Sorry for the long title and the time since sources at the club said this but does anybody see a ready made replacement at the club?

Tony Clubb

Morgan Smithies

We don’t have one that I can see.

We have lads that can play 13 but we will have to significantly change the way we play.

Lockers said it himself but named three players rather than one. They were Smithies, Partington and Joe Shorrocks. I think he was just basically saying we don’t need a signing to replace him because of the young options coming through, rather than pinning his colours on one player.

Lockers is a one off at the moment, look how England/GB played without him in the last three years. The only other "ball playing" #13 that comes to mind is Adam Milner and he's nowhere near the same class.
As you say Wigan will have to play differently. Personally I would play Lockers from the bench but as a prop, similar to how Andy Farrell played late in his career.

As others have said, this will probably usher in a change in style. My preference would be to use the loose as an extra prop as other teams are doing:

P G.Burgess
H Powell
P SIGNING
SR Smithies
SR Farrell
LF Flower

S Bullock/Clark/Partington
S Bullock/Clark/Partington
S Greenwood
S Smith

I’ve said it before several times but the role of #13 is changing. The link between the halves isn’t the role anymore as props and back towers continually take over. I could see anyone of our props/back towers going to #13 but I think at the moment Smithies would be my choice (dependant on how he goes in 2020).

GB badly missed O'loughlin. There was no link up between the backs and forwards and nobody to hold the defence up like O'loughlin does when he goes right into the line and then passes.Nobody can do this anywhere near good as O'loughlin and id guess its years of practice that has enabled him to perfect it.

I think we should give Liam Farrell a crack at loose forward as he has a decent skill set at least until Morgan Smithies can grow into the role we need an experienced forward playing there for the forthcoming season

Faz would probably be my choice to play 13 at the start of the season because I would like to see Smithies played wider to ease the burden on him and I’d also like to see Greenwood back in the starting line up. We do not have enough strike and go forward in the pack to leave a guy like Greenwood out. He’s not the toughest but he’s always a threat and I think we’re a better side with him in it. I’d use Lockers from the bench and line up-

11-Smithies
12-Greenwood
13-Farrell

14-Lockers

Smithies is never a 13. Doesn’t carry the ball like a middle and doesn’t have the passing skills to link the play.

Flower can’t be long behind Lockers in retirement or being moved on; same goes for Clubb.

Partington shows no go forward or passing skills; so I’d rule him out.

Josh Woods missed a trick. Should have spent a season bulking to meet the physical demands of a ball playing 13. Was never going to making it as a half; way too slow.

Maybe it’s time to bring Owen Faz home. He’d be a 13 in league.

It has changed at most clubs but that doesn't mean we have to go the same way. I think it would be a real shame if we start to look at our loose forward as just another prop, particularly after 25 years of Farrell and O'Loughlin.

We learned to play without Lockers when he was injured .

No it doesn’t you’re right but positional/tactical changes at pro level do tend to trickle down into amateur and thus young players coming through will, eventually, learn to play in that style. The days of an inch perfect 15mtr cut out pass from a LF are almost extinct, it’s sad but most forwards these days can provide that halves link.