As this board is liable to go into meltdown at 3pm it's probably useful to have one thread discussing any new players mentioned at the 3pm press conference in this thread only please so we don't have multiple ones discussing the same thing, ta.

Have set up a similar one for any departing players.

UPDATEhttp://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.aspx?id

Looks like The Matty Bowen signing is also confirmed

Bowen confirmed: www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 675&type=1

Bowen confirmed: www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 675&type=1

Speaking about the signing of Bowen, Chairman Ian Lenagan said;

"We are thrilled to be able to announce the addition of Matty to our squad for the 2014 season. He is a World Class player who will add both quality and experience to our side and will provide an excellent replacement for Sam Tomkins.

Really?

"Matty has all the qualities we are looking for both on and off the field and his experience will prove invaluable to the young players here at the Club. It is a great opportunity for the likes of Ryan Hampshire and Lewis Tierney to continue their learning under one of the best Full-Backs in the game. Matthew has played at the very highest level for his Club, in State of Origin and for his Country and is a marquee signing for us.

Pull the other one it's got bells on it. If IL truly believes this then his idea of a "marquee signing" is very different than mine, and it doesn't bode well for future signings.

Your talking rubbish, he has been outstanding since his knee operation. He will be the best FB in SL by quite a distance. The best player we could have got. Definitely a marquee signing and exactly what we needed

Just because he's not as good as Sam Tomkins doesn't mean he isn't a marquee signing. How can you sign a guy who will possibly be the best in the league in his position and not call him a big name?

Definitely a marquee signing? You are the one talking rubbish. There is no way a player who was considering retirement of his age and deemed not up to another year in the NRL is a marquee signing.

...and will hopefully act as mentor to some of the kids coming through the ranks.

Who would you have preferred who was a realistic option?

And bear in mind that saying "I'd rather have kept Sam" (which I would too) isn't answering the question.

I agree he's only scored 597 points in the NRL so he must be rubbish..........

That's an unfair question to ask of me as I am not privy to the facts/timescales that IL is.

I do know this, we will be a far far weaker team next year by replacing Sam with Bowen. I do not consider a player of Bowens quality to be a "marquee" signing. I hope he turns out to be a good player, I hope he turns out to do great things for the club, but the fact remains that he should not be the "marquee" signing.

I'll tell you why. If any other club had signed a player of his age and with his injury record you'd be laughing at them.

It's nothing to do with how good he is relative to Tomkins either. A players status as a "marquee signing" is all about his [iown[/i standing in the game. Bowen was set to retire from it until we came along and so it is IMO dishonest to call him a marquee signing.

A little bit of honesty wouldn't go amiss and something along the lines of he fills an obvious gap in the team on Tomkins departure while we look for a long term replacement would not go amiss. We all know that is why he is here anyway so why IL has to think we are all gullible enough to think Bowen is a "marquee signing" I don't know. No one else does!

He was only 18th man for Queensland last year, not Wigan standard, Leneghan out!

I'm at work so only getting snippets of info....is this it for the day (press conference over)?

Assumed there was other signings? Sarginson, Clubb and rumored Briscoe?

Just wondering....is this it for the day?

Slater......Marquee Yes, realistic No.

Bowen is a good player but not marquee IMO