Meltdown on here and the FB forums if we get beat Friday

Absolutely

Seems to be in meltdown now..

The reason we carried more players at the start of last season was because we had A reserves league.

This year is far more difficult because without one you carry 30plus players and find 10 of them not getting enough game time. What do they do for the next 12 months?

Most clubs run with their best 2 wingers (we had Manfredi and Marshall) then have a utility back up player (we have Bibby, but options of Gildart and French) and youngsters who are "options" (Hanley/Halsall). Not many clubs have as many options.

If we had kept Budgie (and bear in mind with his contract up he may have decided to leave of of his own accord) we would have had to have lost potentially 2 others as Budgies wages would have undoubtedly been more than say Bibby plus Halsall & Hanley for example. Budgie gets injured likenhebhas at Salford and we have 3 less options as they've left.

Im not overjoyed that our 2 first choice wingers are in the stands, the club will know the long term prognosis/implications of this. But the nature of back up and reserve options are that they aren't as good as first choice, and they aren't paid as much tonreflect that (Does anyone think Bibby will be on anywhere near as much as what Sarginson and Budgie were? And I can tell you he's not).

But the more you pay 2nd string/back up options the less you have to pay the first 13 or less of them.

Wigan have managed the cap and IMO find the balance of getting quality and quantity whilst allowing youth progression as well as anyone over the last 10 years.

Correct sir

You didn't need to join in it was your choice.

So you said we had six wingers last season now Hanley and Halsall are not wingers, which is it? It's a matter of opinion and mine differs from yours, and we will just have to see who is right. Unfortunately, in this country people frown on you if you have a different view.

Are they both on marquee salaries?

Correct and when everybody is fit we will have a high earner sat in the stand, which some on here are totally against!

I’d assume one or maybe both will be in the marquee money bracket given they both received contract upgrades.

Bateman is obviously a marquee player if we declare either of them as marquee players for cap purposes who knows.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to think 1 maybe both will be on over £150k.

Smith won’t be a big earner not sure Field or Tommy will be in the too earners either to be honest.

I’d also expect the senior 3 of those players will be in the 17, if fit, most weeks with Smith getting game time for injury or experience as the occasion dictates.

Doesn't look like Hastings will play - maybe Field starts in the halves with Leuluai?

Yes. You gave an example of bringing in a marquee player. If we did that prior to getting G.Burgess off the books then we need to find the cap space somewhere. That's the bit you keep avoiding because you know it involves losing a one of our best players who we would use every game to gain a player we might have not needed all season (bearing in mind they had no way of knowing we would have an injury crisis in the backs and that our second reserve back, Hankinson, wasn't needed at all in 2020).

Seems that Hardaker will start at FB.
Lam is suggesting Hastings isn't fully fit but how unfit is anyone's guess.
We all know about Field's pace but has he an on field kicking game? They gave up on Tommy in that regard after the Leeds semi defeat.
Half backs of Field and Tommy bring the question of who will be our game kicker? Only one answer is that Smith has to play or at least start.

What Lam's team will be who knows?

My Team would be -
Field,
Bibby, Hardaker, Bateman, Hanley,
Leuluai, Smith,
Bullock, Powell, Singleton,
Farrell, Isa,
Partington.
Bench - Clubb, Hastings, Havard, & Smithies.

IMO That team should beat Leigh by some distance!