The fact that it always seems to be our players is what gets me. But hey, the season hasn't even started yet so cheer up! We won the hubcap with a very young team last year. Scott Taylor looks a prospect. And I am sure we will see Faz come on leaps and bounds this year when hock probably leaves.

Just think...


Atleast were not wire!!

Do what about it though?

Surely the question is....why are the quality all leaving ?

That's what needs to be answered.

A pack even with Hock in it not dissimilar to that spent the second half of last season on the back foot or did I imagine that? Teams like HKR took it on and were not outclassed. Lauaki is as average as he was at Hull. Mossop had a poor season. Prescott can't stay fit and Hansen great player that he is ran out of steam.

The idea we are going to OK because the rest of the league is even worse is going to cheer everyone up no end.

Because Superleague's on it's last legs and the few quality players with any ambition are getting out whilst the goings good !!!

If they move to the NRL its probably to play in a superior competition with arguably a better lifestyle, if to union its more than likely financial, you can be 'set up for life' if you accept their offer, not many have moved to other SL clubs.

For starters I would hold players down to the contracts they sign. Joel Tomkins wanted to try his hand at Rugby Union - tough - he signed a five year deal with Wigan and I would have kept him to it. And with Gareth Hock, the amount of money invested in not only his development as an RL player (he was on our books since he was 12) but the amount of time, money and resources put into his rehabilitation and the faith shown in him by the club to offer him a five year deal, I would keep the lad to it. I don't believe for one second Hock has a burning ambition to play in the NRL as you put here:



Riddell's tweet tells us a lot.

The same argument for this is always "no point holding a player against his well etc etc" how come Leeds can hold down their players to the contracts they sign then but we can't? As DaveO has pointed out, Bradford have kept hold of Lulia - we should start to follow their example. I wonder - do these players have a genuine thirst to move to the NRL/Rugby Union or do they only do so because they know they can?

I remember Ian Lenagan publically stating he will never keep a player here against his will. This will start some debate, but I think that was one of the worst public statements he has ever made as a Wigan RL chairman. The exodus speaks for itself!

The idea you can't stop a player leaving is not true. If it were we could sign who we liked when we liked ourselves and it would be chaos all round, Bradford would not have been taken the cleaners in court when they signed Harris when they didn't have Leeds permission to do so/he was deemed Leeds player and Bradford would not have just been able to knock back Leeds offer for their current centre today.

The only reason Joel left and Hock may follow is because Wigan will have agreed to it. It is also totally unrealistic to suggest any club would sign a player who's registration is held by another club with whom he has a contract. The fact a player might fancy a bit of surfing or a pay rise has got nothing to do with these issues.

I am quite surprised its taken until this far down the thread for someone to come out with this tired old argument that clubs are powerless and all the rest of it.

obivously madge wasn't wrong and i am sure wane knows that, also he only didnt want to be as conservative with ball in hand, but with less qaulity i think its best to just play hard and grind out wins.
no way will that pack get beat more than it wins not a chance, you either underestimating the players or over estimating superleague.
madge loves players who are willing to make the yards find there front and get a quick play of the ball and miss not many tackles, nothing like hock plays. hock does miss a few tackles and makes errors with offloads, totally against what madge stands for. thats where i get it from.

He's spoken in the past about seeing NRL and Union interest as a compliment. Maybe it is in a way but when we're sat here in a couple of years with our only top line player to show any loyalty in Sean O'Loughlin trying to lead a group of underdone youngsters through a barrage of criticism from the less forgiving supporters it won't really warm the cockles!

I've never quite got the same buzz from Union or the NRL poaching our players then I do from seeing us win a trophy funnily enough.

Christ Dave, I was merely surmising as to the rationale, it didn't warrant such a facetious comment. It's replies like yours there that makes internet boards an unpleasant place sometimes, worse when it comes from someone with a mod badge.