Just like all the other clubs in the league we have had hot prospects. Several of our young players have been billed as stars in the making ,it is just that the club has not made the most of its youngsters. Wigan,Saints & Leeds have turned some of their kids into superleague quality players.

Why are you guys not seeing things for what they are?
Patton is good enough...he has helped us get to finals....he was certainly the best of the 3 half's early this season.

He is now behind Brown, Roberts and probably Ratchford too...through his own fault and allowing them to stake their claim.

He is very useful to have as back up...there aren't many teams that have a 3rd/4th inline halfback as good as Patton.

If Patton had played in all the games we've currently won instead of the present...we'd have still won those games.

Long term 1st choice?...likely not but this competition for a place might just prove healthy for him.

Salary cap restrictions mean you can't just sign a proven winner in every position so you have to develop some as well and ideally your youth products (like Dec) make up your fringe players hungry for first team experience. If you bring younger players through you have to have a degree of patience with them (remember that rudiculous currie is a coward thread a few years ago) IMO it's too early to write patton off now and I would trust in Steve prices opinion on whether he gets a new contract or not because he sees a lot more of Dec patton than I do. I actually think we have some very good cover that has come through out youth system in the King brothers, philbin and patton, I would have no problem with any of them being in the matchday 17.

There you see, you write yourself - the question mark over being 1st choice. I guess some of us a are saying going into 2019 with a question mark over a player as to whether he is good enough is asking for trouble.

I knew this point would come up and it is valid and I agree in the main. However I would challenge it by saying that you have to ensure quality in the key positions. If the HB's are poor you can have the best pack and outside backs in the world but you won't win a thing. You have said youself - players as cover. Not first choice starting 17. But a good halfback combination can work wonders with an average side.

And yes I trust Price's opinion.

Huh?
You missed the point. Behind this pack in this form he's good enough.
The question about first choice or not is about himself being able to take the jumper off a future hb as he should try to with our current.

Of course we will be looking for another half or 2 because Brown and Roberts will both be question marks...that will be a certain wether Patton is world class or not.

1) Where is the evidence that "behind this pack in this form" he's good enough? He's not played for 5 games, in the 5 games he did play we won 2/5 and he stank.

2) I am glad we agree we should be looking for another world class half, rather than thinking it's OK we have Patton.

3) Genuinely why is Roberts a question mark?

I think being a coach is a difficult job as the buck stops with you. The hardest part of the job, however, must be telling a player who has devoted the majority of his young life to being a rugby player and telling them they are not good enough. For that reason I don't blame any coach for maybe hanging on a bit too long "just to make sure". This is a generalisation not aimed at Dec Patton in particular.
The other thing is in my own job, it would have been very easy for my then boss after a short while to bin me off as not good enough, however he allowed me time and training, my confidence grew and with it my ability to do my job. That is the prism I look through when considering young players.

Good post.

Let's explore it with a thought exercise.

Would your, then boss, be happy for the company's results to falter whilst you got up to speed - would the shareholders be equally happy? Or was it the case that you could be allowed the time to develop without effecting the performance of the company?

This is the tough decision for Price. Patton would have to have a remarkable uplift in ability and performance to be a credible first choice halfback for a top 4 side in my view.

I disagree. As a young teenager Evans was outstanding. I recall him up against Callum Watkins at home to Leeds (probably 2011) and Evans bossed him all over the park. Evans is one of many similar players to come through our youth system: terrific (and probably ahead of their time) aged 14-18, but then they never improve any further, and thus get exposed at the top level as mature players.