Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 12:28 am  

WiganPom wrote:

With regards to Thornley I think we need to put things in to perspective financially. The club needed season ticket holders to not take their refunds last season. Tells you a lot about the money available to spend if things are that bad. We would all love to see Tommy Turbo or Joseph Manu at centre next season but it’s not realistic.

I agree and that’s where I can get on board with his signing and understand from a financial perspective why it would make sense.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 12:36 am  

Father Ted wrote:

With Hardaker being heavily rumoured to be leaving then further SC space will be available for signings. We had money for a half which presumably Tommy has taken but should a top NRL half become available then TL could retire from immediate effect.

Should Zac go then we need a right centre and goal kicker. Whether Hankinson would want to return for the last year of his contract I don't know but he fills both roles. Although there's misery around I simply don't share it.
One of my moans last season was our inability to get out of our own 30 mtr in yardage. In a Wigan tv interview Waney said that the matter had to be addressed. If he says it must be, then I believe it will. It is that which can put a team on the front foot from which the set and the game's intensity can be established. A back line of French, Miski, Hankinson, Thornley & Marshall can do that, no question. They have the pace, size and when scooting from DH can get a quick ptb which will put us on the front foot.

I still think that with French, Field & Marshall we'll have pace in numbers no other SL can match.

Last season was awful and there can be very few players, if any, who can say they were satisfied with their season's performance overall.
I therefore expect the whole playing staff to be looking to improve their own individual performances. We certainly have the talent and I don't think I'll be disappointed.

That back line fills me with dread rather than confidence to be brutally honest. Swap out Thornley and Hank for Zak and Bibby and I feel an awful lot more confident and the back line is improve ten fold. They’d make more yards and be far better at getting us on the front foot than - beings brutally honest here - a pair of lower SL/top Championship centres.

Certainly with French/Field/Marshall we have pace to burn there which I expect we will use and utterly devastate some teams with.

I personally think Zak going without replacing him properly (ie. Not Thornley/Hank) could be disastrous but then again, we’ve a ready made centre in Halsall who showed up really well last season when he played.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:40 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

NO team has yet released their 2022 squads. Last year we used twenty-nine players in the first team plus a full academy squad.

The academy and reserve games will I believe be played on alternative weekends so the reserve teams will be made up of the older academy lads plus members of the 1st team squad who are not selected or returning from injury.

I'm not sure on what is happening on the loan or dual reg schemes at the moment but Saints have loaned out a couple of players who were above academy age to Leigh.

Trainman makes a good point,

Show me any team that can match an U23 pack of Byrne, O'Neill, Partington, Pearce Paul, Smithies, Shorrocks, Havard, McDonnell and then add in NIcholson.

There's an awful lot of time and money invested in those young players, we have to at least give them the opportunities.

The fact remains that the first team squad at the present time only now consists of only twenty seven players, fourteen of which are ex. Academy players and as IL has itimated that there will only be one more signing which as yet has not happened, it would appear that the squad will end up with a more than normal promotions from the Academy to make the squad up to the usual number for three levels of rugby.

With the rumours about French and the possible departure of Hardacre at a time the club is selling season tickets for a season which will be the 150th Anniversity, I think you find that many supporters are far from happy with the quality of the squad, especially when they see other clubs signing players whuich appeared to be of better quality than what has been signed by Wigan.

Hardly surprising that a former legend like Martin Offiah is showing concern about the state of the club.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:47 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

NO team has yet released their 2022 squads. Last year we used twenty-nine players in the first team plus a full academy squad.

The academy and reserve games will I believe be played on alternative weekends so the reserve teams will be made up of the older academy lads plus members of the 1st team squad who are not selected or returning from injury.

I'm not sure on what is happening on the loan or dual reg schemes at the moment but Saints have loaned out a couple of players who were above academy age to Leigh.

Trainman makes a good point,

Show me any team that can match an U23 pack of Byrne, O'Neill, Partington, Pearce Paul, Smithies, Shorrocks, Havard, McDonnell and then add in NIcholson.

There's an awful lot of time and money invested in those young players, we have to at least give them the opportunities.

This excites me and I think should be a system used going forwards regardless of the successful return to life after Covid.

There are far too many junior players in the Academy systems across all clubs who are there to make up the numbers rather than be realistic future SL players.

Giving the better players access to an U23s competition and having them mix with older players in my opinion is a better way of exposing young players to the next step up so they can bridge the gap to SL and transition more successfully.

