Brilliant, we loose one of the best prospects in rugby because we couldn't be at$ed/loosen the purse strings to give him a decent contract, unbelievable

Sounds like he has a great attitude - all the best to him, hope he gets a shot at first grade out there.

Not fantastic news, however we have signed up a shed load of young talent on longer contracts including a dream team member and a very good prospect winger amongst others?
Flanagan has proved to be a very good young player whilst he has been in the first team, but am I not correct in thinking he was pretty average whilst in the reserves (I do not watch the academy games very often, so could someone who does confirm or deny it please).
Am I also correct that it was pretty much announced that he would be going to Oz after his big impact against saints, which was his first senior grade match for a long while.
We have abundance in talent coming through in the 2nd row department what with Farrell et al.
I would prefer to see him re-signed that Bailey though

FFS.

Something is clearly wrong at our club if someone didn't spot this guys talent before a few months ago.

We seemed to have an ideal replacement for Locky long term in Chris Gerrard, what has happened to him not heard anything from him in a while.

What an utter joke.

He certainly wasn't much to write home about until a few weeks ago, by which stage it already seemed to have been decided - presumably by him and his agent - that he was going to Aus.

He downplays the girlfriend factor, but my info is that she was a key reason for his decision. I don't suppose that's as good a news story though.

If he really wanted to stay, it's a pity that we've lost him.

He must have been playing well in the reserves to have been given an opportunity in the first team, so it's beyond me how he wasn't given a deal months ago.

I probably would have re-signed with Wigan if I had the chance but I wasn't getting a chance at the time and there wasn't much contact from them in terms of a new contract so I started to look elsewhere,"

By the looks of this his mind was made up before he played first team this year and possibly before Hock's head explosion.

If that isthe case who would you have dropped in order to accomadate him?.

On the list of young 2nd rows we may have had to release he was well down the pecking order behind Mossop, JT, Farrell and possibly even Tuson. If we knew then what we know now life would be easy, however we dont.

Correct

What did you think of his performances in the reserves?

Genuine question.

We lose a good young'un like Flanagan, yet some are keen that we sign Bailey for another year. I know who'd i'd rather keep. If Noble or Lenegan aren't speaking to him then what's the guy to do? Some things never change...

Perhaps.

He is the more senior of the young 2nd rows I have mentioned hence why he got his chance in the first team; however that is not to say that he has the most potential out of them.

At the time we needed to fill the gap left by our best 2nd rower being banned. It was not a time to blood a rookie, hence why Mossop was brought back from his loan and Flanagan was brought into the team.

He has done a job for us at the back end of the season and is a great prospect.
But be totally honest with yourself, would you have offered him a contract extension before his first team debut?