Quote: post "Define 'bite us'. What I mean is they could be at least solid first team players.
Ben Currie and Ollie Russell spring to mind and did Matty Lees have a spell in the academy?
You watch the reserves and academy, tell me McDonnell, Nicolson, Halsall and Bibby are not 4 stand out players at that level.'"
Ben Currie never played for Wigan academy, Olly Russell along with Josh Wood were the slowest halfbacks I've ever seen at academy level at Wigan. He is twenty four and has only managed thirty games at 1st team level since 2018.
Matty Lees never played for Wigan but they and particularly Matty Peet rate(d) him highly. McDonnell and Halsall were very good at academy level (stand out I'm not sure). I would have taken Josh Simm from Saints before him
Bibby was behind Hill and Wood IMO at that level.
NIcholson is a big loss IMO, but if you look at it from his perspective he had Farrell, Bateman, Smithies and Isa in front of him with Nsemba pushing through.