: Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:30 am  

SEB wrote:

:roll: Dear oh dear, try watching his tries again. Most have taken some scoring against some of the best players in SL.

Was it Matt Gidley he made to look like a chump once? Gidley is one of my favourite players - to make him look anything other than great is hard to do.

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:42 am  

Ian [77] wrote:

Was it Matt Gidley he made to look like a chump once? Gidley is one of my favourite players - to make him look anything other than great is hard to do.

I'm a fan of his too. Him and Cunningham I have a great deal of respect for, even though they play for saints.

On the penny front, a loan could work out for him (as it worked out for Halley at Bradford). At the moment though i'd rather have him on the wing ahead of Johnson.

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 12:58 pm  

You can't help but admire Gidley can you. He is consistently excellent, tough as well as skilful and never does anything to make you dislike him. What a signing he was - and to replace Lyon too! Who replaced Gleeson! Makes you sick doesn't it...

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:34 pm  

SEB wrote:

You can't help but admire Gidley can you. He is consistently excellent, tough as well as skilful and never does anything to make you dislike him. What a signing he was - and to replace Lyon too! Who replaced Gleeson! Makes you sick doesn't it...

It does. However as an organisation, on the playing side, Saints really are a cut above. For me, replicating that is TS's biggest challenge and that's why people are really positive about what he is doing rather than 'getting carried away after 1 or 2 results'. We are hopeful that he is putting in that sort of culture at Warrington.

On a slightly wider point, I have respect for (almost) all Rugby League players. To quote Rob Smyth, RL is a 'daft game' and (almost) anyone who can play it to any standard demands respect. What seperates the likes of Gidley from the others is his utter class as a player and a person - the way he conducts himself is an absolute credit to the people who have worked with him as well as Gidley.

Gidley is also a wonderful example that-

- being late 20s/early 30s; and
- being Australian

Does NOT mean that the player is 'an Aussie here for a holiday' or 'past it'. When we announce whatever signing we are waiting to announce, people should remember that, although rare, the likes of Matt Gidley are still about.

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:36 pm  

Mark wrote:

None of our players could score some of the tries he has...NONE.

Penny is a rare talent, I just hope he doesn't have to prove this at another club.

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:01 pm  

SEB wrote:

You can't help but admire Gidley can you. He is consistently excellent, tough as well as skilful and never does anything to make you dislike him. What a signing he was - and to replace Lyon too! Who replaced Gleeson! Makes you sick doesn't it...

Indeed it does make me sick. Even Puletua a player who wasn't exactly a big name, but they have managed to get some real impressive performances out him, their recruiment policy is great as they keep the nucleus of the team (wellens ,cunninghams, longs) together with odd addition each season, therefore making it easier to be successful as they have already a settled squad and are used to playing with eachother.

It's like a building block, they keep adding and taking away from it, but the solid infustracture was built many moons ago. It's something I'm hopeful Smith can bring to us.

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:15 pm  

[quote="Fearnhead Cross"]Watching the reserves on Saturday I thought the same thing about Penny. Time out on loan to another club would help him develop. Playing in the reserves certainly isn't going to help him much as the standard is so much lower than SL.[/quote]


To say the Reserve competition is way below Super League level is way off the mark. A great deal of the SL players come through the Reserve game process. I take it you have never played in the Academy or Reserve set up yourself, so have no personal experience of how tough it is. Some of the best up and coming players, play in the competition and the ones I have spoken to have said how tough it is. Ainscough, TOmkins, Myler, Burrorws, Maguire, Sinfield, there are too many to mention, so I think it is wrong to suggest that competition is way off SL standard. THere is a step up of course but not a massive one for good players.

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:24 pm  

Inside Knowledge wrote:

Riley isn't that far behind Penny on speed.

Riley was caught by the Celtic Crusaders number 8 with open field in front of him ....
Penny goosed Gidley Wellens Gardner also Lee Smith and Francis meli on 3 wonderful try scoring occasions that will be remembered long after Penny hangs his boots up....

long long ago I came to the conclusion you have no idea about

A) the game of Rugby League

and

B) how to stop making yourself look stupid.....



I now must go back to the drawing board and start over again as I have been reeled in by your *wearysome Drivel

*(word courtesy of Fucitolbladderrack)

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 7:06 pm  

SPIRIT OF 74 wrote:

yesLets face it if he was not born in Warrington nobody would want him here

And you know this for fact, do you?

: Tue Apr 28, 2009 7:40 pm  

the flying biscuit wrote:

Riley was caught by the Celtic Crusaders number 8 with open field in front of him ....
Penny goosed Gidley Wellens Gardner also Lee Smith and Francis meli on 3 wonderful try scoring occasions that will be remembered long after Penny hangs his boots up....

Come of it, Wellens, Gidley, Gardener and Meli are as slow as treacle. Ill give you Lee Smith and that's it, penny was caught twice last year by Peter Fox.