Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:32 am  

I don't recall Leon being that crash hot when he moved to 6.

For his first full year he spent the vast majority of his time stood behind the dummy half.

Which is a nice position to be in as you can inject yourself in and out of the game. So yes he could spot a gap because he had a year of basically watching the game.

Prior to that he was a fast runner on the wing, but he was also exposed at times.

I'm not saying Turner is the new Leon, but if we can take a winger and play him at 6 and in the end get a decent player out of him then there are possibilities.
Also brown has form at Huddersfield where he pulled Kevin Brown in and made him an effective 6.

I would rather have one bought off the shelf and I agree Lance is a utility player. But given we did not buy a 6, this maybe the very best we can do give we did not buy one.

I will as usual reserve judgement for the first 10 games (as always).

I see Saddened has found a new Wello.

Saddened! wrote:

Talent for one.

Turner has no talent no that's just poor.

Saddened! wrote:

I am absolutely gobsmacked by this. It takes a lot to shock me but this has me barely able to come up with words to criticise it. But I will give it a go.

Now that does not shock me.

Saddened! wrote:

Turner as a centre offered nothing.

Again really he has offered nothing, I did not get to 100% of games last year but he offered a damn site more than some at times last year.

Saddened! wrote:

He got talked up on here as having a great season but the only time he has ever beaten a man at Langtree Park he was in a Hull shirt. At least we'll be spared his horrendous defending in the centres, he can be hidden on the wing now.

His defending was not horrendous. This is just made up. Also the 6 does not normally defend much further in than the centre.

Saddened! wrote:

Lance has clearly been found out which is good, the fact he remains at the club is another example of how weak the management is. Maurice Lindsey would never have stood for this foolery at Wigan. Just persuade him to request a release, its really not that hard.

Taking that course of action would cost us money in the courts and would deter future players from signing, showing us to be a club that does not honour contracts. So rather than spending a fee on Amor we would have spent his fee in court. If the player does not want to go you can't force him out and if no one wants to offer him anything were does he go.

Saddened! wrote:

So a new low even for us. We're happily planning on going into a season with no centres at all, a comedy prancing 6 and you lot are still giddy with excitement about being destined for glory.

So basically most of your statement is made up and fantasy talk. There are sensible critics of this alleged move but no one jumps off the deep end like Saddened.

Realistically at 6 we have Wheeler/Lance and Wilkin. Turner is a left field choice. But given Wheelers injury record and 2 years of Lance not showing much. It's an option that is a gamble but it's not a Tricky Trindle gamble. The fall back would still be there if it did not work. But like I say Brown has form of converting players.

One of our best players ever at 6, started in the 2nd row.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:34 am  

St pete wrote:

The only comparison with pryce is colour and size. Pryce was quicker off the mark, had a genuine eye for a gap, better rugby brain and most importantly pryce had the winning mentality.

I posted regular last year how frustrated I get with Turner, he's got the makings of being a top player but seems to lack that extra effort. He's one of them players that "nearly" makes the break but just makes the half break.

If he puts the effort in, gets involved and actually runs at the line with convictition he could actually do a job of a running stand off but it's the other areas IMO he lacks.

Only time will tell.

Everything you say is true about pryce but with one crucial detail missing: when he wanted to.

Whilst I was skeptical of turner as a signing he really won me over last year - though he was definitely in the category of when we played well he played well and when we played dire he was very dire (along with lms) - if he can force himself into the game better than I think he will go well. But as you say only time will tell after all, until he's actually on the pitch playing stand off this could all be speculation!

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:49 am  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

Everything you say is true about pryce but with one crucial detail missing: when he wanted to.

Exactly.

When we were on top he was great, but if we were struggling in a game he disappeared

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:56 am  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

Everything you say is true about pryce but with one crucial detail missing: when he wanted to.

Whilst I was skeptical of turner as a signing he really won me over last year - though he was definitely in the category of when we played well he played well and when we played dire he was very dire (along with lms) - if he can force himself into the game better than I think he will go well. But as you say only time will tell after all, until he's actually on the pitch playing stand off this could all be speculation!

I think Turner can be a great player but he lacks that extra effort and that killer instinct to go for a gap. It's hard for me to put in words what I mean with Turner but he's a player that really frustrates me. He's got everything to be a top player with his size, speed, footwork etc but he's just to soft or half hearted.

