Can't see him getting picked at all in the near future.
He needs to play behind a winning pack and ours isn't.
Chris Feather ran holes into our pack every time he hit the ball up. If Feather is doing that then your pack's defence is poor.
We need a pack like Noble had at Bradford, and Saints have had these past few years. Big, powerful, aggressive men who when interchanged provide relentless power going forward. They wear the opposition down and create space for the halves. That's what Wigan need.
Catalans last night were nowhere in the first 30 mins, Perry & Bosc weren't seen. When the Cats pack took over in the 2nd half and steamrollered the Wire forwards Bosc & Perry ran the show.
We haven't got a pack like Leeds have, nor Saints or Catalans.
Noble needs to build one and is perfectly capable of doing so.
All he needs is Ian Lenagan to pay what's needed.
If Sam Tomkins played at Leeds, Saints or Catalan he'd be a blinder.
Play him behind our pack he get killed!
Sorry to disagree with everyone but I'd rather him wait than get murdered.

7 - Wellens, Tom Armstrong, Cunningham, Clough, Roby, Wheeler and Gareth Frodsham.

Out of interest there were 3/4 overseas players in the Saints team today - Gidley, Puletua, Flannery and Maurie.

Credit to them

He will get a run out weekend of 3 april its the 4th round of cup and we get a lower league side in the draw cos i cnt see noble picking him before that.

Agreed, if he plays well in the challenge cup and the team is still playing poorly it will but alot of pressure on Nobby to get him played.

what if we draw a superleague team in the cup??

as others have said wakey and cas would have been ideal matches to play him.
looking at the next 6 matches id say the only slim chance hes got of playing is against salford away.

Shenton is 22 but yeh, I do see your point

He has to start against Quins imo because Smith just doesn't look up to the grade at the moment. He can't defend and isn't exactly firing in attack.

The thing that gets me about Noble not wanting to blood youngsters is that we have nothing to lose anymore. We can't be relegated and the only way this club is going to get back to the top is by producing our own 'world class' players. We haven't seen a player of that quality come through our system for quite a while now but in the likes of Ainscough, Joel and Sam Tomkins we have players capable of getting to that level given a chance.

I'd take a couple of years worth of inconsistant results and preformences from the team if it meant at the end of it we had 3 or 4 high quality local lads in the team.

Here Here. TBH i dont think we have the squad to win something this year(I know thats negative but its the truth) so lets start thinking about the future and get the like of Sam, Mossop and Farrell in the team.

Agree 100%

With Noble in charge I can't see these youngsters ever getting there chance though



Barring injury of course

I wouldn't call, O'Carroll, Prescott, Tomkins, McIlorum and Ainscough geriatrics.

Get real.

Wigan have probably the youngest squad in Superleague.

Yes, and the best young talent about. They didnt win the grand final for nothing. So lets use em!
Sam can do no worse than comedian Tim Smith

Why would you want to put a young guy in a team where the pack is getting battered?

He won't look any better than what we have there now paying behind a beaten pack.

I see no reason why a bench place instead of Mclorum would have done on Friday.. BN should have realised that the half backs were not at their best against Wakey and Hull... But in the wakey game we were on fire when Tommy moved to Hooker, therefore he could have give Sam a chance... I just dont get it... We have a team full of players who never look like scoring and we have a 20 year old who's scored five tries against whitehaven and two against warrington... I can understand noble wanting to give tommy and smith game time together, but to have no plan B when the obvious is infront of him is just plain daft!!!

NOBBY OUT- SHAUN WANE IN until we get a coach who is world class.... no more desperate measures... if the guy isnt available straight away we need to wait.... As its obvious from the coaches we have had, that only the best can cope with such a position...

Is that because it is fashionable to bash him this week, his quality is obvious. The problem seems to be the team don't know what he is going to do next.

He had to literally hit Carmont to get him to be a dummy runner on Friday, and it worked, we scored from the scrum.

I think Sam Tomkins should have his chance on Saturday, I'm really hoping he does.

I'd keep Smith and Leuluai in the side and have Riddell miss out to rest up his knock. If McIlorum is banned then Riddell in, in his place.

True,

Smiths tackle that let Ferres in was appalling but no-one has commented on Goulding not coming into help. It could have been easily stopped.

I watched it again on BBC's Superlaegue show, no doubt we'll all get the chance later in the week on SL t.v.

Just watch.

I doubt it will happen this saturday, Quins are a tough unit especially at home and I dont think Noble will risk him.
Then again stranger things have happened

Hes an excellent passer of the ball admitedly. But he cannot kick, his defence is ridiculously bad and he is yet to beat a man. How many breaks has he made in his time at Wigan? I can recall none. zero

what kind of halfback cant beat a man or make a break? Even Danny Orr made the odd break or two

It was a shocker, but as you say Goulding watched it happen. They aren't playing for each other.



He waltzed in at the JJB last season for a try, I forget who against, he carved them up with a superb step, so thats one



Smith can beat a man, but running isn't the main part of his game. His kicking is a bit hit & miss.

Smiths defence on Friday night was un-defendable. It was appaling whatever way you look at it even though as pointed out he didn't get much help from some of his teamates.

As for his preformence with ball in hand i'd call it inconsistant. He does some great things, some good things and some absolute shocking things. His kicking game isn't good enough from deep and i don't really get why he's first choice but close to the line it's alot better.

I feel abit sorry for the guy that he's playing at 6 because to me a 6 always makes me think of a player that can organise but mainly is a threat through running the ball and thats simply not Smiths game. He does always look dangerous when he runs the ball but i think thats due to the fact he catches defences by suprise with his runs as he only attempts a couple(at most) per game.

If he plays at the weekend it's got to be at 7 imo alongside Tomkins with Leuluai playing at 9. The more i watch Leuluai the more i can't help but think we're wasting one of the worlds best hookers by playing him at 7. He'd be devastating running out of dummy half.

I agree with you there mate. Bennett could see he is a far better 9, why can't Nobby?

As for Smith he never has been a take the line on sort of half back, it is his passing skills that have set him apart from other halves. He is a pure 7 not a 6 and as such is not being utilized properly just like Lulu isn't. Have to admit though Smithys tackling has been woeful. Smithy to 7 Sam at 6 Tommy to 9 should see a big improvement imo

I think your dead right there mate but don't think Noble agrees

Because Bennett is a legendary coach and Noble just isnt

...Not that you need to be of the class of Bennett ro realise that Leuluai will end up a quality 9, all our fans seem to be able to....