I suppose looking back over the weeks since we lost McIlorum to injury, it was particularly highlighted to me in the Saints and Wire game what a great loss Mike was. Not only was he coming into great form and for me outshining Riddel, but he also gave us that little bit of something different than piggy with his contrasting style.

Obviously loosing him made piggy have to do longer game time than he normally would, plus the fact that when Riddel did eventually have to go off are halfback combination had to completely alter a long with one of are centre's switching position.

It'll be a huge plus when Mike does return to the side due in some respect to his great defensive capabilities, and the fact that we wont have to do so much chopping and changing throughout matches.

He was coming along a treat and if we look at his preformence in the Hull KR away game when out good mini run started he had an fantastic game. Alot of people talked about how Sam Tomkins changed that game when he came on and he did but MM had just as big an impact on it aswell and we've really missed him these past few weeks.

His game is perfectly suited to the business end of the season because he's 100% committed, tough as they come and him being on the bench means we don't have to start shifitng the whole side around just to get Riddell a rest.

I really do hope he's back soon. Bailey said in his blog on the official site last week that he was a few weeks off so with any luck he'll be back for the Hull game.

I agree. As I said on a previous thread all our tries came when Riddell was on the field. If we could have brought Micky Mac I'm sure he would have tightened us up around the ruck, particularly defensively.

He has been better than Roby this season IMO.

He may be fit for Cas possibly, his injury was said to have him otu for about 6 weeks, and that'd be around then.

I agree completely about having missed him.

Why dont we give the lad that wears number 9 in the reserve team at least he knows what he is meant to do there unlike using anybody there.

I'd love to see Sam Gee get a go. He's played well in the reserves this season.

i ve said for along time about macca been awsome the last six games before he got injured he was superb , i was quite shocked when piggy had 1 good game alot of ppl on here was saying send macca out on loan lol could nt beleive what i was reading

Do you think he is ready?

Probably not but Sam Gee is 22 years of age. I'm not a fan of changing a lot of positions around to accommodate one substitution.

I'd like to see Gee given an opportunity from the bench.

I did not know about him being that age. I suppose you could say it's now or never really.

I wouldnt go as far as saying he was awesome, getting a bit carried away there. Yes he had been playing well. His best game was KR away, but there were times when him coming on has changed games for the worse, one of them being Celtic because when he came on we lost all momentum.

He is a very good prospect for the future and he will only get better, but if what we was seeing from him before he got injured was 'awesome', then I hope he will improve and be our regular hooker coming from the bench for the next few years.

not getting carried away at all he has been playing awsome i dont think you can single out 1 player against celtic cause they was all gash , macca s last 6 if not more is

defence = awsome does some brutal tackling what i like

taking on the line was just as good .

even showed some kicking skills .

so NO im not getting carried away at all

Average at best, swap him for Moore, now theres some class

Scott Moore was the worst hooker on the park on Sunday.

I always wonder with guys around the ages of 21/22 who haven't broke into the first team what has been the problem as to why they haven't but that doesn't always mean they are total right offs. Guys like Jamie Peacock only broke through late and alot of the time it'll make them more hungry to succeed and give them a grounding making them work that bit harder over a period of time then a kid of 17-19 who breaks in and thinks they've hit the jackpot only for it to go to their head.

I think we've seen abit of that last chance saloon attitude in Mark Flanagan now he's finally got his chance and who's to say Gee can't do the same.

We've nothing to lose- lets throw him in.

Well he's got a great pedigree.

Give him a go.

Unfortunatly i very much doubt it but i'd agree.

Somebody mentioned Riddell picking up a wrist injury in the semi so chances are he may have to be thrown in.

I really like the way sam gee plays the game the reserves have a lot more direction and sharpness when he plays, i think he could do a job for us at the moment, and it could be the making of him if given the chance .

I thought you was just a bad troll at first but no you know nothing about the game

Is this skydogs new name?

Using the word awesome is getting carried away! If you class him as being awesome in his last 6 games before getting injured, then what did you class Monaghan's performance on Saturday?

If there is one thing this thread proves its that his loss has not been underestimated, everyone agrees he was one of our better players.

His last 6 games he aint been awesome but he's showen some class and at his age he can only get better

Hope you don't mind a non-Wigan supporter's view on this.

It's always a relief to me when I see Leuluai selected at half-back and not hooker in your line-up.

Every time I've seen him play at dummy half he's been several times over more effective than at scrum half.

It's taken Warrington a season and a half to pluck up the courage to move Monaghan back to hooker and the difference in his, and the team's performance, has been huge.

I think the problem we have like Warrington had before Highams injury is that we've got 2 good hookers and i think the coaching staff just think the teams better off having a guy thats grown up as a 7 in at 7 and playing the 2 hookers instead of playing a makeshift 6, Sam at 7 with Leuluai moving to 9 and us leaving one of those hookers out.

I think Wigans problem has been bad recruitment tbh. Instead of signing Riddell they should have signed a halfback and instead of signing yet another outside back in Roberts they should have signed a prop because we had plenty of options in that position already.

If Higham hadn't got injured do you think Monaghan would have been moved to 9? that injury could be the biggest blessing is disguise in superleague history.