Wigan Warriors • Forward watch

He's way better than Knowles was at 21 who was little more than a bit part player at that age. That's why comparisons between Knowles and O'Loughlin are laughable. Compare their relative careers at similar ages. Knowles isn't even an established international yet. Whether Smithies gets to the Knowles at 25 is the interesting question but he's showing all the necessary year on year improvements to suggest he may. This year has been a quantum leap for him in terms of consistency and attitude. The biggest factor is he's now concentrating on his rugby rather than the niggle and he's twice the player for it.

Smithies, Byrne and Havard are all showing the signs this year of what they are capable of. It's early days for all of them but each has the attributes to get there if they apply themselves.

Statistics: Posted by Phuzzy — Mon Apr 25, 2022 1:51 pm — Replies 274 — Views 263227

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