If Turner can play as I think he can, he could be a decent running 6 but he's got to improve a hell of a lot IMHO.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:10 am  

I think some of you (saddened) are forgetting how well Turner finished the season last year. He was putting makinson in for tries with some cracking service.

However, he featured at 6 a couple of times and was poor. He's looks to be the sort of player who shouldn't be given the task of (or time for) too much thinking.
No worse than Lance, but you'd be better leaving him in the centres were he was making a decent fist of it.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:35 am  

Offside Monkey wrote:

I think some of you (saddened) are forgetting how well Turner finished the season last year. He was putting makinson in for tries with some cracking service.

However, he featured at 6 a couple of times and was poor. He's looks to be the sort of player who shouldn't be given the task of (or time for) too much thinking.
No worse than Lance, but you'd be better leaving him in the centres were he was making a decent fist of it.

Unless we've signed another centre?

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:44 am  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

Unless we've signed another centre?

We have, Matty Dawson.

Our centres will be wheeler, Percival, Jones and Turner. That's my big worry, he will swap and change them left right and centre.

If he sees Turner as our 6, he should give him a good run at it and not swap him as soon as he has a bad game. To much messing about from Brown with the team selection IMO. I'm all for resting forwards but not backs. Centres and wingers needs to develop partnerships and so does the halves.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:03 pm  

I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds this a bit baffling.

I can see why people have compared Pryce with Turner in terms of style but Leon Pryce at his peak was a brilliant individual player, far better than Jordan Turner at this stage. He also had Sean Long alongside him to ease the pressure.

Walsh could be a fantastic player to be fair and it'd certainly be easier for Turner to play 6 alongside a natural half back than one filling in like Wilkin was, but I still don't see it based on the limited games he's played there. He's had his better games at Centre for us.

Hohaia is a poor option but he's probably the safest option as he doesn't really pick up injuries and he does an OK job without really threatening.

Wheeler is a talented 6 but his season has ended by easter for the last 3 or 4 so to rely on him would be insane at this stage.

Wilkin is a decent option although you lose out from the pack the (and he's not a naturla 6 really), so that's the dilemma you have. Does he play a Sinfield type role or do you keep him at loose for his work rate and defence?

It's a problem position for us and whilst we're stronger with Walsh there I imagine the 6 position will provide plenty of discussion this year and it's somewhere we'll probably be looking to recruit at the end of the season along with the Centre spot.

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 2:08 pm  

St pete wrote:

We have, Matty Dawson.

Our centres will be wheeler, Percival, Jones and Turner. That's my big worry, he will swap and change them left right and centre.

If he sees Turner as our 6, he should give him a good run at it and not swap him as soon as he has a bad game. To much messing about from Brown with the team selection IMO. I'm all for resting forwards but not backs. Centres and wingers needs to develop partnerships and so does the halves.

Personally, I don't think Dawson will feature too much this year, else he'd of had a squad number in the 25. I think he will fit wellens "utility role" next year and then hopefully progress for a spot after that.

As has been said relying on wheeler for anything has proved a dangerous game - I would still be baffled if he wasn't used in the halves for the 3 games he's fit for this year.

Jones and Percival to fight it out for the left centre spot. That should be a good contest, and whilst it will be under the guise of one needs resting, it'll be whoever a playing better which should be good for the team.

It only leaves right centre as a problem, before this it was turners comfortably, so my only conclusion can be someone else is coming in. We were linked to yeaman before Christmas, and personally that seems far too random for someone to have just made it up, so maybe we have found another centre to be brought in?

Re: Halfbacks for 2014 : Tue Jan 28, 2014 2:52 pm  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

Personally, I don't think Dawson will feature too much this year, else he'd of had a squad number in the 25. I think he will fit wellens "utility role" next year and then hopefully progress for a spot after that.

As has been said relying on wheeler for anything has proved a dangerous game - I would still be baffled if he wasn't used in the halves for the 3 games he's fit for this year.

Jones and Percival to fight it out for the left centre spot. That should be a good contest, and whilst it will be under the guise of one needs resting, it'll be whoever a playing better which should be good for the team.

It only leaves right centre as a problem, before this it was turners comfortably, so my only conclusion can be someone else is coming in. We were linked to yeaman before Christmas, and personally that seems far too random for someone to have just made it up, so maybe we have found another centre to be brought in?

I don't think we would be bringing anyone in at this stage. I imagine Jones and Percival will start at centre v Warrington with Turner at 6 and Wheeler as back up for both positions.