Re: How good was Charnley? : Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:52 am  

Watching the other night, he certainly seems to be taking out his frustration at how his wire days ended on his former team mates. Great winger, but could be even better if he cut out the gobby stuff. I enjoy watching him finish off a try though, preferably not when it’s against us of course.

I also think it’s a great fit for Leigh. They’ve come to SL with a mindset to play some expansive stuff, and Charnley looks good on the end of it.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:22 am  

Not saying that Charnley isn't a good solid winger, but I thought Lineham was the better of the two when we had them both, but his disciplinary record tipped the balance the other way. Lineham's not pulled up any trees since he has left us, giving weight to the decision to let him go when we did being a good one.

Currently, Ashton is better than either of them, whereas I'm not sure Thewlis is best suited on the wing. I'd expect us to recruit another winger, should we be unable to bring one through from our academy, once Dufty's time is finished with us.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:26 pm  

MorePlaymakersNeeded wrote:

Currently, Ashton is better than either of them, whereas I'm not sure Thewlis is best suited on the wing. I'd expect us to recruit another winger, should we be unable to bring one through from our academy, once Dufty's time is finished with us.

I think we’re trying to fit Thewlis in because he’s an outstanding full back who needs first team exposure, even if it means playing out of place. Saints did it with Welsby over a couple of seasons and it paid off. I fully expect Duffy to go back to the NRL.

Agree about Ashton. Got to be one of the top 5 wingers in SL already and plenty more to come you feel.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:35 pm  

Am I right I thinking that Wrench appeared to be preferred on the wing to Thewlis when both were available last year? It may be that Powell splits that right wing spot between them both when Wrench is back.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Sun Mar 19, 2023 2:01 pm  

I can’t help but think Wrench’s footwork and creativity is wasted on the wing. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mata’utia shifting to second row occasionally to accommodate Wrench. Ratchford may be a bit on the slow side but he’s still full of creativity. I’ve enjoyed his footwork and passing.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Sun Mar 19, 2023 2:06 pm  

Ratchford's defence both structured and scrambling has been top notch.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:51 pm  

Charnley got caught out on the first try I think - impressed with Josh Drinkwaters speed - but took his try very well.
Couldn't see if Minikin was a meter or so out of position. Either way, a good finish.

I think the friction between him and Drinkwater goes back a couple of seasons.
Didnt see him trying to milk too many pens on Friday thankfully.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:57 pm  

Charnley always struck me as just a souped-up version of Henry Fa'filli.

On which note, if he'd had a 10-15 year SL career, how many tries do you think Henry would have racked up?

He was definitely limited, but he knew his way to the try-line and with some of the centres we had after he left, he'd have had been well provided for.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:15 pm  

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

Charnley always struck me as just a souped-up version of Henry Fa'filli.

On which note, if he'd had a 10-15 year SL career, how many tries do you think Henry would have racked up?

He was definitely limited, but he knew his way to the try-line and with some of the centres we had after he left, he'd have had been well provided for.

Certainly more than he notched up in his union career: 5 tries in 89 games.

His record at Warrington was certainly decent but it is hard to imagine a better side for him to have been in than one where he played outside Gleeson and enjoyed being on the end of kicks from Briers. And his replacement was Hicks, the best Wire winger of my lifetime.

Re: How good was Charnley? : Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:32 pm  

just_browny wrote:

Certainly more than he notched up in his union career: 5 tries in 89 games.

His record at Warrington was certainly decent but it is hard to imagine a better side for him to have been in than one where he played outside Gleeson and enjoyed being on the end of kicks from Briers. And his replacement was Hicks, the best Wire winger of my lifetime.

I agree with all of that. It was more an observation that try totals can be a bit deceptive with regards to being a gauge of a player's overall ability - Henry (& Charnley) have very good strike rates, but I don't think either would be any Wire fan's top 3 wingers of all time?