Sam has never been that good under the high ball imo

Yeh I posted something very similar to that on the VT thread discussing English NRL players. The Warriors attack far too flat to get anywhere near the best from Sam's running game and they basically just utilise him as a 3rd half back outwide. He looked a lot more dangerous with his running game when Leuluai played 6, because he was looking to get good service to him running from a deeper position. It's been very frustrating to watch when the NZW have an attacking set close to the line and Sam doesn't get his hands on the ball for 3 or 4 tackles when we have been so used to seeing him involved in nearly every play. You'd have thought if a club was spending a record transfer fee at a player and throwing huge wages at them they would play in a style that most suited that player.

There's a certain Inglis bloke stopping it from happening but I'd love to see him link up with Madge again so he can let him show the NRL what he can really do.

Sam made plenty of howlers early on but has looked a lot more assured over the last couple of months. The total number of errors he's made are comparable to the likes of Hayne, Slater and Inglis. I always thought the "dodgy under the high ball" line was a bit of a myth that was highlighted by a few high profile mistakes. He's no Radlinski but he's always taken a lot more than he's missed.

was playing centre for England and Wigan when he left for RU.

Has the potential to be a world beating centre, who can forget his ties in the Challenge cup final and vs the exiles?

For me this ties in with the Goulding leaving rumour

He was handed the no 11 shirt on the pitch when he signed. If that is not a big hint at where he is going to play I don't know what is.

It is also where I want to see him play. He did well at centre for us but he is an even better back row forward. Joel was another case of a player good enough to play out of his best position in SL and was doing so because we had little other options as far as Madge was concerned.

We tried the same with Hughes giving him a centres shirt and that set him back IMO because he's another back row forward asked to do something different and it also looks like Hampshire is lined up for no. 1 slot when he's grown up playing 6 and being the best 6 in the junior set up.

If we have to do this sort of thing it says to me we are lacking specialists in these positions (and that in SL you can get away with it most of the time).

Joel only ever played second row for England RL, never at centre.

Joel's move to the centres was more of a needs-must situation because of what happened with Gleeson, and Maguire never seemed to fancy using Goulding anywhere other than on the wing. I'm expecting Wane to use Joel as a SR.

Joel and Farrell as 2nd rowers with Bateman covering more and more for Lockers at 13 and on the bench when lockers is fit to play

Fantastic news. Actually predicted it at the game and was bought free drinks for rest of game by all sat near me.

I hope that you get a better player back from RU than we did when we re signed Lee Smith

I have watched quite a few of JT's games for Saracens and England and he always looked half the player he was at Wigan

I wouldn't be surprised if it took quite a while for JT to get anywhere near where he was prior to his departure but good luck to him

This is great news for RL in general and Wigan in particular. There are no garantees but I would expect that with the benefit of Wigan's fitness, conditioning and coaching staff Joel will be able to regain his fitness and sharpness after his stint in the less demanding code.

This is a real boost to our chances of retaining the SL title in the short term and as others have said we have in JT someone who can take on the difficult task of following SOL, a captain who has led the team through a dark era and back to the top of RL in this country.

As for those writing off SOL, I hope and pray you are wrong!

I agree with Elvis.

I hope his back is in the same condition as Matty Bowens knees

Well, the 11 shirt was going begging after H left, they were hardly going to give a marquee signing squad no.42 or where ever we are up to, it is his preferred position, but you cant rule him out of the centres.

Well I hope Wane does.

Well i have. He's got to play back row.

I've seen some people criticising him saying it's no big deal and he'll be Wigan's third best second rower at best. I think this is due to his most recent League season spent playing out of position at centre where i think he was ok but no where near as good as he was in the second row. If he'd stayed he would have been England's best second rower by now.

I hope he can get back to where he was because i was a big fan of Joel and he offers something we're missing. Can't wait for his second debut.

it either leaves Bateman or Faz on the bench, or Joel at centre. The numbers not important, 11 was free so why not. IIRC he wore 11 playing centre,, but that was Madges idea, Wane may think different.
Before he left he had the potential to be the best british centre since Keef Senior, but i suspect he may have come back on the back of a promise to let him go back playing in his fav position

Good to see him return, especially the year before the next RU world cup.

I think you're right in that. He wasn't a great centre and that clouded people's judgement on him at second row IMO. He was exceptional in that position and getting better all the time. He was big and aggressive, ran great lines, defended well and his main quality was his pace which is great for a big bloke. His handling ability is something we've missed in that backrow as well.

If we can get the Joel Tomkins of 2010 back eventually we'll be in a very good position indeed.

Joel Tomkins had his best season in 2010 especially the first half of the season when he become one of the most powerful runners around and a really clinical defender. He still had his pace and even scored a long range try better than the one at Wembley. His best position is second row by far IMO. He showed some awesome glimpses at centre, but that is because he is a great player, not because he is a great centre.

I would only consider playing him at centre if 3 of our 4 centres are injured for a big game as he would still be a better option than Jack Hughes.

It will be interesting to see how he goes at Loose when Lockers is rested, hopefully he can learn to link up like Lockers does and become his natural replacement.

The way I see it, he has been having a rest in Union. The training and particularly the games are nowhere near as demanding. He is 27 but probably is as fresh as the 24 year old who left. No doubt he will have prolonged his career in league by resting in Union for a few years.

People will need to be patient with him though, past examples have proved that the horrible other code can coach all of the ability out of good players. We will see the best of him next season after a full pre-season with our coaching staff and players.

Operation Red Squirrel Rads at his best. www.wiganwarriors.com/WBlogp.aspx?id=22

Operation Red Squirrel Rads at his best. www.wiganwarriors.com/WBlogp.aspx?id=22

A good insight into the whole transfer and the day's events leading to his appearance on the pitch.
I thought that brining Joel onto the pitch with IL was a PR masterstroke.

Probably got Sam Burgess to thank for this in part. Him going to RU pushed Joel even further down the pecking order. However its come about though I think its a great move!

Great blog... whatever Joel brings to the club, he will have to do a lot to be bigger than our very special member of staff... Mr Radlinski.. Take a bow young sir...

Joels obviously is a good playerand I am glad to have him back but he is no superstar like he is being hyped up to be. He is a good, hard working 2nd row that can occasionally break the line but isnt a star signing by any means.