They seem like very good deals for all concerned.

It's probably right that Ben Davies goes out for 3 months experience as we have O'Carroll as cover at prop.

Disgusting IMO


Thats my Fantasy team messed right up!!!!

Good move IMO.

That'll do for me mate .

Do these lads then train at Widnes or Wigan?

I'm pretty sure that they will train with whichever team they are playing for that weekend.

So if they are down to play for Widnes, they will train there (unless Widnes only train a couple of days a week, in which case I'd expect that they would train there on Widnes' training days, and with us for the rest of the week).

Obviously, any week that they are in contention at Wigan, I would expect a full week with us.

I would also hope that they have to come back every few weeks at the least, to be tested fitness-wise, to ensure that they are receiving the correct training.

I'd have Ainscough and Davies in the team tommorow. Should we take this as them being too good for reserves but not quite ready for SL or that they are sufficiently far away from a first team spot for them to be sent out?

I think they train away but if the other club doesn't train full time I assume they train at Wigan on the days the other club doesn't train?

Yeah. Dominating in the Reserve League will do them no good. Davies and Farrell have done that for two years and Ainscough one. Like I said it'll allow the next generation behind them to step up a level now.

I would say so. It also gives the club a chance to check that their players are still up to scratch fitness and health wise.

same thing as dean at saints..

i think it's a good move for davies and farrell, personally if i was a wigan fan i'd like to see ainscough in the first team now, although i accept his time will come, daniel anderson once commented on the fact that the u21 (or whatever it's called this week) is a poor standard, hence why so many of our better youngsters were on loan at championship clubs.

I would have thought it would have been better to lets these lads have another few months within the wigan fold and to be fully conversed with MM and his techniques (when its not just pre-season) etc... and then move them out on loan when they have the skills/training to execute in a better standard competition. OK.. the standard of competition is better... but in P Cullen is the coaching going to be???? IMO...NO

It might also be the case that Widnes needed the players now and this may have forced the issue earlier, but IMO the above scenario would have been better.

I'm sure you're familiar with a certain Mick Cassidy He will ensure they'll stay in top condition.

Would you?

Ainscough is one injury or a run of bad form from 1 x other player away from a game in the 1st team hence the Dual contract.

Davies IMO is a touch further away both in terms of other viable options in his way and from a maturity POV he's not ready to play week in week out Hence the Loan Period.

These sorts of deals are definitely the way forward. It's far better for young fringe players to be playing against seasoned pros than clattering 17 year olds on a weekly basis. Leeds have been doing the loan for some time (more often previously to other SL sides) and its worked pretty well.

It's a big indictment on the standard of the Academies in terms of player development though. I understand the economic issues of running proper 'A' teams, but this whole dual registration scheme has been introduced to help try to fill a glaring deficiency in the game's structure.