DITTO but what will wigan do with him water carrier maybe

They apparently want him to replace o'laughlin. He has been ok, but not pulled up an trees

Didn't think they'd want him back and I Didnt want us to keep him, bit of a strange one. Scott murrel offered more at 13! Haha

Pudding. Has been a poor signing. Offers all.

He was ok prior to his injury in the 60 nil game, but he hasn't done enough since returning to warrant any excitement. I'd leave him out on Sat if we have all our fabulous back row to pick from.

No need to bag the lad.

I wouldn't keep him, but he doesn't deserve a slagging.

I'm increasingly annoyed by people giving it large towards players that have done nothing wrong but maybe just haven't got quite the talent at this level.

Anybody name anything specific he's done wrong?

Not been spectacular, but worth bearing in mind that if he was one of our academy products he'd probably still be 'young Greg Burke'. 3 months younger than Ollett and a couple of years younger than Green.

But it's what he is now rather than what he might become that a player should be judged on. Currently, he's 'decent squad player'.

wigan obviously see something in him. Bit too soon to write him off IMO

I think they need him as cover for the impending retirement of O' Loughlin. I assume this is because his preferred position is loose forward, but I think Donno has impressed more in this position and I have gone on record as saying Donno would be better suited to convert to hooker.

I disagree with Goose in that I don't think anyone is bagging Burke, but he hasn't left a lasting impression IMO. I never find myself saying " get Burke back on the field quick, we are missing his impact and go forward play."

Therein lies the team problem, however, as we desperately need a couple of impact back rowers next season.

He's always looked like he's carrying too much weight. Never looks like he's that fit but saying all that if you dropped him in a good team he might look a lot better. As the goose said he;'s done nothing wrong and has tried hard enough but I would have been disappointed if we had been looking to sign him.

i agree but we never replaced bailey we need a couple of big props as well

2 Props with good go forward this year would have seen us finish in the top 8. Never thought we'd miss Mick Weyman as much as we have.

any rumours who you might be getting?

Being a Warriors fan i am always interested to see how our loan players are doing. I am pretty sure we will get him back and get him strip fit for an assault on the no. 13 shirt next season. As a couple stated, He has only just come back from a bad injury, What were you expecting so soon after his return? When i watched him before his injury he was very dangerous near the attacking line. Obviously i will be a little biased being a Wigan mon but i think Chester has possibly expected too much too soon after his injury. Granted he hasn't had much of a choice with your injury problems but our players going to KR in the past have usually come back a lot better for the experience and made a name for themselves at the DW. He is still only young yet and i am pretty sure the experience of being in a dog fight this season will hold him in good stead for the future. I think he will be benched on Saturday, For me, at this present moment i think his best influence is coming off the bench for impact rather than starting in a frenetic first 20 mins and knackering himself out for the rest of the game when he is lacking a bit in fitness. I think he could be an influential player for you in the middle 8's providing he can get himself up to speed in the next couple of weeks. To be honest i am a little disappointed with how your coaching staff have allowed a few of your players to get so unfit. At the start of the season you started like a train and everybody looked really sharp but as the season had rolled on players like Burke, Blair, Lunt etc have been allowed (for whatever reason) to lose fitness and put weight on. That for me (as an outsider looking in) is the root of your problems because on your day you can beat anyone in the league and in the first half of the season you were doing just that. Double that up with the decision to play Walker (very brave move) and the snowball starts. His head can't be 100% focused. It just can't be.

I will certainly be cheering the Robins on this weekend though and with Kelly back and Russell and Westwood out for the Wolves this is the best chance you have had and are likely to have in years provided your lads get themselves really up for it. Could be a classic.

Thanks for the comments, but they're all wrong.

How would you counter my comments then?

Purely out of interest of course. What are your views on the points i have made?

RE Burke
Our loan players coming back from a spell at Craven Park
The fitness of (some) of your players
Your dramatic drop in form over the past few months
The decision to play Walker
Your chances on Saturday

Agreed.

Lunt was out injured even longer than Burke. Nowt to do with fitness if he's got a shafted back. Blair has less timber on him now than he did back in March, but can do 80 in the halves or back row no problem.

I'm sorry but I think Cherry Warrior makes SOME good points, particularly the one about fitness. Our players have looked seriously behind the curve in terms of fitness for some time now, and our lack of form towards the end of seasons past is a re-occurring theme. Mallinson is a dinosaur and should have been moved on a few years ago - sorry Billy, you're a top bloke and everything but we need some fresh ideas.

Our fitness is an issue but the points cherry warrior has made are off the mark, saying that he doesn't see us week in week out or probably pay as much attention as we do.

Burke doesn't look any less fit than he did at the start of his spell, he's looked to be carrying a pound or two too much from day one. I'm still unsure of his position to be honest. It seems Wigan see him as a 13, we seem to be playing him as a prop. He looks completely the wrong shape for a 13 to me, certainly got no where near the finesse of an O'loughlin.

Blair is trimmer than he was, he's always looked knackered and at the beginning of the season looked huge. Lunt's fitness also looks good especially considering his injury.

Walker hasn't looked as good since his 'problems', but in fairness last week aside he's still been one of our better props.

Of the Wigan loanees Greenwood looks a far better prospect than Burke, that lad looks to have a fair bit of potential in him, the odd error aside, I'd like us to get him for a year or 2 and see how he does. Reckon he'd be a better SR / 13 behind 2 big props.

Our drop in form may be down to conditioning / training or even mental toughness.

I'm not sure it is a fitness thing so much as a strength thing.

We get knackered because we're getting battered, rather than the other way around. That's my theory anyway.

SO in a nutshell, we need some big strong props some thing we have needed all season if with the backs we now have we would be in the top 8s maybe 4th upwards

He has done what he was loaned to us to for, that is get first team experiance before returning to Wigan. He is a young inexperianced back rower with a lot of promise from an academy renowned for producing top players. He has done his best for us & thanks now lets move on & find a better player if we can.

As has been mentioned in this thread a few times. Greenwood is a better loanee than Burke imo.

Burke Ok, nothing special. Greenwood gets some forward momentum at times and has a half decent offload. Another season and with help from JP and he will be stellar. Nice lad too. Only negative is the odd flappy tackle.

Burke a definite get ridder and Greenwood a definite keeper.

My understanding is that Peacock is coming to us in a purely administrive position.

I keep seeing people saying that Peacock will improve this player or that player. I don't think his role contains any day to day player contact.

Peacock himself has stated many times in the past that he doesn't want to be a coach

Just wait until we have a front row crisis next season ...

Greg Burke did ok for us when we were desperately short earlier in the season. He probably didn't get a chance to shine in his preferred position(s) too often, as we had to use him many times as bit of utility/forward rotation through a lot of games. Ok player in his own right, just not what we really need(ed) this season tbh. Same can apply to a lot of our forwards imo.