More missed tackles than anyone in the NRL with an 82% tackle efficiency is average at best.

ah, stats can be easily made to make any argument, now give me tackles against them all, might show a different story as he has a great engine and is everywhere, for example Tim Grant has a percentage of near 94 percent but did 143 tackles in the season, so your saying hes a better defender? didnt think so

Alright then, it's his third game, I stand corrected.

Well, here's a fact for you.

Like many others, I have got more important things to bother about in the present situation than just bothering about watching overrated aussie rugby games.

Perhaps that's why I was unaware that it was Williams third game.

.......ok

Aussie rugby games are anything but overrated.

Is that not the same for all players? In Australia if you don't play well you are not in the team.

bingo, they dont tolerate garbage

They are the exact opposite to be truthful. I don’t understand some peoples menality towards it. It is not a bad thing that they are superior and have a better comp than us. It is just the way it is, in this country we have a far better football league than they do in Australia because its our national sport like rl is theres (its not actually I don’t think but not far off).Not sure why there is an obsession with us wanting to be as good as the NRL competition. Soon as we all realise that SL will never be as good we can move on and accept and enjoy our game for what it is then also enjoy the Aussie stuff for what it is and stop the comparisons of everything.

The same thinking is also in Football, where many supporters think that every foreign football player, especially from Brazil is world class when in reality, many are no better than many of the good young talented players from within the British Isles are just as good, but are no longer getting the same chance.

And if Aussie players are so good, why do the clubs have to recruit players from not only our country, but also Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.

Because they are cheaper, due to the not being as good...

Lots of humble pie concerning George

I was a GW fan however, he didn’t develop as much as I had hoped particularly his one dimensional kicking game.
This could be more to do with our coaching as much as GW not being sufficiently self motivated

Im delighted George is doing well and the change of scenery has obviously done him good but im not going to pretend for the last 12 months or so here he wasn't completely innefective. His tackling was still ok but as far as playmaking went. Zero

21 try assists would say he must have done some play making?? Only hastings (36), Coote (22) and Fages (22) had more in the whole of Super league. And throw in 14 trys as well, his stats match up with anyone’s apart from Hastings.

Having a laugh look at his stats he was last season's scapegoat.

Tough to try and do it all on your own and from a play making point of view he’s been on his own at points. There were times these past couple of years where you felt that unless Williams came up with something out of nothing, it was going to be a long day. I don’t think he was at his best these last couple of years to be totally honest but even a 50% effective George Williams is a bigger attacking weapon than 95% of halves in this country.

He needed this move to kick on IMO. His development had stagnated a little and he has to take some blame for that but he won’t be able to have a day off in the NRL like he could here. He’s concentrating, keeping it pretty simple and not over playing from what I’ve seen. That’s helping him spy opportunities to inject himself in to the game and with so many good players around him, they’ll help him nail the big plays and take pressure off him.

Agree with pretty much of that NK
You’ve got got to question our game in the north of England as much as GW as to why he did kick on so to speak in SL. As a code we accept mediocrity too easily and this I think seeps into the entire structure
I genuinely wish the lad well in Australia and will follow his hopefully continued success and shoving it up the arrogant Aussies

Arrogance like the commentators saying what a great ‘find’ he’s been. I think they believe he’s been plucked out from some amateur competition somewhere and is being paid $50 a game plus winning bonus. Our own Willie Isa pointed out that arrogance on Instagram the other day, commenting that he’s been a top player for years, playing in and winning finals in front of 70,000+ fans.

Me and my son both burst out laughing when they said that. I admire the Aussies but have invariably found them to be arrogant and dismissive when talking about British players.
Canberra seem to have found a good balance and it will take a good team to upset them. I just hope that Sutton can get a lot of play time

And Why should the Aussies worry about that when our own fans run down our own players and game as much as we do?
With regards to George in particular - He's been an England international from the age of about 22, He's played in 4 GF's of the last 7 winning 2 of them, Played in 2 x WCC's winning one (Earning praise from Andrew Johns and not sure if also MOM?) and his own fans, not even opposing fans, give him more stick than anyone

It happens over and over again, Young player comes through
Gets Hyped up and then they expect him to perform like a seasoned professional week in week out (Ryan Sutton big example)
Player gets improved contract - Wigan fans (In particular) starts to slag said player off - How dare he want more money, he should count himself lucky to be playing, despite the fact said player would walk into any team in the country AND the fans would be prepared to go and "Sign" another player from SL or NRL and give them as much if not more!
Form dips for a couple of games, gets branded rubbish
Poster/fan/armchair expert defends critic of player by continuing to rubbish player irrespective of what happens because they'd rather be proved right than admit they're wrong
Player leaves, performs well at another club and suddenly it's better coaching etc. etc.
Said it over and over again, if Wigan fans (And British fans in General) spent as much time being positive, look at the positives and promote our strengths as they do Rubbishing the game and it's players we would be in a much healthier position.
Keep telling people that every player is rubbish, every team is Rubbish, our league is rubbish and guess what
Everyone will think that it is rubbish - Surprise surprise

Absolutely agree from our end. I’m not sure the Aussies will ever pay us much credit for these lads unless we managed to turn them over in a series or a World Cup but we certainly do need to start hyping our game more and admiring the players for the unbelievable athletes that they are.

One thing I get really jealous of watching these NRL games is just how hyped and how positive somebody like Vossy is on commentary. Having the tome to watch plenty of old games these past few months has really made you realise just how much focus Eddie and Stevo put on the negatives over the years. They’d constantly call for forward passes, try’s to be checked, bag referees and so on. You watch an Aussie game and the whole production is night and day. They make every player sound like a gladiator or some non human machine.

As for our own fans bagging our own Wigan players, you’re right at happens far too much. I do think people should be allowed to give constructive criticism and I like to think I’ll do that but there has to be a balance. Ryan Sutton is a great example. I’ve always said on here that I rated him and to play as many games as he did, in such a tough position, at such a young age and to be as consistent, was a really testament to him. On the flip side of that was what I’d consider a constructive feedback point that I’ve made before and that was that he could’ve got himself in a bit better shape and pushed himself a little harder in that respect whilst at Wigan. He was a good player as it was but his move to Oz came about and suddenly he shedded the puppy fat and toned himself up and he’s reaping the rewards. He was a really good player for us but do I think he could’ve gotten an extra couple of percent out of himself for us? Absolutely. It takes time though and in his case a different challenge to do that though sometimes.

In principle Jukes its hard to argue with a lot of that.
Where I get disappointed with players is were they don’t kick on and step up to the next level.

I’d put Charnley and Burgess when they first came on the scene to be 2 of the best wingers I’ve ever seen at Wigan.
For me both have regressed as they have got older. There are lots of other examples throughout the game

I don’t know why this is the case. Maybe inadequate coaching/mentoring or maybe being too accepting of their levels of attainment.

I personally don’t mind players going to Australia to gain the experience and no doubt an improved contract I just wish that the game in the uk couldsupply this

Looking forward to seeing him play this weekend.
Here's hoping he has another blinder.

In the Daily Star today there is an article with Shaun Wane discussing the cancelled Ashes series and the idea of the Exiles game,at the end of the interview he goes on about George and how he wouldn't have been 100% happy with last weekend's display had they both still been at Wigan.I think George had to leave Wigan as he had gone stale and needed a new challenge,i really hope that he can really make it in Australia as English halves don't tend to do well down under