If you mean for this week's game, I agree. Riley has played quite a few games and Rhys needs some game time.

Longer term I am surprised TS has not given Rhys a chance in the 3/4, after all he is always trying players in different positions and values 'utility ' players.

He has given him a chance. He started the first home game of the season and got injured. He's only just back to full fitness a couple of weeks ago and there is big competition for places. He also played at Salford.

True, perhaps I am a bit impatient. But I think he is a real talent, a natural rugby player with speed, an eye for a gap and can run good lines.

Put him in the centre instead of Bridge. Bridge has been struggling with a niggle all year. Put Matty Blythe back in the pack (when required)

Lets face it Blythe is not a centre

His better performances have come at centre IMO, I've always felt he struggles with the work rate at second row, it seems to bring out the 'daft penalties' in him.

IMO, Evans will eventually be a centre, but I wouldn't play him there just yet, he needs consistent minutes and I'd prefer him to get them on the wing for now. If we're dropping/resting Bridge, I'd put Monaghan at centre with Evans outside of him. But if we're looking to establish Rhys in the first team for the rest of the season, then Riley is the winger I'd drop for him. Sad, but Rhys clearly has more potential.

If the lad is naturally a centre then why put him on the wing. It does frustrate me when coaches do this

Correct, it baffles me how many people come on here wondering what has happened to certain players despite the fact their injury situation has been well reported.

I presume you haven't seen Riley's try scoring record this season and that you didn't see his try on Sunday. Rhys will get a chance when he's fit. He's hardly played at any level all season.

Very infrequently I post, but when I read somebody suggest dropping Chris Riley at the moment I feel compelled.

Don't think I've ever seen a player so in form. Chris used to have his weaknesses but has overcome them all, and is beginning to take on defences like he did as a schoolboy! His try this weekend was phenomenal.

Rhys is a great player, but still very young. His defence was a bit of a liability in the Salford game. Patience everybody!

Blythe may not have started out as a centre but he has put in consistently solid performances there, and at the moment given Bridge's injury situation I'd rather have Blythe.

On a more general point it shows how far we've come when we're saying the likes of Blythe aren't good enough when previosuly we've had Benny in the centres and Sibbet on the wing..... both of whom would hardly set the world alight in those positions and both - I would suggest - would be lower down the pecking order as centre than Matty

Rugby League is a sport played in about 4 countries, and this last 12 months I haven't been in any of them for a significant amount of time. There's a big world out there, and not every one lives in Warrington you know.

Plus I've only been to one Wire game this season, so how was I supposed to know about his injury situation? If I was aware of it I wouldn't have come on here to ask.



I know it's not the most interesting topic, but thanks to those who came back with informative responses. Anyway all the faintly interesting threads such as the one about the flare seem to get locked because the moderators don't like them, and we're left with the same boring old subjects such as:

Parking@ insert name of Yorkshire pit village here

Ref for Sunday

19 man squad v ...

Surely you enjoyed my '2011 accounts' thread ? It had everything; suspense, drama, sex. What more could you possibly want ?

I think SEB may be upset that you don't check the 2012 Squad thread, because he keeps a (mostly) up-to-date list of injury news there, which is how I knew despite now living Leeds and only going to the one game so far.

I've still enjoyed this thread though, and the 2011 accounts one, though from that description I can't have been reading it very carefully

. Nothing stopping you making more threads if you don't like the ones we already have, too.

I said if we were to try and make Rhys a first team regular, then Riley is the one that would be dropped. Would you play Riley over Joel Monaghan? I wouldn't. Out of our centres and wingers, Riley is the poorest of the four starters, which shows just how good our back line is. I wasn't saying for any minute we should drop Riley, I was saying that if Tony wants to make Rhys a first team regular, then it would be Riley's place he'd take, but I don't think Rhys will get in the first team with any regularity this season, but next year he definitely will. Rhys is a special talent, injuries have stopped him from showing that but he'll be taking somebody's place next year.

WE should be aiming for Rhys to take Chris Bridges place in due course. He is a natural centre, has loads of potential but is not yet the finished article. Seeing him and Atkins as our first choice centres on top form will be fantastic.

I'd agree with this.....Bridge is a good, solid player, however, he is replaceable with very little disruption to our side.

I'd say Evans for Bridge is the long term plan and wouldn't be surprised to see Bridge squeezed out in a year or two, and for him to end up at an ambitious, lower-in-the-league side like Widnes.

(Not sure on when Bridge's contract is up, but if its end of 2013 season, then that would when I'd expect to see him go and for Evans to emerge as his replacement).

Of course, but Rhys is still technically a 'boy'. A bit like Folau when he was a lad, we should let him start out on the wing, when he gets used to the regular physical differences and develops his body, move him in and let him flourish as the centre he'll be.

I like Bridge, but if he has lost his pace permanently (i.e. it's not just an injury), then I'd consider either moving him to loose or letting him go. He done OK at loose during the back end of last season, he's more than capable of making the transition.

I've just seen that Bridge has a contract upto the end of 2015....(Has have Atkins and Evans).....I'd be very surprised if Bridge isn't gone before then.

Like I say, nothing against Chris Bridge, but I'd expect (and hope) Evans to have progressed to a first grade centre before 2015.

Would the fans tolerate guys like Evans being selected though?

Remember the Salford experience - teh fans will not accept being disrespected with those kind of players. If the first teamers are fit then why pick some young kid?

I disagree with that, i'd rather have Riley on than Monaghan and Bridge is the weakest starter in our backline imo.

I agree. Monaghan is a great finisher, but Riley creates tries as well.

I don't understand people having a pop at Bridge, I fully accept that he hasn't been brilliant this season but he is still a quality player with alot of utility value.

Agreed, if he gets a bit of his speed back then there's no reason to let him go. He's had an up and down year so far, but him and Atkins are the best centre pairing in the league IMO.

I think he's bit a bit too much bulk on, look at him 3 years and he was alot leaner, probably sacrificed a bit of speed for power. I think his skill set is outstanding.