It’s the way things were throughout the 90s which in my opinion saw a better standard of quality young players coming into the first team across all clubs than I’ve seen in my time (85 on) watching the game.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:54 am  

There seems to be a fair bit of noise about Hardaker out Charnley in.

Not sure that works for me.

That would mean we go with Bibby and Thornley at centre with Hank as backup and do with Charnley and Marshall on the wings, with Miski as backup.

I’m comfortable with out wing options without Charnley I’m less confident in our centre options without Hardaker.

The issue is who is available that we could sign in that position who isn’t on quota and is superior to Thornely and Bibby. I’m struggling to be honest.

Ideally I’d love to see us go for Joey Leilua, who has had a tough couple of years but I feel would be outstanding in SL, unfortunately though for obvious reasons whilst he ticks 2 boxes he falls down on the most important quota issue.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 8:56 am  

100% Warrior wrote:

That back line fills me with dread rather than confidence to be brutally honest. Swap out Thornley and Hank for Zak and Bibby and I feel an awful lot more confident and the back line is improve ten fold. They’d make more yards and be far better at getting us on the front foot than - beings brutally honest here - a pair of lower SL/top Championship centres.

Certainly with French/Field/Marshall we have pace to burn there which I expect we will use and utterly devastate some teams with.

I personally think Zak going without replacing him properly (ie. Not Thornley/Hank) could be disastrous but then again, we’ve a ready made centre in Halsall who showed up really well last season when he played.

We obviously disagree about Thornley and Hanks. Zac won't be here 2022 and Bibby whilst an ever present in 2021, when under pressure his defence is very poor. Thornley was a surprise signing to me but Hanks is the obvious replacement for Hardaker. He's a right centre who can pass to the right, solid in defence and a very good goal kicker. Although that wasn't too much of a miss last season it will be next as scoring tries won't be a problem. Just about opinions really, we'll have to see how it all turns out next year.

One thing for sure we won't be the club that scores the fewest points in SL. Rather the opposite I feel with those pace men and Briers as coach it could be something to look forward to. I'm looking forward to it!

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 9:43 am  

Father Ted wrote:

We obviously disagree about Thornley and Hanks. Zac won't be here 2022 and Bibby whilst an ever present in 2021, when under pressure his defence is very poor. Thornley was a surprise signing to me but Hanks is the obvious replacement for Hardaker. He's a right centre who can pass to the right, solid in defence and a very good goal kicker. Although that wasn't too much of a miss last season it will be next as scoring tries won't be a problem. Just about opinions really, we'll have to see how it all turns out next year.

One thing for sure we won't be the club that scores the fewest points in SL. Rather the opposite I feel with those pace men and Briers as coach it could be something to look forward to. I'm looking forward to it!

Hanks also has a partnership with Miski so there's no wasting several months waiting for them to gel.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 9:45 am  

Ruddy Duck wrote:

The fact remains that the first team squad at the present time only now consists of only twenty seven players, fourteen of which are ex. Academy players and as IL has itimated that there will only be one more signing which as yet has not happened, it would appear that the squad will end up with a more than normal promotions from the Academy to make the squad up to the usual number for three levels of rugby.

With the rumours about French and the possible departure of Hardacre at a time the club is selling season tickets for a season which will be the 150th Anniversity, I think you find that many supporters are far from happy with the quality of the squad, especially when they see other clubs signing players whuich appeared to be of better quality than what has been signed by Wigan.

Hardly surprising that a former legend like Martin Offiah is showing concern about the state of the club.

How many squad players have, Saints, Leeds, Wire, Hull, Hull KR, Castleford, Salford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Toulouse or Catalan got for next season?

I've explained how the reserve grade will look, and Wigan will have enough players to compete well in all three grades. I mean you wouldn't think from your remarks that they have WON nine of the last eleven academy championships.

Do you think that could be why so many get promoted to the 1st team squad?

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 9:47 am  

I'd welcome Charnley back, having a proven try scorer on the wing who is a big lad for bringing the ball out of his 20m with a couple more years left in him, I'll have that.

We can't go into next season with the backline as inbalanced as it is. If Hardaker and French do leave we can rebalance the backline, what I dont want is to fill it with avarage utility backs.

Joey Leluai or Curtis Scott would work too in the centre position.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:08 am  

Too hot and cold for me and if Hardaker goes we need a top centre, not a winger.

We need the right players, not just signings for signings sake and that would feel like one for me.