A great read and a real boost to read that the club is aware we probably need to spend more if we're to compete and that they believe we need to recruit bigger players in some areas (I think that is an issue for us this year).

Overall he just gives me huge confidence that we're in great hands at the moment and we'll continue to compete and improve.

Thought similar - our youth development is great but we need to recruit bigger and better players.

It also goes without saying we need to spend the full salary cap which we surely can't be at the moment.

It's also vital that we find a goal kicker. Come the tight games this season and that's where we'll come unstuck.

Smith needs time on that front. I will forgive anybody a miss from the touchline and your percentages from there don't need to be huge. What he needs to ensure and what he should be judged on is his success rate on bread and butter kicks. Not ones from in front of the posts but on kicks that are within decent range either side.

You need to have that confidence that those kicks will be made even in pressure situations.

If we are going with Smith and it seems we are, he needs to take a leaf out of Pats book and put the hours in on the training pitch. There's no reason why he can't be a decent kicker.
Your right in what you say about the kickable ones either side of the posts, he needs to be making most of them if we are going to challenge the top 4/5 sides this year. If he can do this it gives the whole team a lift during the game.

The kicking issue is something we have known about for some time, we must of considered this when looking for new player's to bring to the club but can only assume that none were available that suited Wigan.

Talking to coaches they often always talk about natural kickers and although you can practice goal kicking some players just seem to have a natural ability with the boot and it does worry me that it will effect us this season.

However if one of the younger player's can kick its a great opportunity for them to cement a place in the side.

Pointless buying a good kicker if he's crap at everything else. Jamie Foster springs to mind.

Whoever the kicker is - he's got to be good enough to get in the team.

Because of our style of play we score a lot of tries out wide, which makes the kickers job tougher. Look at Sinfields average and I'll bet he doesn't kick a lot from the side (I'm only guessing - because last season their wingers scored so few in comparison to ours) Pat never averaged over 80% I don't think. He was also a bit iffy on penalties when he couldn't choose the range - and he was a great kicker.

Matty has missed nothing yet that we would expect him/or anyone to kick.

i get the opinion they aren't happy with the forwards and they are putting it down to size. Feel sorry any promising smaller forwards coming through. Apart from o'loughlin none of the back row have any real size, Bateman is quality and like farrell they are both small and they just aren't strong enough in first contact to stop the momentum of bigger players.

maybe start coaching flower to be a back rower again and get him running good lines for 2nd rows.

also thought scott taylor had a poor game but not sure if that was the mentality of constantly trying to ship it wide or he just choked a bit.

I dont know your specific complaibts agaonst taylor, but he made the most meters of any player on the pitch.

I love scott taylor and he played ok but he didn't play to his usual standard, but like i said not sure wether thats due to the way the team played or if he choked a little. Not a dig at taylor at all apart from o'loughlin and mickymac nobody had a good game.

I agree this was a fear of mine that I wrote about before this season started. A good goal kicker can often be the difference when the top teams play, and it was a concern because I never thought Matty Smith who seemed was going to be are first choice kicker would ever be an adequate replacement for Pat.

Our pack was over run. Warea Harhreaves and Nuuasala (sp)were unstoppable. They also had SBW who is a very big man.
We have said on here for years that the second row of Faz and Tuson was too small and that was for SL, Bateman is no bigger. Robinson started with three props and they were all Kiwis. Huge guys!
If we are to find men of that size then we have to look outside Rugby League. There are hundreds of players in Union of their size and we never look there. I wonder if Hargreaves, Frank Paul & Sam Moa have played Union?
There is only one pro Union club in the North West yet how many amateur clubs there are I don't know. Most if not all will have junior or colts teams. I honestly think that if we looked around we'd find one or four lads who given time could change code and make it in League.
Andy Powell may not have made it but prior to Union going pro there were plenty of Union forwards who made it. Koloto and Big Jim Mills from Widnes would have taken on the Roosters forwards and they wouldn't have come out second best, no chance!
This is real challenge for the club if they want to take on the leading teams in the NRL. I wish them well, if they go for it there could be some interesting times ahead.

Our pack has a few issues at the moment - IMO i'm afraid guys like Clubb, Crosby, Dudson, Burke are just their to make up the numbers. Taylor should walk a starting place this year - he's been one of if not our best forward and looks like he has the potential to be a great. Farrell and Lockers will be there and probably Pettybourne, but other spots are up in the air.

Look elsewhere and do some of the rest of the squad have what it takes to get to the level Lockers was talking about? Guys like Gelling, Thornley, Hughes, Tomkins. It's fine spreading the cap out to make sure there's depth in the squad, but there's a danger of having too many average players, diluting squad.

You've forgotten Ben Flower who IMO had a great season last year. I understand your point though although I think some of the players mentioned will develop to a higher standard. They've got all season to get up to speed before the meaningful games, as has Smith with his kicking.