Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sat May 12, 2012 9:01 am  

jonh wrote:

No player is bigger than the team, if with options on the Market are limited and what we have coming through can improve the team the it may be he has to move to 6.

Russell is another freakish talent at fullback. We will at some stage need to accommodate him or lose him. Even worse Russell could move on then Sam head to union.

I think we will sign a half, and hopefully re sign Finch. But long term within the next 2 seasons I expect Russell will be our fullback, with Sam either in the halves or in the other code/Nrl.

Russell is 18 and still looks very raw to me. He had a decent game for Hull the other night but when compared to what Sam brings to the team from that position it would be a massive step backwards. This isn't one player being "bigger than the team" as you put it, it's simply playing our best player in his best position. If as anticipated Sam moves on after 2014 (hopefully NRL not union) then this is when I think we'll see Russell take the 1 shirt, when he will still only be 21.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sat May 12, 2012 3:08 pm  

Do you lot think finch will stay?

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sat May 12, 2012 3:35 pm  

hullandbroncos wrote:

Do you lot think finch will stay?

100% he has said he loves it at wigan and ian said he wants to keep him its just coming to an agreement and we have alot of cap spare next season.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sat May 12, 2012 5:51 pm  

Wade McKinnon to return to Wests Tigers.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sat May 12, 2012 6:03 pm  

Sam is a tremendous attacking threat from FB, but ask yourself why, IMO it's because he can choose when to join the attack whether it be off the halves or further out wide somewhere in the 3/4s.

Now look at the way Thurston plays 6, or the way Lockyer played 6. In an interview Thurston claimed he wanted to make the move from 7 to 6 to allow for him to play a little deeper, watch the game from a different perspective attacking and joining the line when he saw something in attack.
Taking this in to consideration I believe Sam could play a similar role.
For this to be successful Wigan would have to revert to playing the 6 off the 7 rather than split halves.
At times the opposition can see Wigan's line of attack simply by watching if Sam is lining to attack on the left or right side of the field.

Now we have an opportunity to make our attack even more deadly by have Russell at 1, with this the attack could line up with Russell slotting in on one side while Sam links on the other. The team wouldn't know which side the team was going to attack from.

Sam has matured as a player, even as a young man he reads the game as well as anyone out there. let him make the calls off an experience 7-Finch.

The second positive to switching Sam is pace in the centre of the pitch, Sam is considerably quicker than Finch or Tommy, this would cause more problems for the opposition.

Thirdly having Sam back at 6 I believe the offload would be more of a try scoring move, at times I see players make a break not to be supported by someone with genuine speed, with Sam in the line he could be that support player. Just imagine Hock bursting through with Sam in support.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sat May 12, 2012 11:02 pm  

I've just seen that we signed Thornley.

Was he not doing well at Sale?

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sun May 13, 2012 2:53 pm  

Dureau's defence is absolutely woeful.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sun May 13, 2012 3:00 pm  

Wigg'n wrote:

Dureau's defence is absolutely woeful.

That is something that I have noticed too when I have seen Catalans play.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sun May 13, 2012 3:02 pm  

P-J wrote:

I've just seen that we signed Thornley.
Was he not doing well at Sale?

He spent the majority of the season on loan at Leeds union where he made the second division team of the year.

Wigg'n wrote:

Dureau's defence is absolutely woeful.

He's not 100% and in my opinion he shouldn't have played.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Sun May 13, 2012 3:36 pm  

Catalancs wrote:

He spent the majority of the season on loan at Leeds union where he made the second division team of the year.


He's not 100% and in my opinion he shouldn't have played.

He'd better hope so, because on this performance Dureau's knocked about 100 grand off his asking price.