JJB to Retire? : Sat Jul 04, 2015 4:42 pm
Was thinking about this the other day. We now have a really good crop of back row forwards at the club - Ablett, Ward, Delaney, Achurch, Keinhorst & Walters, with Clarkson to come back off of loan and Minchella maybe ready to make the step up.
JJB has been quite injury-prone over the last few years and turns 34 in August. No doubt we can get him back fit for next season, but the question needs to be asked as to what he'll still be able to contribute, the risk of his ongoing fitness and whether he merits a starting spot. Given that we've managed well (largely) without him this year, is it time for Mac to have a quite word and advise him not to put himself through another year?
It'd leave us next year with:
SR: Ward
SR: Achurch
LF: Ablett
R: Delaney
Reserve: Keinhorst, Walters, Minchella, Clarkson (?)
I know there are still reservations over Achurch, but he's looked best when given a starting birth out wide - unfortunately far too often he's been used as an interchange prop, which is clearly not what his game is suited to (despite his large stature).
There's also a question of Stevie Ward's long-term potential. When coming through the academy he was billed as the heir-apparent to Sinfield, yet since 2012 we've seen very little of his ball-playing or organisational abilities. Is there a case to start Achurch & Ablett on either side and put Stevie in as a ball-playing LF?