Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 4:48 pm  

We won our grand final and a good run in without Wilkin in 14. No coincidence.

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:00 pm  

LFC Saint wrote:

We won our grand final and a good run in without Wilkin in 14. No coincidence.

Or Lomax, Walsh and several other players

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:27 pm  

Twentyman wrote:

Or Lomax, Walsh and several other players

Was Just about to post that.

Maybe we should have kept flash and played him 7 as he played there in the grand final.

We don't need Walsh either

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:38 pm  

My point is people have stated that for 2 years now Wilkins lead by example. Tell me a big we have won with him in the side.

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:49 pm  

LFC Saint wrote:

My point is people have stated that for 2 years now Wilkins lead by example. Tell me a big we have won with him in the side.

The two seasons he went to 7 he carried us. Nobody else in the squad at time who could have done that.

How many big games as he been fit to play in ? It's not like we play many big games these days and I'm pretty sure Wilkin didn't lose them single handedly.

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:10 pm  

The problem now is that Wilkin is a victim of his own loyalty and standing up to be a leader, He is no longer good enough to be a backrower and we have also strengthen our half back options, for me he is at the crossroads similar to Wellens contributing with good and bad games as some fans forget his contributions over the years past.

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:21 pm  

St pete wrote:

The two seasons he went to 7 he carried us. Nobody else in the squad at time who could have done that.

How many big games as he been fit to play in ? It's not like we play many big games these days and I'm pretty sure Wilkin didn't lose them single handedly.

You have to give the captain's arm band to Roby for me. He leads by example and his work ethic is respected by players from all clubs not just his team mates. He may not be the most vocal player on the pitch but that is only one aspect that he may lack but I do seem to remember him being vocal in certain matches in the past. If you remember back to Chris Joynt's stint as captain he was one of the quietest players in the side but always kept a cool head when it came to important times in crucial matches & this is a virtue that Roby possesses in abundance so would give it to Roby straight away TBH.

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:32 pm  

St pete wrote:

The two seasons he went to 7 he carried us. Nobody else in the squad at time who could have done that.

How many big games as he been fit to play in ? It's not like we play many big games these days and I'm pretty sure Wilkin didn't lose them single handedly.

We play better without Wilkin full stop. If Wilkin identified good enough for the backrow he needs to be left in the stands. Once again 5m is an absolute disgrace, embarrassment to our club. Joynt snapping his Achilles after 2 mins would still of had better attacking stats than that, pathetic

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:40 pm  

curly990 wrote:

You have to give the captain's arm band to Roby for me. He leads by example and his work ethic is respected by players from all clubs not just his team mates. He may not be the most vocal player on the pitch but that is only one aspect that he may lack but I do seem to remember him being vocal in certain matches in the past. If you remember back to Chris Joynt's stint as captain he was one of the quietest players in the side but always kept a cool head when it came to important times in crucial matches & this is a virtue that Roby possesses in abundance so would give it to Roby straight away TBH.

Up until our thrashing by Salford, I don't think there was any real issue with captaincy. It was an awful game. Absolutely tonked. It does happen though. We took a 42-0 beating at Catalans in 2014. Complacency is unacceptable but it is human nature.

My point is, Wilkin has been at Saints longer than anyone. Through thick and thin. He's a leader and the players look to him for his experience and positive attitude. It won't just be about the work he does on the pitch, a lot of being a captain is the work he does off it too. Is he our best player-no, but he's the right man to lead Saints.

Re: Jon Wilkin : Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:57 pm  

5 metres is atrocious and screams 'I don't want to be injured for next week'.

Re Wilkin in general, I think for this team he has to either be a ball playing 13 like SOL or be at 6. Let Greenwood and Vea make metres and let Wilkin stick to what he's good at, lots of tackles, getting involved with plays and using his decent kicking game to take the burden from Walsh.

I think he's spent that long in the halves since 2013 he is actually quite competent at it now and I'd have him in the halves over Turner every day of the week. He was our best player in 2013 at 7 and completely outshone Burns last year at 7. Whenever he is asked to fill in there he doesn't go hiding but for whatever reason takes a lot of flack when playing out of position. There's a general consensus that he demands to play 7 which I have never understood. Presumably its drawn from the same lot who consistently mention his work for the BBC as if its at all relevant to his RL career.

Although his Salford stats are diabolical, there is no other captain in that side. Roby doesn't say 2 words, and Walmsley isn't experienced enough yet.