1) Daryl Clark
Yet another marvellous performance from Clark. Week after week he is the star of this team. He got through so much work on Friday night, making up metres constantly. His playmaking was very impressive too, making a number of successful runs from dummy half, as well as playing some very creative passes, including a reversed one which helped set up Ratchford's try. He was at it again at the end of the match when he sent a lovely disguised pass for Hughes to score the fourth try. What a player.
2) Blake Austin
This was the night that we realised how important Austin is to this team. The halfback was involved in so much of Wire's good play, including assisting Jake Mamo's try with a nice pass out wide, as well as giving the ball to Currie with a nice dummy for the second rower to almost score. He was instrumental for the third try too, with a high kick causing difficulty for Morgan Escare, allowing Josh Charnley to score. The only blemish on his performance was a kick which failed to reach touch from a penalty - something he's got away with a few times. Perhaps the biggest indicator of Austin's importance to Wire was the lack of organisation when he went off with a head injury - thank goodness he returned.
3) Stefan Ratchford
A great try and four successful goal attempts mean that Ratchford scored 12 points which were crucial to this win. Kicking four out of five goals is a good return, particularly as two of his accurate ones were from wide areas. The try he scored himself was a beautiful run, evading challenges as he darted towards the line from a quick play the ball, similar to his effort at Catalans. His handling at full back was flawless too, not making a single error all night. Also did well when he went into the halves when Austin went off.
4) Jack Hughes
A gut-busting performance in the second row from the co-captain, Hughes' work-rate was exemplary, consistently making tackles and offering support to the forward pack. Hughes was name-checked in Price's press conference as one of the star performers, credit which he had earned with an excellent 80 minutes, capped off with his second try in a week after powering over to secure the Wire win.
5) Jason Clark
Easily Clark's best performance in a primrose and blue shirt. Clark was impactful as soon as he entered the pitch to replace Westwood at loose forward. He made a few good bursts and his carries were largely successful. He was unlucky not to get an assist when he played a forward pass to Hughes, who crossed over. Overall though, an energetic and effective display from the bench. He should start next week.
6) Jake Mamo
Another try from Mamo, one which was quite similar to his brace last week, scored by collecting the ball from an Austin pass and beating Sarginson to score. He was a threat out wide a few times and was solid when he went to full back to cover for Ratchford as well. The only black mark against him was his role in the ridiculous melee late on, but overall it was another very good display from the ex-Huddersfield back. Becoming increasingly hard to see how Lineham gets back in the side.
7) Josh Charnley
After two games without a try, Charnley responded with his fifth try of the season. The winger worked hard all night with little service, but was on hand to score when it mattered. A high kick from Blake Austin caused all kinds of confusion for Morgan Escare, and Charnley was alert and ready to pounce, taking the ball and jinking past the Wigan defender before slamming the ball down acrobatically to score against his former team. Was also very comfortable under opposition kicks all night.
8) Toby King
Playing at centre again, King was excellent in the first half, making a series of top tackles in opposition territory. A number of times King was completing one tackle and then instantly moving into another, which was impressive to see. I was underwhelmed by his start to the season but in the last two games, which have been the biggest games of the season, he's been greatly improved.
9) Ben Currie
His second game back from injury, Currie was again very good, and looked like he'd scored in the first half when he crossed the whitewash after a stylish run, but was denied by a phenomenal tackle from Zak Hardaker. Currie is always very measured in his performances and has added a lot of control to the second row since his return.
10) Ben Westwood
In the first half, I had Westwood down as one of the star performers. His tackling was superb as were his carries, breaking away from tackles on a few occasions. He and Jason Clark are both very good options at loose forward, though Westwood has probably made Steve Price's team selection next week a little easier by earning himself a red card with a stupid headbutt. From a player who has been at the club for 17 years, it's a real lack of leadership in the dying stages of such a big game.
11) Mike Cooper
A less all-action performance from Cooper than it has been in recent weeks but he still made up lots of yardage and was involved in the dirty side of the game. He played less of the game than he did last week but was still a good outlet with the ball when he was on.
12) Chris Hill
A much-improved performance from the captain against Wigan, leading by example. He played one stray pass in the second half when Wire were in a promising position, but other than that it was a fairly polished display with far better discipline than recent weeks.
13) Joe Philbin
Another hard-working appearance for Philbin, who is getting better and better with every passing week from the bench. A lot of his work goes unnoticed but his role is important and his positional sense is very strong for a young player.
14) Ben Murdoch-Masila
It feels like BMM was far less involved this week, with his time off the interchange bench far more peripheral. His yardage was very good as always, though it tended to be in Wire territory rather than the opposition's.
15) Declan Patton
So, there's a lot to say about Patton. I'll start with the positives: he put in a wonderful kick which Charnley was unlucky not to score from. I also admired the fact that he took the option to go for the drop-goal at 18-12, which helped secure the game. As for the negatives, his creative kicking was largely poor and didn't open up many chances for the team. Also showed some immaturity with his role in the melee at the end.
16) Lama Tasi
It was odd that Tasi was used so sparingly in this game. The new acquisition was off the pitch not long after he came on. With Westwood about to be suspended, a vacancy at loose forward is open for the next few games. Tasi will have to do a lot in training this week to be picked ahead of Jason Clark.
17) Ryan Atkins
This was Atkins' return to the side after being dropped for the Castleford game, but rather than cement his place, he reminded us all why he was dropped in the first place. A performance full of handling errors, one of which was a preposterous knock-on, as well as some shambolic missed tackles - Atkins was at fault for both Wigan tries. Concerningly poor.
So, there you are, my ratings from a memorable night at the HJ. Make sure to have a look at my report from the Wigan game and keep checking the blog this week for the build-up to the Wakefield game, where I'll be selecting my desired matchday 17 for the big game at the Mobile Rocket Stadium.
It's always our year.
Daniel (@aloosewire)
No comments:
Post a Comment