. people who are widely regarded as 'good' kickers often have career averages only around 72,73%. People like Cam Smith, Jamie Lyon...

People who can kick 78-80% [uin the long run[/u are a vanishingly small group: Sinfield, JT, Croker...

I wouldn't have thought that anyone is happy with Matty kicking, least of all Matty himself. Can you suggest an alternative?

As I've mentioned above I'd let Powell have a go or leave it with Josh for now. There is plenty of this season to go before we need to worry about next season. But you need to consider that in buying someone he would have to be good enough to get in the first 13, otherwise we might just as well have got Danny Tickle back!

Report in the papers today about the England RU squad for Australia. There are 3 stand offs and it lists their kicking % for the season

Cipriani 64% Farrell 73% Ford 73%. Smiths stats are not that bad in comparison. Every team would love a Sinfield, Botica that looks like they will never miss but to find a kicker who is good enough to get in the team on merit is not that easy

None other than the son of 'big fat' Garry Schofield!

I can't say I'm happy with Smith as a kicker, it's more to do with it seems to have a detrimental effect on the rest of his game more than his ability as a kicker though I'd never back him to get one from the touch line.

What we can't do is simply play someone else just for their kicking. They have to be good enough to get in the team first. If we find such a player I'm sure Matty would be more than happy to hand over the role. Within the team we have Sam T, Josh and Sam P as options. Once MM is back Powell won't play enough minutes to be the main kicker, Josh is off at the end of the year so that leaves Tomkins. Does he want to do it and is he good enough? I'm not sure of either.

I would also worry about putting undue strain on his knee by adding kicking duties as well given the seriousness of the injury he has had.

Quote ="eelpie"None other than the son of 'big fat' Garry Schofield!'" I knew I knew that face. Should have sussed it with the specs! www.dewsburyrams.co.uk/player?52 ... -schofield

Quote ="eelpie"None other than the son of 'big fat' Garry Schofield!'" I knew I knew that face. Should have sussed it with the specs! www.dewsburyrams.co.uk/player?52 ... -schofield

Josh is the best kicker at Wigan at the moment

The current 'goalkicking league table' for anyone making more than 15 attempts at goal in Super League this year.

1 - Lilley - 88.5%
2 - Gidley - 84.6%
3 - Walsh - 81%
4 - Sneyd - 80%
5 - Finn - 78.6%
6 - Gale - 78.2%
7 - Mantellato - 77.8%
8 - O'Brien - 74.3%
9 - Richards - 73.8%
10 - Brough - 73.8%
11 - Smith - 72.5%
12 - Dobson - 70.4%
13 - Hanbury - 70.2%

While there are some fine margins involved, Smith is statistically the 2nd worst first choice goalkicker in Super League.

Not many of those would get into our first team on merit, though.

id say that Sneyd, Gidley and Richards would. Probably Dobson too

Luke Gale would walk into our team.

This as been a problem for the last 2 years and will be this year and no surprise we aint won anything during this time.

This comes down to planning and player recruitment.

i would have gale any day of the week and he can bring denny solomona with him

You have to take these figures with a pinch of salt also. It depends on where your scoring your tries, if your scoring down the middle you should be getting high numbers. Out wide, well your % drops. Having said that Gidley is slotting them over quite well from out wide for us.

I agree but what else can you go off for comparison? Also, someone quoted RU kicker stats as comparison, yet they regularly take on far harder kicks than we do.