Because we were playing better with Obst & Horne, Long has done nothing to warrant his place over Obst.

Just leave him to rot then eh? I'd sooner see him try and get back to his best personally, it's not like we won't be paying him much.

How does that work? I thought it was a grade D so between 3 and 5 if he was guilty

Exactly.

Thought Longy played with his heart on his sleeve last week. Plus I think the Obst/Houghton is starting to look good.

I'd like to grow all of my hair back but it's not going to happen

I would rather we play the team that performs the best regardless of what they are paid, but hey thats just me.

It's already been established that you're not a true fan as you don't use your season pass

Seems a fair punishment given his previous good disciplinary record.

I will have you all know that i do use it. It keeps the wonky chair in the kitchen level, just the right thickness. However if i use a ticket or two it will make it wonky again

His crocodile tears obviously worked

Would still leave us a body short and with no half cover for injuries. Just doesn't seem logical to me.

I thought our best attacking performance so far has been with Long, Horne, and Obst all on the field anyway?

Which performance are you relating to Kosh? I presume you mean the Quins game where long was anonymous for the majority of the game as usual.

The charge was downgraded.

That was the game I had in mind, yes. Only going off reports on here and the press mind.

I'm not suggesting that he's set the league alight but he does seem to be doing some good stuff. And as far as I'm concerned the more creative players we have in the side the better. Long at SH and Obst rotating with Houghton is better than our alternatives with Obst in the halves IMO.

Be interesting to see how we perform in the next couple of games without Long and if performances change when he returns. I agree the more creative players the better, but I just get the impression that Long is pretty much disinterested the majority of the time.

I doubt we will miss him for 2 games, I was excited when we signed him but barring a couple of games he has been a poor signing and probably cost us a fortune!

Long hasn't been poor but he just hasn't been that good either but that doesn't warrant throwing him on the scrap heap does it? I'm sure the team will benefit from having him in it in the long run and it's not like Obst won't get a game because of him either.

So your saying he has been average

....He will be one of the highest paid players in our squad, a wage which is way above average and his performance should reflect that!! Take Fitz & Orgre now they earn their high wage, Longy does/has not!

Have you seen the top tacklers in SL?



Fitz is top with 48 per game average and nearly 100 more than the guy in 5th in only 8 games. Jesus. Putting aside the fact that he's flogging himself those are incredible stats IMO. If there were ever the polar opposite of an Aussie coming over here to wind down and toss it off, we've got him at FC.

1 Craig Fitzgibbon Hull 383
2 James Roby St Helens 329
3 Danny Houghton Hull 320
4 Ian Henderson Catalans 320
5 Andy Ellis Harlequins 286

Not decrying his effort here, but it does help massively that he's probably the only player in SL who plays 80 minutes around the ruck most weeks. The other four are all hookers who get spelled.

I'd sooner see his tackle stats take a hit and have him playing less minutes, at prop, and look useful with the ball as well. So far this season I personally think his performances have looked great on paper, but at most only good on the field. He's actually had a few bad and mediocre games.

Breaking news on BBC sport website. 2 game ban and £300 fine for Long. No surprise there then.

Fitz is incredible you can clearly see his work ethic is ingrained in him, I cannot begin to imagine how good he must have been in his prime

...Nice to see Houghton up there, I see that kid going a long way in this game if he carries on developing like he is.

I agree with your points, but I was just backing up BB's point that Fitz earns his big wage. Perhaps he tries to hard to do it all, perhaps he slows our distribution a bit at times, I don't disagree, but there have been many many Aussies in SL on wind-down to take the money and Fitz is the complete antithesis of that IMO.

I agree he's not on a wind-down, but I am starting to think he's giving us different problems. I have this nagging feeling that he's trying (succeeding?) to take control a bit more than a player should.

I also think that his role means that he is able to show his worth even in a struggling team, whereas some players are much more dependent on help from their teammates to deliver what they can. Berrigan was a prime example of that IMO, he can't do so much without quick ptbs and dummy runners, but Fitzgibbon can drive the ball in and tackle anyone who comes near him all day long irrespective of what people around him are doing.

I think that without him we'd have a whole load more problems than we've got.