I think we will do well this season, very well.
A pack of Hill, Clark, Cooper, Ben Currie, Hughes and Jase Clark is very good . With interchanges of BMM, Livett, SBW, Philbin, Akauola, Tasi & Danny Walker.

The only front row to match ours is the Saints of Walmsley, Roby & Thompson.

I agree with duckie on this. The era of rugby league which I remember most fondly coincided with the era Wigan dominated. Usual thinking is that you want an even and competitive league to create interest with some changing of the guard at the top, but sometimes the existence of a benchmark team can lift a whole sport. International cricket has had more changing of the guard at the top in the past decade, following a long period where of dominance by first the West Indies and then Australia, but I think it was better back then.

Wigan winning everything got tiresome at times and Maurice's smugness used to grate but they had players back then that took the sport to a new level: guys like Hanley, Edwards, Offiah were sporting icons that were familiar outside rugby league in a way that the leading players of more recent times have not been able to become. Also they dragged standards in the rest of the sport upwards as well - yes people sometimes try to disparage Wigan's successes by saying they were full time professional and other teams were only semi pro in those days...but there is being full time professional and there is being Hanley/Edwards/Bell type of professional, which is in a different universe from just being paid to train full time, it was a level of dedication to winning that was unparalleled, which is why I never have a problem with them being Wiganers and winning, you just had to accept that guys like that deserved what they got.

But duckie lets have a reality check about this comparison. I would be very happy if we won a Grand Final in the 2020s. We haven't won one yet. Those Wigan teams would have dominated Super League in the 2020s too, we are nowhere near that.

I'm sure this thread will give some good entertainment for any Wiganers or even fans of other clubs who stumble on here.

In other news, Tom Lineham had a good season last year, could he go on to dominate in the 2020s in the same way that Bevan did in the 1950s....?

Perhaps Bevan of the 70s

How come RD? We were staring down the merger with Widnes, as the game was financially on its knees. Wigan, and the other clubs trying to keep up, spent much more money than they had. The game only survived through taking the SKy shilling (and still does), and it's being trying desperately to recover ever since.

The 2021 renegotiation of the Sky deal is of great concern, as it could levy further austerity within the game.

There is opportunity with greater revenue to make the game a greater spectacle with bigger stars.
Stars become box office and people come to see them. Away games at lesser funded clubs see their home gate swell with the interest in seeing their team play the stars.

As it was for Bevan Davis John's. People will come to watch stars like them. I went watching Saints...I decking hate them but I went to see Mal Meninga play. Wow he didn't leave me short changed.

I agree - the key point that underlies this is that it comes down to the quality of the players.

The problem we have at the moment is that the real stars of the game are all in the NRL, and it's hard because of their higher salary cap, an exchange rate relationship that no longer benefits the UK, and also the fact Origin is so big over there and players that come to the UK are out of contention for Origin or international calls. So it is not as easy now to get these top players in.

But why do we not produce the stars in the UK any more? We produce a lot of good players and fine professionals which is why in the World Cup we could run the Aussies close in the final, but in the 1980s and 1990s there were players like: Offiah, Edwards, Hanley, Davies, Schofield and there hasn't been anyone of that calibre since (yes fair enough Davies came from Welsh RU but even if we could afford to buy Welsh RU players any more have there been any in Davies calibre since?)

There is more money, better facilities and coaching structures in place now than there were back then so why haven't the players come through?

I can see RD's point about bigger stars with the ultimate hope that they become household names to help get our game into the nation's psyche or even semi consciousness would be an improvement.

However I share your concern about our next Sky deal as I think that we are being marginalised to the point where I'd question the platform that Sky might be giving us. Conjecture I know but they seem to be flogging American Football Basketball, Women's Soccer and Women's RU, Netball to name but a few and wont be helping our cause one bit IMO

The rfl should package up games, as the Premier league have done with sky n bt and give the BBC some games to cover on a Sunday. With maybe a Thursday evening championship game. Initially we should not charge the BBC.

I cannot see us getting less money from sky but I think that we cannot just give them complete exclusivity. There's deffinately been a decline in coverage as more sports gain viewing figures.

We're probably better set should the sky deal see a decrease in money and that's an advantage, we can go on to dominate but I think that dominates not winning every year I would say 4/5 gf n a few cc would be classed as a dominant side to the 20s given the competition today as opposed to the 80s.

Why not charge the BBC?...they charge us through a licence.

Wigan had the pick of the rugby world. Union (even the All Blacks) were not paid. The team that Wigan put out in the Twickenham Sevens 1996 was very special. League wouldn't be able to keep those players now. Money talks and the big money is now, of course, in Union.

Wigan were insolvent under Maurice Lindsay (somehow he was elected President of the RFL), and were bailed out by Whelan. With the help of Tesco, they built a new stadium. Same with us with Higham being replaced by Moran, and Widnes but I cannot remember the names of the owners. There's probably other clubs to add. Wigan in the 80's almost killed the game, they did not make it great.

We need a Lindsay type at the RFL now.