quality signings, all three of them

Not a comment on their quality, but in bringing in 3 players from the same team you are effectively importing a clique. (a clique that has been laid off too)

How did the "Manly Mafia" work out for Bradford this season ?

Team spirit counts for a hell of a lot in this sport imo

Good signing by Wigan IMO. World class players to complement the best of the local talent is the way to go. Before anyone has a go at me saying so and so isn’t world class then you only have to look at what Melbourne have achieved over the last five years even if it was via cheating off the field.

Whilst these three aren’t in the league of Slater, Inglis and Smith they certainly complemented them in the Melbourne squad. You can’t put a team full of national league players around the top three I’ve just mentioned and win things.

Good luck to Wigan

A good argument here but there’s no way you can compare Bradford to Wigan.

On that question I think all the Manly players have done well this season and it was a shame that Matt Orford went off injured earlier in the season. The others have been ok.

But they all came into a Bradford team that’s seen better days. Wigan on the other hand have better days ahead of them whenever they win things or not!

What have they achieved? Their titles have been taken away and wiped from the record books, they have no chance to even score a point in the competition this year and their "squad" will have to be broken up. If anything it makes Manly's competition win even more impressive. Their conduct as a club since being found out is laugable and their recent announcement that they will bin all their squad in an attempt to keep massively overpaying four players (what loyal club servants they must be) while simultaneously suggesting they may need financial support from the NRL to put out a competitive side simply beggars belief.

If the Melbourne players coming to Wigan bring any of that culture over with them then I can see trouble.

The players though, surely get their money and play the game on the pitch. Anything off the field will be down to the coaching/management staff. Whether they were over the cap or not the players bring a winning mentality like Maguire has brought to us.

While I would never feel confident in engaging with you on a rugby related issue I'd have to opine that the arrival of Brett Finch (mid 2009) had little impact on Melbourne's five years of success achieved through massively cheating/rorting the salary cap system.

Hoffman Lima and Finch in Bailey Feka Riddell out definatly and id say 1 of Phelps and Pryce to go. If anything we might actually be freeing cap room up with Fielden on hugely reduced terms.

Not sure Finch ever played from Canberra!!

That makes a little more sense than what you first typed.

So signing players "on paper" is an improvement on "on reputation"?

At least they'll all be used to the salary 'cap' system in place at Wigan from their days at the storm. Half your pay by BACS and half by brown envelope.

Good point but dont you think the big difference for us is that our coach was one of their coaches???

What makes the Wigan fans think that Fielden has to and indeed will take a massive salary cut? I'm sure there will be a few clubs out there that are willing to if not match his pay at least get near it and not offer him a massive pay cut.