I hope he makes it. Love them for your side or hate them against you there's nothing like watching a winger with real pace. FWIW in terms of experience he's probably not much less experienced than Ryan Hall was at the start of last year. From what I've seen he could do with a bit more 'meat' on his bones, and may never be the best defender, but as I say I'd rather watch an exciting attacking winger than any number of 'solid' pros.

Ryan Hall has developed mainly because of the excellent service given to him by his centre partner, Senior. (Donald too looked a far better winger with Senior inside). Penny with Gidley could be even more devastating.

To be fair, penny has had pretty good centres at wire

He's got plenty of raw ability and needs to be nurtured carefully in a good set up.

Hold on, a couple of months back we were saying we weren't a good set up.

Plus with our fans, we'd murder him. He'd end up a crying mess in Compost Corner.

exactly, saints wouldnt be the best place for him now

So where would be a good place for him?

It occurred to me that we two English wingers in Penny and Ainscough with heaps of ability and potential who need to be getting better coaching than they have had already. We have few enough promising backs in this country without allowing those with a bit of potential to drift.

Is it necessarily down to coaching though? I'd have thought two cashed up clubs like Wigan and Wire would be likely to have good solid coaching infrastructures. Certainly the pies have had no trouble bringing in Tomkins and continue to churn out solid Super League players.

Could it not be that Penny and Ainscough, despite having clear ability in some areas of the game, simply aren't any good at other areas of it?

Who

I would not say that anyone at Warrington is a great centre that provides quality ball to their winger on a regular basis.

When he was getting slated, he had King at his very worst inside him.

paul johnson, henry fa'afili, ben westwood, simon grix, then in 08 he got matt king.

only grix hasnt been an international

international wingers and a backrow forward

but not poor players. Again in all fairness, as others have said king was in v.poor form at the time, and as you say the other players weren't natural centres

Gidley is a world class centre. If he was English he'd be striaght in! That's the difference. The others weren't centres and King is a damn good finisher but can't set anything up like Gidley does! Penny would be very dangerous off the back of Gidley's skills!

But not players that are going to give you quality ball like a Senior, Lyon or Gidley. I like Mat King but he more a try scoring centre than a try creating centre.

You seem to be out numbered on this one si

So you choose to ignore the World Class Tries he scored against you on your own patch goosing gidley Wellens and Gardner for one try then the length of the field for another try. Then the simple Hatrick he scored against you at our place..........not forgetting the Tries he scored againt Leeds which awhere again a bit special.......and all for a knock on........and nobody knocks on these days do they..



admittedly it turned the game your way but seeing as we havent beaten you for years and years and years its hardly a Historical moment is it....

playing penny outside Gidley would be a no brainer unfortunately we had him outside No defensive brain Matt King.

either way Penny is an Asset and very good to watch if you want Value for your £15 quid or whatever it is he gives it like no other player in my opinion....

I am very dissapointed he hasnt got a starting wingers squad number...Hicks And Riley dont get the juices flowing do they.

I was aways concerned when I saw an interview where he was chatting about his debut against Leeds. He stated that Paul Cullen said something along the lines of 'he phoned me up the day before to say I was playing, he just told me to chase as hard as I could'. That IMO is why we fail internationally...

It seems that you lot chose to ignore The World Class Tries etc.
You dropped him and never picked him again???

I know


i concede that they arnt world class like gidley or senior, but my point was they werent terrible players either

You think Jimmy Lowes was that bad that he asked me to pick the team...............

Penny was dropped by Lowes after the first game of last season V Saints a game that you won (suprise suprise) in which Penny did nothing wrong. We then Got by by 40 and 48 points in our next two games without Penny says volumes about Lowes Credentials more than Penny's....

after which Lowes himself was dropped from first team coach to Assistant coach and ball Washer so a bit of justice eh.....?

Smith May still loan Penny out this season so he gains more experience, however I hope he gets a good go this season, If Solomona makes half breaks down the flanks I know who I'd Want supporting him more than any other player...

I'd have Penny in the Saints side. Real pace is one of the things you can't really coach, and with his natural evasion, he's a very threatening attacker. Sure his defence isn't great, but he's a winger, none of them can tackle (says the ex-forward). Anyway, we're talking Calamity Meli and Plodder Gardner as the alternatives.

It's been a long time (Lyons) since Saints had a player who sets hearts aflutter every time he receives the ball, and Penny could do that. I'd like to bring a bit of excitement back.

We have Meli, a guy who make's Penny's peaks and troughs look like a bowling green. He gives us plenty of positives, but the speccies, on the whole, detest him.
Fair enough, Penny hasn't had the oppotunity to balls up in a GF, but I'm sure he could do just as good a job of it as Francis has.

I agree that they are not chumps.