IN MY OPINION: Myler's class is shining through (From Warrington Guardian)

IN MY OPINION: Myler's class is shining through

10:14am Thursday 21st March 2013 in Wolves news By Mike Parsons, Guardian comment

THE Warrington Wolves player whose progress has impressed me the most this season is Richie Myler.

It is my opinion that the loss of Lee Briers to injury would have been felt more severely had Myler not been around to step up to the plate.

His reading of the game for solo opportunities has always been strong, hence his reputation of being a strong support player and finisher when Warrington made him the most expensive teenager in Super League upon signing him from Salford at the end of 2009.

Myler’s team role did seem to grow last season but it has been during Briers’ absence that we have seen him really starting to flourish as a creator of scores for others, while not forgetting his defensive duties too.

He has had a major hand in eight of Wolves’ last 10 tries – including the milestone double he notched himself against Salford at the weekend.

It is the range of his productivity that makes him dangerous to opponents and exciting to watch.

His pass to send Chris Bridge away for the team’s opening try against St Helens a fortnight ago was sublime in deceptiveness.

The dinky grubber kick behind the defence was pin perfect for Chris Riley’s first of two tries against Salford at the weekend.

And he showed another destructive string to his bow with the midfield breaks that led to Bridge’s second score against Saints and Brett Hodgson’s first of the season against Salford.

So we are seeing more and more of the stand-out moments last year that included the first try of the Grand Final against Leeds at Old Trafford and the vision involved in the kick ahead for Joel Monaghan’s opening touchdown in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.

Opponents are becoming wary. When defenders start to hold back and wait for his actions, he’s got them where he wants them.

Still only 22 years old, there is much more to come from the Widnesian who deserved his place on the first England Elite Training Squad camp of the year at the weekend.

Tomorrow night, Friday, though he faces one of his biggest challenges of the year.

He will come head to head with Danny Brough, a man overlooked for England but has played a leading role in taking Huddersfield to the top of the table.

It should be an intriguing match-up within the overall battle.