He'll be our full back for the foreseeable future. Russell played well against Leeds, but he's here as cover for us as what we currently have at the club isn't good enough ie Reece Lyne. However if Horne is fit and available he will play there I have no doubt.

Hope your right, Whiting was awesome and deserves the chance to be able to back that performance up, which I think he will.

Quote of the day mate!!!!
if ever a player earned the right to another bash at a position then RW earned that against Leeds who remember didnt play badly but very much due to RW broke down around the centre due to his tenacity in the tackle and his ball skills were there for all to see from minute 1 to minute 80
has he had a bad game this season yet?

I expect (and hope) Russell will remain at fullback whilst he's with us, with Horne returning to the halves with Seymour. Whiting didnt play stand off on Saturday, Gentle said after the game that he was used as a 2nd second rower on the left edge, this was a tactic used to exploit Leeds in defence. Seymour effectively played the game with no halfback partner. I imagine Whiting will start at 13 against London, as I dont expect Westerman to be fit, Russell should keep his place, he looks very sharp and I'd be disappointed if we didnt make the most of him been here.

If we have Russell for a month,I'd expect Gentle to put Horne in the half's for our next match.

Russell has been loaned to us as cover for McKinnon leaving, so if McKinnon hadn't left we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The loan is not just one-way traffic, apart from helping us out, it is also to give Russell more 1st team experience and he's not going to get that by warming a bench spot. I can't see Gentle being so disrespectful to only play him once in the four weeks/three games the initial loan spell covers. I would also expect that if he plays as well in the next two games as he has in the first, then we'll be opening discussion to keep him for longer.

same here
Russel did too well to be dropped imo, especially seeing as he'd trained with us 3 times

My thoughts exactly

I think Horne is earmarked as full back for next season, so may slot back to SO when he returns. I doubt we will risk going the rest of the season with one half back. If Seymour got injured, then we would be left with Ellis and/or Nicklas. I recon we are looking for a new half back for next season to partner Seymour.

Playing Whiting as an extra backrower worked very well, but it should only be used if we have an injury to one of the half backs.

If Russell goes back in 3 weeks though I would expect he will go with Horney then, which only leaves Whiting, Nicklas/Ellis anyway, so back to square 1.

I think we will try and keep Russell for as long as we can.

Would be good if we could.

Who knows, we may grow on him!!

I just can’t see Tomkins wanting to go from FB into the halves.

Haha, it's catching on then.

Suppose it depends what happens with Finch, they have not tied him up yet, linked with Saints according to rumours. If Finch goes then I can imagine Sam may move to h/back with Russell coming through, if not then not sure I know they tried Russell on the wing and it never went too well. Either way Russell is signed up for a couple of years I believe, depends how much it would cost in compo I suppose, decent young prospect well worth considering.

Why?As it stand's Wigan have no experienced halves signed for next season.

They laughed when I told them this is what's happening...

Basically though, can Wigan afford to lose Sam's positioning and kick returns? Will his skill set at halfback outweigh this? I guess this is why they're having a look at Russell and how he copes at SL level.

Because I don’t see Tomkins ‘wanting’ to go the halves.

He may get told that is where he is playing, but I doubt they would get the best out of him.

A strange conclusion.

I'ts not where they'll get the best out of HIM.

Its a team game

1. Russell
6. Tomkins
7. Finch

might be better than

1. Tomkins
6. Finch
7. ?

You must be on about a different player because Charnley is one of the hardest working wingers I've seen at Wigan. He constantly takes the ball out from his own line and that's why he's one of the top couple of metre making wingers in the league.

If Horne is earmarked for fullback next year, does anyone have any idea who might be about who can come through and cover this specialist position. Me thinks Lynne isn't up to it and Shaul is a few years away yet!
Looks like we may have to trawl the lower divisions to try and unearth a good up and coming player who can provide decent cover and eventually replace horne when he retires - as we don't seem to have a natural replacement coming through at the moment !

Why is it? All he's saying is that he wouldn't expect Tomkins to [iwant[/i to move from fullback because that's where he is at his best. Even though as you say it's a team game and it may be in Wigan's interests, that's the club's perspective not his, and if there's one player in SL I wouldn't be surprised to put himself ahead of the team's needs, it would be Sam Tomkins.

fingers crossed on jamie ellis yet. he has yet to show his eye for a try yet. i must admit the more time that goes buy the less you feel he is the diamond in the rough we all hoped he would be but im still holding out for a break through performance.

I think Matty will stay with you all season unless there is an injury to Tomkins with us at Wigan. He won't get any game time at Wigan as no one in the league would displace Sam never mind a 18 year old, although he will be a future star.
I cannot ever see us moving Sam to 6 or 7. I am certain we will bring someone else in. Wigan have a lot of big earning players leaving this season and will have a lot of cap money to play around with. We will resign Finch - the Wigan fans love him - and we will bring in a top class 7. I would love Matty to stay all season with Hull as I think he will learn a lot under your new coach and Wiganers will now tune in to cheer on Hull as a gang of us did against Leeds!! Seems a win win to me!!