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View Poll Results: Best Scrum Half of the Decade?

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  • Kyle Eastmond

    3 4.35%
  • Luke Walsh

    31 44.93%
  • Matty Smith

    1 1.45%
  • Danny Richardson

    0 0%
  • Theo Fages

    34 49.28%
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Thread: Redvee Team of the Decade: Scrum Half

  1. #1
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Blobbynator's Avatar
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    Default Redvee Team of the Decade: Scrum Half

    The next category to choose from is the Scrum Half position, which again requires one vote from the five options I have selected for you.

    Not the strongest of areas, especially when you consider how lucky we were the previous two decades.

    If you could please consider their performances from 2010 onwards.

    The five options are:

    - Kyle Eastmond (Two seasons 2010-2012)
    - Luke Walsh (Three seasons 2014-2017)
    - Matty Smith (Two seasons 2017 - 2019)
    - Danny Richardson (Three season 2017 - left at end of 2019)
    - Theo Fages (Four seasons 2016 -)

    The poll is open for 7 days.
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  2. #2
    Learning All The Songs
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    Hard decision this as all aren't long time served. Theo won us the grand final this year but other seasons hit and miss. Kyle no chance, Matty Smith no chance. Danny Rich never moved us or himself on bit of a scape goat at times but can't pick him.

    So I've gone for Luke Walsh who in his first few months before his injury would have walked MOS that year. came back from injury not the same player but going on his early form would take him fit over all other players.

  3. #3
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Belgian Saint's Avatar
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    I think that Luke Walsh was the most talented of the choices, but he was never the same after the ankle injury. I think overall Fages has had more impact on the team.

    Pity Long wasn't in this era, that would have made the choice easy.

  4. #4
    In The West Stand Ralph Fridge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Belgian Saint View Post
    I think that Luke Walsh was the most talented of the choices, but he was never the same after the ankle injury. I think overall Fages has had more impact on the team.

    Pity Long wasn't in this era, that would have made the choice easy.
    Mark Flanagan is our other grand final winning scrum half

  5. #5
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    Walsh in 2014 prior to the injury was brilliant, pretty much everything you wanted in an attacking half back, strong passing game, great vision, good kicking game, both in play and dead ball. After his injury he seemed a shadow of that player, he seemed a bit timid with the ball, rarely taking the line on, his defence was pretty poor though.

    The only other one I would consider is Theo, he has improved year on year and gets through a hell of a lot of work in defence, he isnt as flashy as most half backs but was integral to how we played last year. Richardson was good in 2018 but didnt kick on, Smith was a poor signing and Eastmond far more trouble than he was worth.

    I think I have to go for Fages, he has constantly improved and part of the side that was so much better than anyone else in 2019.

  6. #6
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk STIDDY's Avatar
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    Gone for Luke Walsh natural scrum half with good game management, if he hadn't got that season long injury it would have been an easier choice.

  7. #7
    Learning All The Songs RJM25R's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by STIDDY View Post
    Gone for Luke Walsh natural scrum half with good game management, if he hadn't got that season long injury it would have been an easier choice.
    Same.


    When he signed and we went on that run in 2014 I thought we’d unearthed an absolute diamond who would dominate but that injury finished him at that top level.
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  8. #8
    In The West Stand saintgeorge's Avatar
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    When Kyle Eastmond first burst onto the scene he was pretty phenomenal - don’t know if that covers these years. Sadly, my opinion of him is tainted with his ‘widnes’ years after his head had been turned by Bath.

  9. #9
    In The West Stand Dux's Avatar
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    Eastmond could have been a great player for Saints. Walsh was good for a bit but injury saw him off. Richardson showed potential but I think has too many shortcomings to be considered. Didn't work out for Smith. I like Theo Fages, and he gets my vote here, but to think that he is our best half-back for a decade is quite depressing.

  10. #10
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Belgian Saint's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ralph Fridge View Post
    Mark Flanagan is our other grand final winning scrum half
    How could we forget him?

  11. #11
    In The South Stand Tabasco's Avatar
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    In the absence from the list of our outstanding scapegoat scrum-half, Jon Wilkin, I’ll plump for Theo Fages. Consistently outstanding in defence, always attacks the line and shows the occasional flash of brilliance.

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    Has to be Rates for me. As others have said,Walsh was excellent prior to the nasty injury. It happened directly in front of me and was sickening to see. I think Theo has improved year on year.

