Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:38 pm  

Only feels like five minutes ago I was being berated for questioning the validity of the Brad Singleton love in late last season.

I'm delighted Wigan didn't sign a world class prop in the off-season as it would completely transform your team.

Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:25 pm  

FearTheVee wrote:

Only feels like five minutes ago I was being berated for questioning the validity of the Brad Singleton love in late last season.

I'm delighted Wigan didn't sign a world class prop in the off-season as it would completely transform your team.

Spot on sadly (for us anyway)

Singleton added to the side (it was hard not too), but at the same time we didn't need a Singleton level player. We needed the player Burgess was supposed to be.

DaveO got shot down on this thread, but he was right that's IL decision not to invest the GB money on another prop could be an error. I realise that some of the cash might have gone to keeping French and Hastings, but tbh, I'd rather have one of those + a topline prop than those two and our current front row.

After that it's criminal we've got Club and Clarke on the books. Nothing you can do about it mid season, or whilst they are under contract but they never should have renewed/signed.

Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:10 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Spot on sadly (for us anyway)

Singleton added to the side (it was hard not too), but at the same time we didn't need a Singleton level player. We needed the player Burgess was supposed to be.

DaveO got shot down on this thread, but he was right that's IL decision not to invest the GB money on another prop could be an error. I realise that some of the cash might have gone to keeping French and Hastings, but tbh, I'd rather have one of those + a topline prop than those two and our current front row.

After that it's criminal we've got Club and Clarke on the books. Nothing you can do about it mid season, or whilst they are under contract but they never should have renewed/signed.

As much as I wanted and still want Clubb and Clarke to go, they’re both under contract. It’s not easy to just release them as there’s fees involved.

I’m happy with Singleton, I think teams need props like him that are just solid in defence and attack. Don’t really do anything special but don’t do a lot wrong either, pretty much like Kyle Amor at Saints or Jason Clark at Warrington.

Do I think we need a top class prop? Without a shadow of a doubt, I can’t really fathom why we didn’t sign one in the off season but we do have a tendency to make in season signings. Perhaps a IL is waiting for the prop to become available, the last thing we need to do is another prop signing rush job ala George Burgess. It might hurt us in the short term but I’d rather we sign the right prop than the wrong prop.

Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:21 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Sutton doesn’t even look like the same bloke anymore. He is a prime athlete now, who looks to have decided to commit and push himself. In his time here he was carrying a spare tyre round and played within himself. He was still a good player but a move to the NRL always seemed to be the plan and now he’s got it, he’s giving it everything he has. Fair play to him, he’s a cracking prop now and will make the England squad for the World Cup IMO.

I have got to disagree with regard to his conditioning, Sutty was in top shape in his final season at Wigan. It is not the Australians who should be praised for his transformation but Lee Blundell. Maybe the Warriors should recruit Lee?

Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:32 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Spot on sadly (for us anyway)

Singleton added to the side (it was hard not too), but at the same time we didn't need a Singleton level player. We needed the player Burgess was supposed to be.

DaveO got shot down on this thread, but he was right that's IL decision not to invest the GB money on another prop could be an error. I realise that some of the cash might have gone to keeping French and Hastings, but tbh, I'd rather have one of those + a topline prop than those two and our current front row.

After that it's criminal we've got Club and Clarke on the books. Nothing you can do about it mid season, or whilst they are under contract but they never should have renewed/signed.

I don't think we can justify losing the 2020 Man of Steel or 2021's best attacking player if they're willing to sign for us. Plus we don't know how long ahead they knew for sure that GB was coming off the books. It may well not have left enough time to identify and negotiate with a top prop, then you risk losing one of French/Hastings in the meantime whilst you scour the market. I'm hoping with another year under their belts our young forwards might hold their own better.

Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:37 pm  

Sweaty Betty's wrote:

I have got to disagree with regard to his conditioning, Sutty was in top shape in his final season at Wigan. It is not the Australians who should be praised for his transformation but Lee Blundell. Maybe the Warriors should recruit Lee?

I said in another comment that he got himself so much fitter in that last season, ahead of him going to Australia. He looks very different to that now though. Yes he was in better condition but not like he looked at the weekend. He doesn’t look like he’s carrying an ounce of fat anymore.

Whoever was responsible for the turnaround though, I think the motivation was the NRL. He would obviously have been negotiating with clubs going in to that 2018 season and all of a sudden he shapes up. It benefited Wigan in that last season anyway.

Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:44 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

I don't think we can justify losing the 2020 Man of Steel or 2021's best attacking player if they're willing to sign for us. Plus we don't know how long ahead they knew for sure that GB was coming off the books. It may well not have left enough time to identify and negotiate with a top prop, then you risk losing one of French/Hastings in the meantime as well. I'm hoping with another year under their belts our young forwards might hold their own better.

I tend to agree with you about Hastings. When we found out that he wanted to stay, then it was always the right decision to sign him up. I'd say the same for 2022 too btw.

It might be controversial, but I don't feel the same about French. I love the guy and he's probably our most entraining player, but I don't think he's as key for us as what Hastings is or what a top prop would be. When you then factor in the signing of Field, who Lam described as French with better hands (loose translation) & Zak as backup we could have let him go.

Ideally we'd have lost Clubb, Clarke and Burgess and had room for everything.

Re: The Prop Problem : Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:00 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I tend to agree with you about Hastings. When we found out that he wanted to stay, then it was always the right decision to sign him up. I'd say the same for 2022 too btw.

It might be controversial, but I don't feel the same about French. I love the guy and he's probably our most entraining player, but I don't think he's as key for us as what Hastings is or what a top prop would be. When you then factor in the signing of Field, who Lam described as French with better hands (loose translation) & Zak as backup we could have let him go.

Ideally we'd have lost Clubb, Clarke and Burgess and had room for everything.

Fair enough. I felt like French was our only chance of scoring at times last season

Re: The Prop Problem : Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:34 am  

100% Warrior wrote:

Do I think we need a top class prop? Without a shadow of a doubt, I can’t really fathom why we didn’t sign one in the off season but we do have a tendency to make in season signings. Perhaps a IL is waiting for the prop to become available, the last thing we need to do is another prop signing rush job ala George Burgess. It might hurt us in the short term but I’d rather we sign the right prop than the wrong prop.

Definitely. I'm 99% sure this is the reason. It's not IL "not willing to spend the cash" as DaveO crudely tried to allude. If there's not a decent prop available then I'd rather we wait until there is.

In the meantime we need to make our props do some hard work with the ball until we get our outside backs from injury or a big prop signing and then they can go back to getting carried up the field like they have been in the last however many years.

Re: The Prop Problem : Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:26 am  

I watched Warrington Leeds from 1994 last night and the first 3 runs in one particular set off of Leeds line were by Fallon, Iro and then Mercer. So a wing, centre and SR. The two props didn't involved until they were 40 from their own line.

So hardly something we have just invented.

Yes our props are poor, but as others have said we need to sign the right prop not just any prop.