Flanaghan is a bigger defensive presence, but Dixon has showed some excellent attacking ability wide of the ruck.

Whilst he's still showing an excellent workrate in defence, I'd say its Wilkin that's lacking input given the reletive wages that I [iimagine[/i they're all on. Flannery, whilst also willing, is fairly flacid at times.

Following Friday's selection and assuming you take 4 backrowers in a squad of 17, I'd say I'd be happiest with TP, Flanaghan Sia and Dixon being picked.
Flanaghan has the workrate and defensive prowess to lock in the attacking ability of the others and, as we saw a glimpse of on Friday, isn't without the ability to do some ball playing. I think he's your best chance to get an effective old school ball playing 13. Sia and TP give you size going forward and indefence and then Dicko would give some excellent variation off the bench.

I may get bagged for this, but I would rather have kept Dixon for another few years and give Clough a new deal than resign Wilkin to a long term deal.

I think McManus dropped another massive recruitment b*ll*ck with that one.

I do think you have some valid points here. We do seam to produce a lot of halves. But there are a few more forwards further down the pipe line.

I can well see the arguement with Flanaghan, when we signed him I was a bit surprised that we needed another backrower, with Flannery, TP, Wilkin, Sia, Dixon, Magennis etc. But then there were stranger signings at the time last year.

I also get the Wilkin thing, but we have backrowers a plenty and so I can see the arguement for shifting one out.

Still 6 in the team at the weekend is no bad effort, (FB) P. Wellens (W) T. Makinson (U) J. Jones (SH) J. Lomax (H) J. Roby (U) P. Clough

Agreed. Whilst Wilkin has an amount of talent others don't, we have rarely seemed to convert that in to victory grabbing application on the pitch.
Whilst I'll never knock his commitment, his biggest contribution at the moment seems to be a high tackle count. Now, to be fair, most clubs have a guy doing that who'll be on less wages than wilkin and probably have an extra stone for going forward with.

We're in a salary capped game which favours the wrestle up front. Paying extra for a backrow with Wilkin's talents is probably not the most effecitve decision at the moment.

Indeed. I am not starting a 'Wilkin Out' campaign, I just think the money could have been used elsewhere, to better effect.

I would have thought Tony Puletua would be used as more of a front rower next year????

It's worth taking in to consideration that Dixon wouldn't just have been judged against those already in the first team, but also against the current academy crop. It may well be that the club expect someone like Andre Savelio to break into the first team squad soon, in which case the argument for keeping hold of a 22 year old fringe player becomes significantly weaker.

One of the side effects of having a good youth system is that you will end up having to let go of players who will go on to carve out decent Super League careers at other clubs. If we dump Gaskell I will be upset, but this seems like a reasonable call to me.

I cant see why anybody would see this as a reasonable call!!! Letting go of Dixon who was showing signs of improvment at the start of the season and signing an over the hill 32 year old replacement??? Bad business if you ask me!

Willie Manu is a replacement for Flannery. Dixon will, in all likelihood, be replaced from within by another young player.

Define "over the hill"?

A Dixon "showing improvement" vs Manu, on the evidence of the form he has CONSISTENTLY shown during his time in SL, is an absolute no-brainer.

I rate Dixon, and I'd liked him to have stayed as a squad player / back up option.

Maybe he wanted more than this (and if he didn't, he should if he has any ambition at all), maybe our cap doesn't stretch to the luxury of keeping him and his wage demands for a back up player.

Either way, he has signed for Salford. We're not talking a player in demand by any of the major players in SL. The argument that we should have kept him rather than sign the ever-impressive Manu puzzles me.

Manu is 10 times the player Dixon is or ever will be. If we ever need another Dixon we can pull one out of the academy any time. Get a bloody clue for once in your life.

So your quite happy for us to go down the Wigan road and sign overrated over the hill players like they did in 2005/06 and continue to langish in 4th or 5th and have a battle with relegation in that time???? Sorry I would like to see our young crop of players be given a long run in the side to cement a first team place. Dixon was showing real signs of improvement at the start of the year and looked liked becoming a strong backrower. Ok he has his faults but under a strong coaching team he could have improved further and become a strong backrower.

I'm quite happy for us to go down the "build the best possible team" route, yes.

Dicko should've gone out on loan by now.