Evening, Widnes are after Ben and im just wondering what your thoughts are on him from people who watch the reserves? if he's anything like Ben Kavanagh then ill be made up.

If it's a loan deal it's great for both clubs. He's better than Kavanagh, a much better attitude.

I assume on loan because from what I've seen of the guy he certainly has the potential to be a first teamer.

Dont think it's a loan i think it's a full 3 year deal from what i have heard. Kavanagh has moved up a couple of gears this year, now runs with real aggression and is a monster of lad. Widnes are trying to build a young tough squad ready for Super League in a couple of years.

Hope you manage it.

How Widnes aren't in the top flight of rugby league when it goes on a franchise system is beyond me.

As for Davies i'd be suprised if Wigan were willing to let him go fulltime when theres always going to be the option of loaning him out on a year by year basis as done with the likes of Moore at Saints.

If the club are listening to the fans on here who are calling for two new props to be signed, the writing will always be on the wall for the likes of Ben Davies.

I wish we could keep him, but with Fielden, Feka, Coley, Prescott, O'Carroll, A.N. Other (and maybe a second A.N.Other) where on earth does he fit in? Even one new front row signing makes his future at Wigan look highly doubtful.

Why? What makes you think Fielden, Feka and Coley will be at the club after next season?

Davies is a product for the future and props do only tend to come through later on so there is no rush at all to get him in the first team. If he goes to Widnes it will be a loan deal maybe for 12 months and Wigan will want to take another look at him at the start of the 2011 season.

We now have a problem with this. I agree that props do tend to come on later and that is right. If you look at the youngsters who were predicted to be fantastic such as Sam Burgess - he was played from the age of 18, at the age of 20 had to have shoulder surgery. Young Gareth Frodsham at Saints the same thing has had to have 2 opererations over the last few months. However, with the rumblings of proposed changes to the reserves again next year changing to U20s. What will happen to these promising young forwards who need time to mature and come through. They will either be lost to the clubs or forced to play before they are ready. I really can't understand why they have to change the system again. They did this a few years ago and it didn't work then so why go back

I hope you're right - but that's not what the initial poster said. He was talking about a 3-year deal.

Let's not kid ourselves - we are stocking up on promising young props. But something is going to give if we buy two new props, regardless of Coley, Fielden and Feka. Even a rotation of Prescott, O'Carroll, AN Other and AN Other means that there'll be no place for Davies.

He's a pro and wants to make a living out of this game. As such, he probably won't share your view that there's no rush to bring him into the first team. He may be content to sit out another season after this one, but how many more after that?

This is the dangerous line we walk when we call constantly for new 'top class' signings to be made. Personally, I think the club is doing a good job re-seeding the team with British-born youngsters. And though I'd agree that occasionally it's desirable for a world class star to be brought in, we need to face the reality that it will mean someone else missing out - and the way things are going, that will most likely be an exciting but still-young kid who'll be impatient for first team action.

Unfortunately this has always been the case;

Long
Goulding
Briscoe...

But at the time of their departure our existing and experienced options were much better and still had years in them.

Ditch Fielden and Feka, Keep Coley, bring on Prescott and O'Carroll, bring in AN other and keep Davies as the fifth prop being brought in slowly. Simples.

Ditch Fielden and Feka?

How do you go about that without paying up what remains of their contracts and then busting the salary cap?

Which is one of the main reasons I think that we're hesitating to make the fistful of signings that some folk are calling for.

Both up end of next season aren't they? In any case, it'd be worth paying them off and bring through the kids we are already paying.

End of next season, what do we do till then?