I don't disagree. I mean, it's all well and good taking pot-shots at Mose for not being this or not being that. But I tell ya - we'll miss him when he's gone. It's very rare to have someone in your side who literally strikes terror into opponents. It's amazing the number of supposed SL "tough guys" who strangely go missing whenever Mose enters the field. Barrie McDemott pretty much summed him up - he's terrifying. One of those awful, awful players whose blood-curdling grin just gets wider and wider the more you hit him.

For all the criticism he attracts I don't recall anyone complaining when he single-handedly wiped the floor with Wigan's pack at the JJB last season. It was comical watching pie-eater after pie-eater being bowled over like pins on a hustler's lane.

That said - he has to be very careful not to step over the line. Listen to any miked up game and every third word out of the ref's mouth is aimed at Mose. Half the time he's doing nothing wrong - but the sheer size and playing style of the guy puts him right at the top of the ref's pre-match "to do" list. I'm all for physical play (especially when it's focused on pie-eaters) but Mose could very easily drift into Vila Matautia territory. Vila was a big, big guy. But Mose is probably bigger. I dread to think the kind of damage he could inflict if he really meant to hurt someone. Targeted aggression is the key.

Spot on regarding the Leeds game. Mose's first stint Saints hardly touched the ball which reduced his effectiveness greatly.

I hate it when a player doesn't pull his weight. It probably goes back t when I was a small and hard working forward and I'd see men with 3 stone on me reluctant to get their hands dirty.

However, hard work or nought, I don't think people realise the spectrum of benefits that masoe gives us.
First of all, he's mahoosive, he is very physically imposing. Whilst he might not pile it in 3 times a set, he certainly takes some stopping when he hits the line. That mean he's automatically on a defenders mind and will get more than his fair share of attention - that's how we get gaps appearing elsewhere.
His yard per drive is high, so he puts the defence on the back foot.
Those 1 or 2 penalties a game when he leaves his shoulder in onto a playmanker, whilst initially frustrating, carry a massive psychological factor. Half back know that this monster is there and wanting to smash them, which will subconsciously affect their decision to show and go.
He likes to get under the opposition's skin, he likes it when tempers flare and he doesn't need to worry since he's 10% bigger than closest rival. Things get tastey, handbags get thrown about and he's there, in the thick of it, with that big grin.
He doesn't go hiding in the big games, when things get rough.

Now I remember where I saw that grin before!

Mose Masoe - I christen thee - "Bigfoot".

And tonight we saw the value in that. I thought he had his best game of the season. Mugwump called it correctly.