Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348

Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" A few things jump out of there, first being Vaughan. While again he was relatively quiet, his stats are first class. Has he ever not made 100+ meters? Metronomic reliability. Dudson at the other end. Painful. The doom monger within me fears for Thewlis this week. At fault for a try by not catching the kick, and the stats don’t really do him any favours. I hope I’m wrong, and would be livid if my suspicions come true, but it smells like a drop incoming.

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" A few things jump out of there, first being Vaughan. While again he was relatively quiet, his stats are first class. Has he ever not made 100+ meters? Metronomic reliability. Dudson at the other end. Painful. The doom monger within me fears for Thewlis this week. At fault for a try by not catching the kick, and the stats don’t really do him any favours. I hope I’m wrong, and would be livid if my suspicions come true, but it smells like a drop incoming.

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" Waste of a salary that bloke. Who's genius idea was it to sign that plodder?

Quote ="Wires71"Dudson's stats are shocking. 4 carries, 15m, 11 tackes, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 4195725348'" Waste of a salary that bloke. Who's genius idea was it to sign that plodder?

Yep Vaughan is still delivering the goods. A machine. Dudson is woeful.

Just read about Wigan's latest signings. Chan 22, Walters 19 ( I think he's great ) and Leeming 28. Most of our forward signings are over 30 whom we hoped would lead to a GF win. May still do so but makes me wonder if our thinking is too short-term in our craving for success.
w

Of course it's short term - We don't have an academy that produces any players in the number needed to be a successful side, so we have to constantly gamble in the transfer market.

If we had spent the money we have wasted on the many flops of the last 20 years on setting up a state of the art academy instead, we would be in a far stronger place than we presently are.

I don't disagree but we haven't we been told for 15 years+ that our Academy is doing well?

Trouble is other clubs have first dibs over the most promising players due to their pedigree.

Do they really have first dibs, or is it more that we don't put enough effort into our attempts to sign and nurture promising youngsters as Wigan or Saints do?

Personally, if I was a multi millionaire in charge of our club, the first thing I'd have done would have been setting up the best RL academy in the country, with the best qualified coaches and conditioning teams - The only common denominatior in GF winners is that they all have top class, academy players in the heart of their sides - The actual head coaches have all been nothing special, just been lucky to have been at clubs with great youth set ups.

I agree with your view that the teams with performant academies, produce top class players that win GFs.

My problem is this:- imagine a top young halfback playing for an amateur team somewhere between Wigan, St Helens and Warrington. This top halfback dreams of winning GF's, World Club Championships and becoming a regular England International.

Wigan, Saints and Warrington have made offers to sign the player.

Why would this top young halfback choose Warrington?

Totally agree about the youth set-up.

Another issue that concerns me, is who are out talent scouts for sourcing and signing the best players from schoolboy RL?

I doubt if any posters on here know who any of our scouts are (Including me).

We need to focus on this area and improve PDQ.

Because I would be offering them the best RL academy in the country, dwarfing anything that any other club has to offer, and would be looking after them and their family in a suitably generous manner.

Highlights here for those who haven't seen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pLk2ESIRU

Highlights here for those who haven't seen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pLk2ESIRU

Same reason everyone signs for Warrington. £££££££££.

Yes this is what I was hinting at. It's the wrong motivation.

I don't mind money as a motivation but at this club it appears to be the only one