Aboveusonlypie wrote:
You'd have to say that Wigan have made a pretty good fist of managing their players over the last five years. It's all very well saying that we 'need' to keep players in order to be successful, but we have shown that actually we have been able to let players go and return whilst maintaining a decent level of success.
Players won't be kept at any Super League club against their wishes. The NRL has so much more to offer- higher wages, better living conditions and a better standard of rugby (and the weakness of the pound doesn't help matters either). If Williams, Burgess and Bateman decide to go, then so be it. Whether they are good enough to make it is a different matter. My belief is that if Josh Hodgson can make it, then they certainly can. I doubt that they will be back at Wigan as quickly as Sam Tomkins was. If ever.
That's an excellent post. The key to keeping it going is to continue to produce excellence from the academy/scholarship systems and back that up with astute signings. We had two tremendous year groups (Sutton, Williams, Hampshire, Burgess, Tierney) followed by (Shorrocks, Gregson, Bretherton Gildart etc) However the next two year groups don't seem to be quite as good, although I do think the likes of Shelford and Higginson, could progress along with a couple from the next year down. If that is the case then maybe we will have to look "outside" the club for more signings.
Rads, Lenagan and Wane are not mugs, and I know they have short and long term plans for players coming through and further recruitment (1, 3, and 5 year I believe)
