Quote: NickyKiss "Just reading his interview with Wigan Today, saying how he's loved every minute and thanking everyone for getting his career back on track. It's such a strange situation that he's going back to Warrington. I'm struggling to think of another case like this, where a player quite clearly is having to take a step he doesn't really want to. That game at the HJ earlier in the season, where he got dogs abuse from the Wire crowd cannot be something that sits well with him.'"
End of the game Saturday it was a pretty good atmosphere with the players doing the lap etc.
There were a couple of players in particular who I was pleased for
KPP - Proved me wrong, I didn't think he was tough enough, worked hard enough etc. Come back from injury and been fantastic. He's gone out the right way.
Powell - 12 weeks or so ago just before he came back from injury I made a statement that Powell will have a big part to play in our success come end of season and imo he has for various reasons. Not to mention the commitment he's put into this club over the last 10 years or so. "If" he's going he's another one who's doing it the right way, and I wouldn't expect anything less of him, a true professional
King
I wasn't particularly bothered either way when we signed him, a few positives, a few negatives I thought and if I'm honest I was worried about what supply French would get.
But at the first open training session I took my Foster kid down there to meet the players etc and Toby King, along with Willie Isa were the 2 OUTSTANDING individuals we met that night (and Matty Peet).
Their time, the attention they paid to the young lad in terms of answering his questions, asking him questions etc.was fantastic.
Toby King must have spent over 10mins with us, telling us hiw pleased he was yo be here, hiw he wanted to experience the cure etc. And he also had a bit of a laugh with my foster kid who was 6 at the time on a play on words between his own name and my foster kids name (obviously cant say what it is due to confidentiality etc) which my lad.loved and repeated loads of times during the year
And the overriding feeling I had when I left was what a nice, professional young man he was
He got some pelters first game at HKR and I defended him as he was part of a right edge that was struggling with KPP and Cust, but as soon as Willie went back there, been fantastic.
About 6 weeks ago we arranged for a bloke we go on the coach with to watch a training session as it was his 80th birthday and hed watched Wigan for 75 years etc and the club were brilliant
He had photos with all the players etc and when it came time to meet Toby King he was again brilliant
And after the photo he came over, some 8months or so after our ladt conversation, said hello and asked how "Insert jokey name" was my foster lad.
Asking how he was doing etc and revealed that he'd had foster brothers/sisters growing up in his household
Some people will dismiss this, but he firs in with the culture Matty Peet has brought back to the club, and anyone who's seen the signs on the walls up in the kingfisher bar (Wanes bar) will see that along with producing good rugby players the club are intent on producing good people.
I'm made up for Toby King and wish him all the best for the future personally