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Bill Francis : Sun Feb 18, 2024 2:16 pm  
https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/02/ ... l-francis/

RIP Bill. One of the most underrated players I have ever watched and such a great guy.
https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/02/ ... l-francis/

RIP Bill. One of the most underrated players I have ever watched and such a great guy.
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Re: Bill Francis : Mon Feb 19, 2024 10:17 am  
One of the few really good players that we had had when I started to watch the game on a regular basis.
A really good servant to the club when we had more bad times than good.
For me a classy centre who would be perfect for the current team. I’d compare him to Wardle for fans who were not fortunate enough to see him play.
I had the pleasure of talking to him a few times after he retired in the Royal Oak and the Fox&Goose. Always a gentleman and happy to talk about the game.
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Re: Bill Francis : Mon Feb 19, 2024 10:43 am  
Sounds like blasphemy to say it, but when he left for Saints, I was glad for him. Much as I was for George Fairbairn when he left for KR. I was sorry for us of course, but those two players were too good to waste their careers at the sort of basket-case club that Wigan had become in the mid/late 70s.
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Re: Bill Francis : Thu Feb 22, 2024 9:06 am  
Zig wrote:
https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/02/18/in-memoriam-bill-francis/

RIP Bill. One of the most underrated players I have ever watched and such a great guy.


His wife was a teacher at John Fisher, he was always happy to talk to young supporters, We played a game before his testimonial match and went around central park during that game doing a bucket collection.
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Re: Bill Francis : Thu Feb 22, 2024 9:06 am  
Zig wrote:
https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/02/18/in-memoriam-bill-francis/

RIP Bill. One of the most underrated players I have ever watched and such a great guy.


His wife was a teacher at John Fisher, he was always happy to talk to young supporters, We played a game before his testimonial match and went around central park during that game doing a bucket collection.
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Re: Bill Francis : Sat Mar 23, 2024 12:08 pm  
I was disappointed, and surprised, that the Club did not mark the passing of Bill with either a minutes silence, a reference in the programme, or ideally both. For a club that avidly promotes its work in the community it is sad that it couldn’t recognise a man who played in excess of 400 games for Wigan. I am hopeful that this can be rectified in due course.
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Re: Bill Francis : Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:38 pm  
Zig wrote:
I was disappointed, and surprised, that the Club did not mark the passing of Bill with either a minutes silence, a reference in the programme, or ideally both. For a club that avidly promotes its work in the community it is sad that it couldn’t recognise a man who played in excess of 400 games for Wigan. I am hopeful that this can be rectified in due course.



Given that he played for both clubs maybe the next game would be much more fitting than a poorly attended cup game.
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Re: Bill Francis : Sat Mar 23, 2024 4:27 pm  
exiled Warrior wrote:
Given that he played for both clubs maybe the next game would be much more fitting than a poorly attended cup game.


It may be but Wigan could have had a minutes silence at the Penrith game had they wished to do so. By the way, from what I am being told the Club were not represented at the funeral either!

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