Wakey have been great, their defence very solid and Lino has kicked us to death.


Meanwhile we’re still playing 5 drives and a boring high kick from Smith 10 points down with 10 minutes left?

Jai Field was on Sky Sports News with Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin a few months ago and I thought his jokey comments about French were a bit revealing. They asked something like if things got competitive between them for most trys in the season or who was the fastest (something along those lines) and Field laughed and said the team have a job on to get French to be competitive in matches, let alone with things like that. Ultimately the lad can do as he pleases, as long as he turns up when it matters and he will do that and has done that in spades. He's quite comfortably the most talented player in the league and if he did have that week to week competitive edge, he likely wouldn't be here and would be in the NRL (as you suggest). 

Not that you're saying there is, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with that IMO. Everyone is different and a truly top coach will find the right buttons to press.  If I was French, I'd struggle for a game at some backwater hole too. 

Going back a bit, but it's apparently still a lesson not learnt - this issue was one of Madge's biggest coaching flaws. He struggles with anyone who isn't 100% in, all of the time. Safe to say, he'd have probably have had a run in with French 

The point on French is well made - one of the straws that broke the camel's back in the NRL was a game where he had a total of one carry throughout the entire 80 minutes. He's clearly not the best trainer and there are clearly games which he coasts through. I guess opinions will vary on that. Some would say as a professional sportsman its your job to be giving 100% every game, others might say that as long as he performs in the bigger games then does it matter too much. Maybe there are others in the team who fall into this category - those who struggle with the week to week because they believe they will finish in the top 2 regardless or perhaps there's a lack of motivation given what was achieved last year and all of the big games that came with that. 

Regardless, its no mystery as to why French's best games this year have been Vegas and Hull KR away. He needs something to inspire him and I can sympathise that in SL you don't always get that every week.

Yup, says more about the league imo than it does of French. I'm a paying customer and it can be hugely frustrating - I get it tho. 

MOM in the WCC, CC Final, Grand Final and Vegas. 


I just wish the rest of the league understood it. Consecutive games in Dewsbury, Wakey and Cas aren't good for anyone (unless you hate Wigan). 

Fully agree, there is nothing wrong with it at all when you're that talented (guys going through the motions who aren't good enough to do that is a problem). He still is coming up with moments in run of the mills league fixtures and it's not like he's been poor by any stretch and he has proven beyond any doubt that when the big games come, he'll be as competitive as anyone and there's a fair chance he'll be the best player on the pitch. He got a bit of stick after Friday but we also can't forget rust would play a part and the lad hadn't played a game in a few weeks. 

You're point about managing different characters in different ways is spot on and something a genius like Sir Alex Ferguson is lauded for. The lads in the media from his best sides laugh about how Cantona was allowed to do as he pleased but then others would be hammered for the same thing. Some lads will need a boot, some will need an arm around them, some will need pushing along through the season and some will just need to be left to work things out for themselves and shown trust that they'll produce when it really matters. I think we have quite a few who fall in to that last bracket. I have a debate with a mate of mine who thinks Harry Smith is rubbish. Harry Smith is exceptional 'when it matters' but he can switch off and have rubbish games. Again, that is absolutely fine because when we need him the most, he is probably our most important player and he's been the same for England.