Interesting question - have we signed more unsettled/homesick NRL players than other clubs in recent years?

Yes, interesting question back, how do Wire avoid another occurrence?

Third interesting question, have any of these players who have quit their contracts early, done anything else in their careers after that to make us regret them leaving?

The last one I can think of was David Kidwell, but that was 18 years ago, and around the time Kidwell went home we signed Westwood who was basically a better version of the type of player Kidwell went on to be in the NRL.

31 years ago, Greg Mackey going to Hull, but he redeemed himself by returning to us and giving us a number of good years' service.

Steve Jackson turned into a GF hero in Oz, but some while ago. However, some have finished their careers with us and served us well. Hicks, Monaghan (X2), King and Hodgson for example.

The Monaghans, King, Hodgson, Hicks were all very good examples of imports with great attitudes.

King and Michael Monaghan didn't have easy first years, but they didn't try to find exits to their contracts, even when the fans were getting on their case.

Hodgson was an example of a good safe Aussie signing as he had already been playing in SL and won Man of Steel, so we knew he was settled and his game suited SL.

Actually back then we used to sign Aussies with great attitudes. Nat Wood, Sid Domic, Darren Burns, all great. Appo, Michael Sullivan....less so, although they made sure they saw out their contracts and got their money rather than look for an exit. Brent Grose seemed unhappy here for his last couple of years, but he saw out his contract before going home and didn't cause a fuss.

Which brings us to this four:
Asotasi - Went awol with his country competing in the last World Cup, before he arrived at the HJS. He had lost interest in RL, and never wanted to be here.
Sandow - Maverick who got on the wrong side of coaching staff in Oz. Great for a season, he then expected another NRL contract which didn't transpire then his head ended up in the proverbial shed.
Roberts - Never wanted to be here.
Widdop - Family came over and went home not long after, very likely influenced by Covid 19.

Asotasi and Roberts should never have come here, and were a total waste of time and money for our club. I'm amazed that our representatives didn't pick up on any lack of enthusiasm when they were in talks. Sandow was a gamble that worked for only 12 months, and then there's a passable excuse in Widdop's case.

Yes, which also ties in with my point on one of the other threads about the decline in the quality of our recruitment, after Andy Gatcliffe left.
It was also around this time where we started signing English players like Wheeler, Westerman, Bailey.

Westerman was a good signing. He was good for us, proper 13 he just didn't seem to settle and we were in a transitional period. I thought he was out best player in an awfully performing team for a spell, I think he gave up on us at that point. If he was as professional as he could be he'd have been one ofthe best 13s superleague has seen IMO. I think the biggest problem with the Westerman signing was timing. If he'd have come to us early TS years, say when Louis left things could have been very different for him and maybe us.

Under Higham I meant. All got forgotten post PH.

In reply to SC's post. It's not just Warrington where recruitment has not matched the quality of previous squads. However, we ought to have done better, and must try harder.

Westerman would have struggled to get first team opportunities in the early TS years, he wasn't as good as Westwood, Harrison or Grix.

He's the classic example of a player with enough talent to be tolerated in a team of nearly men, but who would not have lasted long at the top teams. Can you imagine him fitting in to a Brian McDermott or Shaun Wane team ethos?