Good question mate. For me I would say Mayenda. Mostly because he has taken me completely by surprise. He produced performances I would not have expected from him at all. Talk about taking a chance when it comes. Massive credit to him and long may it continue. Rigg and Jobe have been great. But honestly I expected it of both this season. Rigg is from the footballing gods. Jobe I thought would benefit massively from last season. Physically he will be so much stronger. One I am delighted with is Roberts. He is such a talent and so far he looks back at the top of his game and making a real difference to the side. He was poor last seasom in terms of output, but he never hid so am pleased to see him back terrorising full backs.
Alan Browne should be one of the first names on Ireland’s team sheet so it’ll be a good test for him up against Rice, Foden and co.
It’s really difficult to state any particular stand out but defensively having Cirkin makes an enormous difference. In midfield everyone has looked great but you have to say Rigg because he is so young and has looked an absolute natural. On the wings Mundle has really stepped up but having a firing Paddy makes us a dangerous and attractive side whilst Mayenda has probably exceeded expectations the most. Those not mentioned have also been brilliant but I expected them to be.
Personally think they should do away with International breaks. Having the clubs play at the same time without breaks would test the depth of some squads and make clubs think about how many internationals they want on their books
Plenty of individuals i could choose from, but the stand out performance of the season so far has to be the TEAM press out of possession, fcuking brilliant to watch
I totally understand the getting injured worry but for me I just want them to go and play and play well. I want them to light up the international teams they play for with the same enthusiasm they have shown for Sunderland. Footballers (real footballers) play football and take great joy from that (look at Riggs face last week) and injuries are a part of that, but I would never try and stop a player from representing their country as that for me in the pinnacle of what you should be trying to achieve. Imagine soldiers not going to war in case they got hurt. Bit of an extreme comparison I know but you get my drift. All that said I hope they all return unscathed and ready to push SAFC on to further glory.
Strongly disagree with this, it would make every top league in the world a complete farce. Would mean 5 or 6 games a year, half the teams in the league would lose basically their entire playing staff...
Jobe for me. I was a big defender of his last season and in the off season when I thought he was getting undeserved stick and was the subject of some weird conspiracy theories even though he was very good last season when you factor in him being 17 and the disastrous coaching situation alongside him playing out of position for large portions of the season. But he's blown me away so far this campaign. Played in all 3 of our central midfield roles and absolutely strolled it in all 3. Against Cardiff he was joining Mayenda in the press and receiving the ball high, against Sheff Wed and Burnley he played the more reserved role alongside Neil in the defensive phase and being more of a ball carrier in possession, then against Portsmouth he played the deepest midfield position and used his defensive attributes to shut down the Portsmouth midfield while still being competent at connecting the defence to the attack. Special player. His defensive qualities are rare and when paired with his composure and ball carrying and then factor in his size, you are looking at someone who will play at the very top of the game.
Yes agreed. Jobe has been the stand out player for me in regards to far exceeding expectations. Mundle the other one naturally as he's filled a hole we were all very nervous about filling. I'd also add Rigg to the exceeding expectations bucket. He's almost immediately made himself a first team no brainer in a way that makes us forget he wasn't last season.
Up until last season Premiership Rugby continued during international periods. I always thought it was a good thing as it meant clubs had to give chances in their first teams to squad players and it levelled the playing field a little bit for sides with fewer internationals.
I normally enjoy your posts but that soldier comment is just ****ing silly. It's not at all a comparison and isn't even loosely relevant.
Completely agree mate. International football is a blight,it very rarely lives up to its' hype and is a pain in the neck for more or less every club. If the people who organise the game could do away with the ridiculous schedule of Cup matches and finish the season earlier,those that wanted to could partake in an international tournament at the end of the season,before the players had their break. No need for interruptions during the season.
3 games in 6 days for Rigg. Assuming he won't be playing every minute of every game but are they all at the same venue?
In the past with this sort of scheduling, Rigg has played two of the three games and not involved in the other (even when his involvement with the first team was less).
