'I think Bevan French will win the Man of Steel'

Is Bevan French the most exciting player in Super League?

Jon Lyon: In truth there isn’t an abundance of players in Super League who will have you on the edge of your seat when they touch the ball.

I would include Folau, Tomkins, Hurrell, Johnstone, (maybe Regan Grace – there, I’ve said it), our own Marshall, Manfredi and Bevan French as players who can make something happen out of nothing.

From that list I would put French ahead of the rest.

He has scored umpteen tries for Wigan where it looked like he was up a blind alley and two seconds later he’s under the posts, with a trail of bewildered defenders on the floor in his wake.

He has the speed off the mark and elusiveness of Jason Robinson and the balanced running style of a Henry Paul or Frano Botica. Fingers crossed we get another few years of him in cherry and white.

Sean Lawless: Bevan French is currently the second best player in Super League (behind Liam Farrell) but the most exciting by a country mile. We have scored tries this season that French has been involved in, that we haven’t seen Wigan score for a long, long time.

With French in the team, you feel that Wigan can and will score from anywhere on the field. The game against Leeds was the perfect example, in the last few minutes of the first half, a try from nothing in which French started the move and finished the move – normally, that may have been a static set and we would have seen the game out to half time.

Alex Graham: If he keeps up current form he will win Man of Steel. The signing of Bevan French has timed perfectly with changes the sport is going through by coming out of the ‘block play’ phase and into a more play-what-you-see type rugby especially with the introduction of new rules to speed the game up.

Unfortunately for us I think this will be his last season at Wigan and I understand he has multiple offers back in NRL. If the rumours are true about Jai Field signing for Wigan then we could a player who has the potential to match many of French’s attributes.

Ste Ford: For me he is the most exciting player in Super League by a considerable margin.

If we can get him chiming into the line a bit more than even better things can be anticipated in the future.

I’d compare him to Amos Roberts or possibly Phil Blake more than John Ferguson. He is a genuine match winner and capable of scoring from almost anywhere on the pitch.

Darren Wrudd: At the moment I think Bevan French would be hard to top in the stakes of most exciting player of our competition. The skill that the lad has both on and off the ball is breath taking and if you add in the pace he conjures up when all around him seem to be stood still, the guy could be one of the game’s greats by the time he hangs up his boots.

Watching him puts me in mind of a young Billy Slater. Add experience to his game and he will be very hard to beat. I just hope we can keep hold of him for a while.

Is it fair to ask players to adhere to stricter social-distancing measures than the rest of society, to reduce risk of Covid-19 among clubs?

Jon Lyon: I don’t know if it’s fair but it’s probably necessary. As their jobs involve no distancing on the pitch then stricter measures are needed off it. Those of us still lucky to be in a job can presumably distance fairly easily in an office or work from home.

Players know they’ll be coming into close contact with their opponents so have a duty to their fellow professionals to ensure they behave off the pitch in a way that protects everyone.

It may be unfair but it seems that’s the price they will have to pay if we want the sport to continue, which it needs to do in order to survive.

Stricter distancing is better than no more professional rugby league.

Sean Lawless: I think the idea of creating better bubbles within clubs to social-distance has now gone beyond the idea of whether it’s fair for players, it’s a necessity. It’s simply necessary if we want to complete the season, we cannot afford many more Hull incidents, as the later in the season that happens, the less likely the fixture changes can occur.

I think if players want to keep the season going and not jeopardise their reduced wages further, it’s absolutely essential that tighter guidelines are brought in for the players.

Alex Graham: The social traits of rugby league players are no different to the average profession so it would be understandably difficult for players to adhere to stricter measures.

I thought Hull players were harshly criticised for doing what any other person may do after work, even in the current climate, and rather than be blamed they should be used a learning curve for the game and how we adapt to challenges of Covid. From a mental health point of view it’s important for players to socialise but maybe there should be a team sport specific guide on how to socialise short-term.

Ste Ford: As long as players comply with standard social distancing guidelines then I see no need for additional measures. I think players need to ensure that they always comply with guidelines more rigidly than the rest of society.

Darren Wrudd: With so much at stake I think it is perfectly fair to ask our players to adhere to stricter measures and remain Covid secure.

When a whole team and their opposition can be sent into isolation because of one or two selfish acts or immature attitudes, not to mention the actual long term health risk that Covid-19 brings to all.

Players and staff should make a decision as to what type of person they want to be. A self-centred narcissistic petulant millennial who simply can’t last another day without a Nando’s or a mature, responsible adult with respect for the game and his fellow athletes and staff. Short-term hardship perhaps but worth the price.

Is it time Super League introduced or trialed a ‘captain’s challenge’?

Jon Lyon: I’m not against the idea, it works well in the NRL. Referees need all the help they can get, especially if their own assistants are telling them someone didn’t set foot on the line when they clearly did!

It is frustrating when you see some tries sent up to the video referee and there seems nothing even close to being wrong, yet that near to the touch line against Leeds on Sunday, Robert Hicks chose not to go to the video ref just to be sure.

Ultimately we all want the correct decisions as often as possible so if a captain’s call helps out then why not?

Sean Lawless: The idea of the captain’s challenge is something that I like in the NRL, it’s not always used for its purpose and sometimes it has been used to slow the game up, give a defensive line a rest for a few moments – but I think that’s a nice facet for captains to bring to the game.

However, the idea of it in Super League falls down when we move away from all games at one venue, due to the lack of video coverage at all five games each week.

I like the idea, it’s good but it sits in the category of video referees at each game – it’s not going to happen anytime soon. Perhaps it could be used at televised games only!

Alex Graham: Watching rugby league will always be more entertaining when it isn’t over-scrutinised and I dread to think how the history of our sport and some of the best tries the game has seen would have been affected had the video referee been introduced in before 1996. If we do have to use a video referee the only prompt to use it should be a captain’s challenge. The problem we’ve made for ourselves is introducing sponsors for the concept meaning should we ever deem the video referee unfit for purpose, or if it’s proving detrimental to the competition, it’s not just a game management tool we’d be removing, it would be a revenue stream.

Ste Ford: I’d be fine with this if Super League match officials could speed up their responses to replays. This season things have improved however, our speed in determining a decision is still far longer than anything in the NRL.

A Captain’s Challenge should also extend to challenging referees decisions on foul play such as Makinson’s tackle on Watts’ tackle or would that just be nuts?

Darren Wrudd: Looking at the investment in our sport from the RFL and Sky, how can it possibly be that not all our games in the top tier even have a video referee? Without that, a Captain’s Challenge is impossible. The concept is fantastic and it works particularly well in the NRL. Every week decisions are overturned on the back of a successful challenge and the referees are not afraid of admitting that they are only human and can make errors. This is the biggest hurdle in Super League refereeing, as the establishment seems to try to bend judgments to highlight how good our officials are, instead of admitting that errors happen.

To implement a structure which can show when a referee gets it wrong will send shudders down the corridors of Ganson’s Castle. I think we have some good referees here in Super League, but we are all only human and the Captain’s Challenge would be a great step in the right direction.