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    Sorry don't know what happened at the beginning of that post but it should have read "Fages for me"

  14. #14
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Blobbynator's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by saintgeorge View Post
    When Kyle Eastmond first burst onto the scene he was pretty phenomenal - don’t know if that covers these years.
    He had a pretty good 2010 season until injury (missed the Grand Final). Eastmond could've been unreal for us if his head hadn't got turned to Union. I remember when him and Tomkins broke through and it was genuinely exciting seeing two freak British talents in such key positions dominating at such a young age in SL.

    Really close between Theo and Walsh at the moment, could be the most interesting poll so far.
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  15. #15
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    Eastmond had tremendous potential but it wasn’t fulfilled. He left too soon.

    Was it the opening game at Warrington that Walsh really stamped his authority on the game and kicked a tremendous 40:20 to put the icing on the cake? It was tremendous bad luck for him to break his leg in such an horrific way and he was never the same player afterwards.

    Fages earned his place in a record table topping/ Grand Final winning team. A brave and a tenacious defender and someone who isn’t afraid to take on the line. Obviously without Walsh’s highly developed kicking game but RL is a team sport and he fits in perfectly. I’ve gone for him but it isn’t a straightforward choice.

  16. #16
    Learning All The Songs Blue Harvest's Avatar
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    Really tough one.

    Walsh was the best player in the position in the decade, before his injury, then never returned quite the same.
    Eastmond, well, hmm, definition of grass not being greener.
    Fages, GF winning, table topping - yet still doesn't strike me as a 7 for some reason. I think it's because a lot of kicking duties and direction comes from Coote and Lomax. He doesn't play the usual roles of a 7. Plus a lot of his time he's played 9, 6 and utility from the bench. But for the contribution to the team he has to take the vote!!

    Wilkin, for a round peg in a square hole role that he took on several times - unfortunatley we were that patchy all over the park it was a role that didn't really pay off.

  17. #17
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Scouse Don's Avatar
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    A fit Luke Walsh for me.
    Learned comment from The Don

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    A fully fit Walsh gets my vote

  19. #19
    In The South Stand Paul Newlove's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scouse Don View Post
    A fit Luke Walsh for me.
    Would have been good seeing Walsh with Holbrook as coach instead of being instructed to turn the ball inside to drop off to a charging forward

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scouse Don View Post
    A fit Luke Walsh for me.
    A fit Luke Walsh would have far more attacking shapes and options than Fages, but the latter would defend better. But most scrum halves throughout Superleague are attack orientated and there is a degree of tolerance on defending.

  21. #21
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    Not a strong range of options to choose from in this position... difficult choice, which all have pros and cons. I went for a balance between talent and performance and plumped for Luke Walsh. It could have been a very different decision based how those players showed up in the red vee - lots of potential amongst those players but very few have fulfilled that with us. Arguably Theo has done most over a longer period of time but never felt he has settled into a position until last season - hope he kicks on from that into 2020!

  22. #22
    In The South Stand Sean Day's Avatar
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    Tricky one. Walsh never quite hit the heights consistently but was a more natural halfback than Théo, yet Théo has played a significant part in a title winning team

  23. #23
    Starting A Programme Collection Roger Moore's Avatar
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    Luke Walsh, just. Theo is showing improvement all the time and by next season if he continues would then shave it for me. But Walsh brought skill we hadn't seen since Longy.
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  24. #24
    In The North Stand With All The Old Folk Belgian Saint's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nutgrovesaint View Post
    A fully fit Walsh gets my vote
    I agree about a fully fit Walsh, But I went for Fages because we only had one season of Walsh at his best.

  25. #25
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    Tough one. Each has pluses and minuses and a case can be made for all 5 (although some more easily than others!)

    In terms of quality and traditional scrum half ability, Luke Walsh was superb - until his horrific leg break. After that he was a shadow of the player he'd been.

    Eastmond had the talent to be a huge star, although I'm not sure SH was where he'd ultimately have played.

    Richardson again not lacking in talent, and I suspect he'll develop into a quality player - but it was calculated that our current side needed a different style 7 (and Dodd looks a top prospect anyway)

    I like Fages and supported him when other fans were questioning his worth here. He doesn't offer the ball-handling skills of a Walsh or Richardson, or blistering pace and running ability of Eastmond, but he's good enough with the ball in hand, and his defence is superb.

    Smith's second spell here never really got going, in part due to his leg break pre-season and Cunningham's abject coaching, but he showed at Salford & Pieland that he could play well in a certain system, just not ours.

    I went with Walsh, partly because that half-season before his break he was phenomenal, and he did do two further years at 7. Fages has only really held down the 7 shirt this last season, and has played 6 far more often I reckon. Eastmond again played a fair few games not at 7 (and was injured for a lot of the 2010 season before sodding off in 2011), and Richardson just misses out.

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