I don't know why people are criticising Charnley. It was his debut and he hardly got a load of ball. He had a truly naff centre inside of him.

Meli had a good game. Loved the hits he put out. Scored a good try too and did some nice passing for the almost try. But he likes playing for the Exiles.

Wasn't really a game for the backs with the conditions: the three-quarters hardly touched the ball and Tomkins was quiet I thought.

Sums it up well I think.

I think Meli is in the shop window.He did well tonight.Might cost Widnes a bit more money for his services.

I'll be sad to see him go and our 3/4 line at the moment looks pallid and utterly unthreatening without him for next season. I doubt we'll be seeing any flowing back moves for a long, long time to come given the way our squad is currently shaping up. All hail the barge...

saddend of course i watched the game, also i supported england unlike some on here. yeah roby is a good hooker i have never said he isn't. But he needs to learn when to scoot and when not too in your own half yeah you should, when in the ops 20 with the attacking line set no you shouldn't. alot of times last night he lost any space for the attacking line because he scooted and passed just before being tackled and it puts the attacking line under pressure. let me guess who picked the man of the match stevo? (i really dont know) but he loves a hooker who scoots aswell as eddie "thats clever work that it really is" stevo special now eddies "great scampering run from dummy half. stevo only praises hookers when they pick up the ball and try to catch the markers offside.

but saying that i dont think it really matters with sinfield at 6 anyway.

I think your just being biased against roby.

Stevo gives non stop praise to Monaghan at wolves who's not a scooting hooker, he never shut up about James Lowes who wasn't a scooting hooker, he just loves hookers (the rugby hoookers I mean)

How any can suggest that roby isn't the best hooker in super league it utter crazy, he was also best player on the pitch against the exiles.

McIllroum will never be in the same class as Roby

He's a poor mans Jon Clarke

He's not that bad

I think Charnley was just missing Snowy. Hope the Thompson Twins looked after him.

He loves no one more than Rob Burrow though.

Clearly they are 2 very different styles of 9,s. Roby is very quick out of dummy half and is very effective at getting teams on the back foot, and needs a lot of push from teammates. MM imo jumps and attracts the BM and A only and has runners and 2,s plays and Wigan play of the back of this with to get the ball to the edge quickly.

I would play them both, at some stage of the game. Having Borrows at 9 is the same style as Roby but no where near as effective. I also agree that scooting without support looks good, but without another QPTB to get out to an edge may as well be a forward drive.

IMO Roby is a quality player who I would love to see in a Wigan shirt, but MM is also getting there. He defo should have been on the bench, he,s a very honest, hard hitting 9 he will only get better.

Cameron Smith is not know for quick scooting from 9, but organising well and gets the pack going forward and the Aussies then play of the back of this with their outside backs.

Play them both, if one styles not working we have a plan B.

Just an opinion

The thing about McIlorum is that last season he was so ineffectual and poor that because he is showing some form now he looks like a world beater. He's always been good defensively, but never offered anything going forward, and he has added to his offensive game.

It helps that he's playing in such a good team as well; that roll on that Wigan achieve going forward helps him a lot IMO and when you compare him to Roby (who isn't playing in as good a team) he still doesn't get to his level. Roby is world class, so it's not as if it's a disservice to McIlorum to say that.

Personally though he, IMO, is third choice behind Roby and Houghton who is far more effective that McIlorum.

Some people will always argue for their guy in this sort of situation, just like when Bulls fans would argue for Lowes over Cunningham.

McIlorum isn't a player without merit and is obviously playing his part in a very good club set up.
Most would agree that Roby is still the easy choice, but what I will say is that McIlorum and Houghton would be much more prefferrable to me than the likes of Burrow because of the defensive demands of full blown test rugby.

I don,t disagree with what you are saying, Roby is world class without doubt. The point I,am making is, that I cannot see how Borrows can be ahead of MM on current form, he,s young, yes playing in a good pack, but that argument can be made about all 9,s + 7,s playing in or behind a good or beaten pack. Houghton is another good 9, however MM is a lot better defensively than him.

I like Roby at 9 for GB but we need to play to his strengths and get up he with support knowing something may open up with his pace from 9, if not its just looks like a scoot after scoot at times and sometimes we fail to go wide when we should have. Also good marker play sometimes renders scooting 9,s less effective, however in Roby,s case the markers have to be bang at it to stop him.

Both quality players imo + MM should of come of the bench to progress his development at international level.

So in a thread about Meli, we're torn between Roby and McIllorum...

Hmmmm.

dubairl is the culprit there. A major thread derail of Rogueian proportions.

first 6 posts end up talking about other players, actually even you ended your little tug with a little dig at charnley. maybe you should have named the thread exiles

Back on topic, then, I think Meli will turn out to be a good signing for whoever gets him, especially if he's playing centre (or wing for a team that doesn't make the GF).
He still looks in pretty good nick to me and if we could have bolstered our squad with a decent BIG winger, I'd have liked to have seen him stay for another year as a centre. He doesn't have the same inconsitancies there and brings a lot with ball inhand.

IMO Meli is one of our most dangerous players and the stick he gets is wildly out of proportion to his performances.

I couldn't agree more.

If it were not for the three Grand Final howlers, I'm sure Meli would be held in great esteem.

All absolutely true. Despite his age I can't see anyone any better or who offers even remotely as much threat on the market. The fact that we're offing him and Shenton, our only 2 international class 3/4s, and apparently signing nothing like the same class to replace them fills me with a little dread as to our style of play for next season. We may have been **** to watch the last few years but we're looking far, far more 1-dimensional next year...