Have to agree with Sue here. What we need is a settled five-eight and two solid choices at hooker - one to start, one for impact. Switching the two positions between three players (Monaghan, Dunley and Burns) is a recipe for disaster, and certainly did young Burns no favours. If you're going to give him a go, give him a proper go - a full game at number six. Otherwise he's just taking up a spot on the bench. If it's not Burns, play Witt or Monaghan there, but leave them there. That's the only way we'll ever get a halves combination working.
As for the hookers, Dunley is strictly an impact player. What he's good at is running from dummy half. His service from there is horrible - it always has been. He can't start. That leaves Ballin (who I haven't seen this year) or Monaghan. Personally I like Monnas at hooker; I figure it's his natural position. But if Ballin and Dunley are to share the hooking spot, Monaghan needs to be the five-eight. If you're picking your best 13, he consistently falls somewhere in the top half of the list - certainly on tonight's performance, where he was one of our best.
Oh, and while you're at it, Des, fix the defence, OK? I don't need GPS trackers to tell me we're still soft up the middle and hesitant out wide. Our attack was always going to take some time to click, but there's no excuse for the poor defence.
On a brighter note, it's only one game. I'd much prefer us to stutter a little at the start of the season and then come good than start out on fire and fade away. I'm not sure I can take another second-half seasonal slump.