LOL Gidley. Why should anyone suppose he, as a year older, will have a better season than last (which was pretty nondescript at best and woefully wanting if you consider the CC Final goal kicking and that attempt of a tackle in the GF)

Because he is no7 and we are going to win the treble.
Someone has to take credit.
I don't care how old he is...behind the best pack in the league...you'll look like the best half in the league.
I'm also having a punt on Brown for MOS and Lineham for top try scorer.

I'd say this is a good bet.
Joe Burgess is the bookies favourite at 6/1, whilst Tom is 9th favourite at 18/1.

Another cracking bet is Catalan to finish top after the regular season at 9/1 with a plus 16 point handicap.

All on sky bet.

Lineham at the end of last year seemed to have turned a corner, and I would expect him to be first choice. Good bet if so. However TS is a huge Evans fan, and King is the better centre, so who knows.

But apart from using locally produced players in our squad, the fact that "little Johnny" could one day play for his local heroes could add hundreds of future fans to the weekly attendance figures for many years into the future.It is hard to believe that our Academy system is not capable of producing as much local talent as our rival clubs. The talent is out there & with the right coaching should be no less effective than buying in from Wigan, Saints or Leeds.

Not as many schools playing rugby these days,in fact I think PE is not done as much as back in the day.

I think the town could do with another Walter Norris, But even in his day many of our Wire players were brought in from other clubs.

If ever anyone deserved an honour it was Walter Knocker Norris. Besides being a good teacher and a great bloke he worked tirelessly for schoolboy rugby league for his school Beamont, the town and Lancashire.

There'll never be another like Knocker.

The one thing I can say is that the players they are signing from other clubs are definitely getting paid more. And they have agents (or in most cases the same agent).

And the players I mentioned earlier have actually quit the club not been released.

If anyone local is thinking of signing for the club don't fall for the 'do it for local pride' line, get yourself an agent. Or sign for another club then come back to Warrington and you might find you are then valued more as a commodity. Harsh reality for what is a tough and short career.

PS I am aware that of late Wigan have been signing a fair few players from outside Wigan. Sort of unheard of historically and not sure why.

Have any of these six players been snapped up by any other clubs, in particular, the five international standard players?

It is three and to my knowledge they have quit the game completely and not even bothered looking elsewhere.

It has nothing to do with their ability whatsoever.

The point I am making is about the engagement and valuing of local players against players being bought in. It is apparent not just in the local players but throughout all squads and over a long period. We still retain that small club mentality when it comes to recruitment (look at the contractual fiasco and money spent on Sandow who royally mugged the club all whilst on a £265k salary).

Dec Patton has he improved? Quite a few have left since this thread was started.

Not for me.