Juan Cornetto wrote:
So logically any forward with a similarly poor go forward record you would consider to also be a "powder puff player" with "such a cowardly offensive work rate"
Step forward (notice I didn't say charge forward) Ryan Bailey.
In the Hull game big Ryan managed just 9 carries (a whopping 2 more than Kirke) giving him only 2 metres more than Kirke with an average gain less than Kirke. In the Wigan game Kirke went off injured and only had few minutes on the field yet he still managed to almost double the average gain on Bailey with 32 metres in 3 carries. While in the Saints game Kirke averaged 9 metres to Bailey's 5 metres. In fact in the season to date Kirke has made 699 metres with an average gain of 7.9 metres - while Bailey has made 421 metres with an average gain of 5.2 metres
You might also have asked who else didn't step up in the absence of Peacock.
Is that it? Your defence of Kirke is that Bailey is not much better. Well goodness me, let's give kirke a 6 year contract on the basis that he is only slightly less worse than Bailey.
If you want to discuss Bailey I will happily do so. The quantity of his offensive work rate has been the weak part of his game for too long (though the quality is far superior to Kirkes), his form has been dreadful recently and I think he should focus more on his game than his reputation. OK, now about Ian Kirke, what do you make of his offensive (literally and figuratively) "contribution"?
If you really want to compare to other players I'd suggest applying the highest common denominator and asking why he can't match peacock, or JJBs work rate.
There's nobody who is as consistently shy about carrying the ball forward as kirke.