OMEGA

12,000 to 14,000 fans will be at the Wakefield Trinity Vs Leeds Rhinos Festive Challenge. Well worth staging this game, the fans really look forward to it and support it in big numbers

Just a rumour at the moment but reliable Wakefield are in final talks with Xavier Va’a from Sydney Roosters 22 years old, 6’4” 18st prop forward - former Cronulla Sutherland & Queensland U19s Rep

Nope! “Cry Me a River" is an American song, written by Arthur Hamilton, first published in 1953 and made famous in 1955 with the version by Julie London. Still not relevant though! Damn, someone beat me to it!

Faisal Naboo’s not back at Cas is he?

To be fair that’s Del boys ultimate wet dream!

Nothing to do with favourites, it’s just a cold analysis of his game!

Alongside Trinity’s 2025 signings like McMeeken, Johnstone, Trueman, Fa’atili & Storton the Wakefield team looks pretty good with quality top class players in a few positions. As you say, the Number 26 squad number is being left open and there are rumours of a line running, tackle busting second rower coming in.

He’s not a better centre than either of those! He is a fit strong lad, has a great work rate, good speed without being lightning quick and very good footwork at the line or just ahead of collision, he’s young and has a good attitude and experience for his age. Now the not so great elements, as a top class centre he lacks the finer skills and instinctive awareness that he needs to position and free his winger. He struggles when in full flight to make adjustments to his speed, body positioning and has little ability to drag a defender then pass over his foot to a support player. He is tunnel visioned when he makes a break often leading to dying with the ball or trying to force a pass when the opportunity has already gone. As I said in an earlier post if he was going to become a top class centre he would have developed those skills already or at the very least there would be signs of them in his game. Yes some coaching and more experience will improve him but the subtle skills of a top class centre are not there. He will never let you down and if being a solid mid table team who sometimes sneaks a play off spot is the ceiling of your ambitions then he’s fine and would hold down a centre position for a team at that level. Wakefield and their owner have stated their aim and if they’re serious they need more class at 3 & 4 which makes Pratt the most vulnerable in the starting 17 all IMO of course!

1. Max Jowitt 2. Lachlan Walmsley 3. Cam Scott 4. Corey Hall 5. Tom Johnstone 6. Jake Trueman 7. Mason Lino 8. Mike McMeeken 9. Tyson Smoothey 10. Calib Hamlin-Uele 11. Matty Storton 12. Seth Nikotimo 13. Jaz Tevaga 14. Harvey Smith 15. Kai Rodwell 16. Caius Fa’atilili 17. Isaiah Vangana

Or that some styles suit one comp better than the other and vice versa

Jake Amarillo rumoured to have interest from Wakefield Trinity

Harvey Smith I agree with but not Olly Pratt, he doesn’t have the skills of a top class centre and I’m sorry but all the time in the world working with Coaches isn’t going to develop instincts that are inherently not there. IMO he’s the one who’s most vulnerable in the Trinity team and I can see him being replaced by a new signing in the not too distant future.

I don’t wholly disagree with you, however, as per my original post, Farnworth has yet to show his best against the best at international level.

At Club/domestic level I’d take Farnworth because he’s shown in many performances just how good he is and he’s done it in the toughest competition in Rugby. Logic tells me that he should take that form and transfer it to the International game which to a degree he has done against the likes of Samoa last year. However, there’s no evidence to say that Senior or Gleason wouldn’t have been a success in Australia, we’ll never know. What we do know is that in a much tougher Superleague competition than we have now they were stand out players and against Australia they performed well, causing Australia more problems than Herbie did in these last 3 Tests, arguably against a better quality Kangaroo team too. It might be argued that Australia did their homework on an England team and knowing what Herbie is capable of decided to adjust their defensive strategy and snuff him out of the game, again we don’t know that for sure. So my opinion, whether you agree or not, is that as it stands Herbie Farnworth hasn’t shown at international level that he’s better than Senior and Gleason. I fully expect that Farnworth will have his day against Australia or New Zealand for that matter, hopefully in next years World Cup Final, but as yet I’m waiting. Just for the record what “metric” are you using to rate Farnworth so much higher than other past English Centres?

I never said you said it wasn’t ! we could go on forever here!