I think Wilkin has suffered at times with the way the game has changed and evolved over the years. When he first came into the side I thought of him as a 13 with a decent pair of hands, bit of a running game, and you can never really fault him for effort. As most people will know though, teams generally use their 13's as a third prop through the middle and are primarily judged on their go forward and metres made. Anything else is a bonus, so it seems.
I think he's shown some nice touches this season down that left side. He started the season in great form IMO, but on the back of the likes of Amor and Walsmley. I actually think he looks really good when we are winning the ruck because he has a decent pair of hands and can distribute, but in those tight games he does tend to struggle because he just isn't big enough to really impose himself on the game in the back-row with the ball in his hand. There really isn't a great deal he can do about that.
Had he been gifted with a bit more pace I doubt he would have stepped foot anywhere near a forward pack. Had he been born 15 years earlier he may have been given the loose forward role and have had the opportunity to express himself a little bit more. He's adapted his game a little bit this season and I believe that the club are pleased with his contribution and Brown's interview today confirms that.
There are plenty out there in a similar position to him. Lack the speed or are too big to play in the halves, not quite big enough to play in the pack but are decent footballer's. What happens to them? They become workhorses who are almost stuck between those two positions, not really through any fault of their own.
I think we're bringing the best out of him though using him as a left sided back-rower. He runs some great lines and offers some distribution down the left hand side. I thought he was very good against Huddersfield on Friday. He does his best and has done his best to make the most out of what he has.
