Quote: NickyKiss "The main thing Wire need to do is to keep backing those academy lads and opening up that pathway. Hayes, Lindop, Holroyd, Taylor-Wray etc have been excellent this season and I'm sure there will be more lads behind them good enough for a chance. They will push players within the first 17 to be better and if they themselves are good enough, they'll take a starting shirt.
You can make signings on top of that and try to close any gap but there is only one way of having sustained success and the teams who've had it prove exactly what the formula is. Warrington are far closer to following that formula than HKR for example. I honestly don't see HKR being in this sort of position much longer because there is too much riding on external signings. They're signing 36/37 year olds and it's all being set up for instant success but that rarely works because you need to keep replacing them. If Wire back the kids and make one or two good signings, I think you'll be the team to push Wigan over these next few seasons.'"
Signings help though right? Crucial members of your GF winning side were assembled by signings in the last 3 or 4 years. A key difference is these signings have worked for you. I would not like to list our signings in the same time period. But as I always say, if you are a top player and have an offer for Wigan or Warrington - who are you going to choose...
Jai Field - Parramatta - 2021
Abbas Miski - London Broncos - 2022
Adam Keighran - Catalan Dragons - 2023
Jake Wardle - Huddersfield - 2023
Liam Marshall - Home grown
Bevan French - Paramatta - 2019
Harry Smith - Home grown
Ethan Havard - Home grown
Kruise Leeming - Gold Coast Titans - 2023
Luke Thompson - Canterbury Bulldogs 2024
Junior Nsemba - Home Grown
Liam Farrell - Home Grown
Kaide Ellis - St George Illawarra - 2022
Liam Byrne - Home Grown
Patrick Mago - South Sydney - 2021
Tyler Dupree - Salford - 2023
Tom Forber - Home Grown
7 - Home grown
10 - Signings.
Our team that faced Hull KR in the semi contained 5 home grown players: Thewlis, King, Walker, Currie and Philbin.
So I would argue that developing good home grown players is important, so is exceptional recruitment. You can see why we are a little non plussed with Leyland, Russell and Johnson for 2025. Time will tell.
