Possibly because we seem to expect all our halves to play like the Hulmes. Gilmore doesn't! At Batley he managed the team and others did the hard yakker but he picked the moves etc and usually the killer pass.
There have been loads of good scrum halves who never got their shirts dirty but killed us Mike Ford for instance in the good old days!
Looking at Gilmore's passing he will do us well with the pack that we now have and, hopefully, stay fit!
A big plus this year is the history that Gilmore, Owens, Craven, Johnstone and Lawton from their Academy days plus a pack to play off. JK was spot on when he told them to roll up their sleeves and work hard, whoever the opposition is.
First half Widnes were woeful and even in the second when Oldham were tired they let their guard slip to concede a soft try. I know we shouldn't read too much into friendlies but it's clear that Kear has a lot of work to do before Widnes are ready for the serious stuff. That said there were positives: Ant Walker looked the real deal at this level, though he must have been mortified to let himself be pushed into touch on a kick off. Dixon looked sharp, especially when moved to full back, sharp enough to pose a real question: who is our best full back?
Possibly because we seem to expect all our halves to play like the Hulmes. Gilmore doesn't! At Batley he managed the team and others did the hard yakker but he picked the moves etc and usually the killer pass.
There have been loads of good scrum halves who never got their shirts dirty but killed us Mike Ford for instance in the good old days!
Looking at Gilmore's passing he will do us well with the pack that we now have and, hopefully, stay fit!
A big plus this year is the history that Gilmore, Owens, Craven, Johnstone and Lawton from their Academy days plus a pack to play off. JK was spot on when he told them to roll up their sleeves and work hard, whoever the opposition is.
Gilmore is not now or never was a creative half back he can manage a game with his kicking but you must either be dreaming or thinking of somebody else.
@widiot I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “ the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results ” ?
Lyons has had his opportunity’s and failed to provide much magic for mine , it’s obvious Walker wouldn’t play the traditional half back role , but has good skill set and a nice sleight of hand which when mixed with his strong carries to drawer in defenders could cause havoc in this league . The increase in minutes is bound help with his fitness also. Only a short term fix until craven is back up and running , don’t see the issue
I am thinking practicalities! If you can find a sparkling scrum half who tackles like a demon and can inspire a team with his brilliance I doubt that he would be in Widnes colours for long, if ever tbh in our present stage of renewal.
If you want to wait for that best take a flask - it could be a long wait!!
Our reality is to gather a well balanced, hard working side with some spirit and loyalty to each other. That is where we are at. They will have moves with which they are all familiar and that they can play well.
Get that team working well and they can make a good showing in the Championship.
Hearing Kears post match interview was quite refreshing. Talked about players having good performances but also made clear that some players underperformed (without naming them) and saying it’s helped his selection problems or those players that ‘did themselves no favours’ none of this pick by name that we suffered with for so long, pick by performance should always be the way