He scored the try that changed the game

Did Pryce have a good game?

It's about time wigan went with youth, the have been many good young players who wigan got shut to bring in overseas players.

So at last maybe wigan are doing it the correct way!

We've always given enough youngsters their chance but after 2004 and 2005 we started to lose a lot of our good experienced players and didn't replace them well enough. And as you said a couple have been awful overseas players. Another thing that didn't help was that the crop of youngsters who came through in 2003 that are now at the likes of Huddersfield, all played and came through under Mike Greg and they seemed to lose their hunger after that and the sad loss to Mike. Now the current crop that we are seeing now have all played under Shaun Wayne and even though Maguire is the new coach, having Wayne there is a vital part of the coaching staff as the players will want to play for him. We're finally starting to get the balance right which is what we haven't done over recent years.

IMO bringing in good youth players will massive for clubs in super league and is the way clubs have to go, however teams have to be very lucky to get a good batch of young lads to come thru at once.

Its good for Wigan and RL that they are getting their act together on the junior front.

I certainly expect them to be a formidable first team force in years to come as the cream of those youngsters come through into the Wigan first team.

We should not lose site of the fact though that things are not as clear cut in Wigans favour as they appear.

For example Rogues comments on Wigan having a lot of players eligible for under 18's RL. However so did Saints.

You also have to remember that we had a 19 year old in Foster making his senior debut.
We also have Lomax who is only 19 out injured who is a 1st team player already. As well as Wheeler, Eastmond, Dixon and Ashurst who are 1st team regulars at just 20 years of age.

We have Ste Tyrer and Jacob Emmitt, both 21 years old on loan, Matty Smith 22 years old on loan


Compare that to the so called Wigan super 1st team youngsters

Paul Prescott 24 year old
Joel Tomkins 23 years old
Eamonn o Carroll 22 years old
Mike Mcllorum 22 years old
Darell Goulding 22 years old
Harrison Hansen 24 years old
Lee Mossop 21 years old
Shaun Ainscough 20 years old (on loan)
liam farrell 19 years old (on loan)
Sam Tomkins 21 years old

I agree its good for pies and rugby league that such good youth coming thru.

I think they have by far a better level of yougsters coming thru than saints at the moment. Lomax, wheeler and eastmond look very good but i dont think any of the others will make it to a high super league level.

Jamie Foster has only just had his first team debut. How can you write him off already? And what about Lee Gaskell, for instance, who hasn't had a debut yet or Jamie Ellis whose debut - poor lad - was when we were playing dire rugby last year but who is long term injured just now? You can't honestly write all these guys off, surely? They've either only just appeared on the scene or haven't yet had their chance.

IMO Foster didn't put a foot wrong last night, it would be hard to deselect him based on his performance. If Gardner and Meli are asking for new contracts, i would show them lomax and foster and probably armstrong. They will be cheaper, and are at very least no worse than Ade

To be honest i was on about dixon, ashurst, emmitt and mcgennis as i have seem them play a fair bit, not seen enough of foster, ellis or gaskell but we need to bring some big good forwards thru our youth.

Is the above post somehow trying to dismiss the quality of the players that Wigan have brought through? Because if that's the case most of the Saints youngsters must be worse as they were spanked by the Wigan youngsters year after year at academy and reserve level.

Eastmond's a great player with a huge future, Lomax can also go onto good things as long as his carrer doesn't continue to be blighted by injurys. The jury's still out for me in regards to Wheeler, granted I don't see him as much as you Saints fans but he doesn't come over all that impressive.

As for Dixon and Ashurt you're really scraping the barrel, those lads won't make it at Saints because they aren't good enough, Mossop may be a year older but he's light years ahead of them, and that's not just down to the minute age difference, it's down to a thing called talent.

The same goes for Tyrer at Salford, the guy's defense is woeful and I very much doubt he'll have a future at Saints. Matty Smith will only make it at Saints if you lose Eastmond to RU and then you'll have no other option then to go with Smith or buy in from overseas. As for Foster other than his supeb kicking game he pretty much optomizes what we'd call a one trick pony.

Some of the Wigan players in the list you've put together won't make it at Wigan for various reasons, just like not all the players at Saints will make, but as long as both clubs keep the cream of the crops they'll do well.

I pretty much agree with that, dixon and ashurst won't make top players which is a shame as our backrow is pretty poor with ball in the hand.

Not seen enough of foster to comment on him but eastmond, wheeler and lomax look very good.

NO im pointing out that we arent comparing like with like.

You cant compare the performance of a 23 year old with a 20 year old and Say x teams youngsters are better.

Similarly in reserve and academy games you sometimes have to look beyond the result and look at the respective age and experience of the two sides playing.

That's way too sensible a post for this thread.

And that's why I was surprised and delighted by yesterdays U18 and U20 results.
Ten U18's in the U20's and kids in the U18's I hadn't seen.

Some people won't agree at Wigan but Brian Noble has laid the foundations for what could be a very productive period.