This topic and the Bowen keen to stay are quite closely linked.

My thoughts.

I expect Hampshire to get 10 - 15 first team games this season. Next season I would expect 15 - 20, and then for 2016 he should be in the starting XIII weekly.

If you look throughout the game both here and in Australia it's very rare to have a player so young playing week in week out particularly in the pivotal positions. I would apply the same rationale to George Williams. Along with Joe Burgess they are the most exciting players Wigan have produced from one group in many a year.
We have to be careful with them and it will hopefully reap dividends for year to come.

Is Hampshire a #6 or a #1? I've had this conversation with so many people.
Does it matter?

He's a talented player in either position and I think the modern day #1 is very much the old #6 anyway, but I will say that Hampshires performance at #6 v Saints U19's has only been equalled or bettered by two players that I have seen at academy/colts level. They were Shaun Edwards and Sam Tomkins. I would also put George Williams outstanding game v Leeds in last years U19 Grand Final very close to those.

I expect either Bowen or Green to go at the end of the season. Could we afford to lose both, I'm not sure. If we could keep one and still give Hampshire and Williams those 15 - 20 games each next season that would be better option IMO.

However they are both talented and no doubt ambitious young players who want a first team shirt and they may be disappointed not to get a starting shirt.

It's a difficult decision for the club to make, but I'm certain Wane, Bitcom and Radlinski will sit down and explain the rationale behind what they do.

At present I would like to see Williams given a couple of games off or back in the 19's and when Charnley returns maybe the same with Burgess.

As young players they won't like it but they wouldn't be dropped, they would be rested and looked after for their own long term good.

and we still have Sam Powell..............

What about Jake Shorrocks the year below Williams and Hampshire as well? Seems a talented player but may have to miss his shot because of the volume of quality youngsters you have coming through your ranks. Hats off to your academy, you seem to produce youngsters can take the step up from academy level to super league level with relative ease, something that we at Warrington are struggling with at the moment.

As i understand they have been a half back partnership throughout junior rugby and also when making junior international representation. Why split that up. There is an opportunity for an established partnership that understand each other well that have come through also understanding the Wigan system. It could set us up for a very long time. What about Tierney at full back ? Has lots of promise and looks a decent prospect. At Wigan we have swapped and chamged half back partnerships so much over the last 5 years. Imagine what we could be capable with that continuity. Leeds have been the best team because they keep their squad together particularly in key positions not because they have the best team. The turnover of players has been frightening over the last couple of years. We have a chance to develop a squad with very talented local talent that could have us competing at the very top for the next 10 years. We need to take full advantage of that.

I think the crux of the Hampshire issue has been highlighted on here already in a round about manner.
The future of Bowen and Green along with the age of Smith does cause us some significant headaches. Only 1 of Williams and Rocky in reality is likely to get a chance in the halves any time soon to replace Green.
Smith is a top class half who has and does perform in the big games, unless a drastic decline in his career he will be at Wigan long term and rightfully so.
We are then left with Rocky who in my opinion is the best natural half in the country up there with Tomkins. If life were simple and removing all external factors for me it would be simple Rocky goes into the halves forming a partnership with Smith.
There are external factors though that need to be considered. Tierney for me will never make it at Wigan, and I doubt he will play for a side likely to challenge for honours, this leaves us with issues once Bowen leaves and Hampshire is an extremely accomplished 1 and the natural in that position also.
Williams is only for me marginally behind Rocky as a half and could be a half decent hooker, but then we have Powell also.
It would be a tragedy not to keep all these lads so whilst it may not be the best for them individually for the good of the team I think long term we need to run –

1. Rocky
6. Williams
7. Smith
Hooker rotation Powell.
We need to get this sorted and make a decision on this soon as the longer the players and coaches are not sure of the long term positions (which I understand they are not fully yet) the more likely it is to cause issues to the detriment of the team.

Obviously the ideal situation is too keep both for next year and continue to phase them out and phase the young guns in, but the negotiations for that would be tricky to say the least. Phasing out Bowen would be the easier option, as he is retiring (plus the added bonus that he's the better player of the two). But if it came down to it and it was a choice between letting any of the youngsters go or letting both of these go, I'd say the decision would be easy. I'd gladly sacrifice next year just to make sure we can get long deals on these 3.

Hampshire-Williams-Smith-McIlorum-Powell is such an exciting potential spine. It's just a shame they don't make Loose Forwards in the O'Loughlin mold anymore.

Regardless of how talented they are, it's a massive risk to run with 2 20 year olds and a 22 year old in 3 creative positions (one off the bench). I think fans need to be patient with them. Chucking them all in at once could do more harm than good in the long run.

Thing is we may not have too much of a choice. Other clubs would be crazy if they weren't significantly outbidding us in terms of gametime and money were we to hold on to our first teamers as well. I just hope that the other clubs stay as myopic as they tend to be, or we've struck lucky and these guys will stay at Wigan to the detriment of their livelihood.

Hampshire at 20 in the 2015 season is too young to play 30+ games in SL especially at stand off. Maybe at fb, just maybe!
At 6 he would be targeted by opposition forwards and would end up doing 25 tackles a game minimum. Would he then have the energy to threaten teams?
IMO keep him at fb where he is an excellent replacement for Bowen. Bowen is being rested for games v lower end teams with Ryan coming in and playing well.
He is on contract to 2016 but that doesn't mean he can't have a salary upgrade with an extended deal.
What the club is doing now is spot on. By the time Bowen leaves end of 2015 Hampshire will have a lot of experience at fb and ready to take over for the 2016 season when he'll be 21.
He's an exceptional talent but don't rush it, don't over do or over work him.

Scored a hat-trick tonight for the 19s in a 34-24 win away at leaders Leeds.

He probably got a bit lucky and only had to run 70 metres for one of his tries.

Then when defending move him out of the way. It's not as if that tactic hasn't been used regularly over the years by teams including us.



I think Hampshire is less of a fullback and more of a 6 than Sam T and I think Sam was a 6! It does look as though he is pencilled in as a full back but I think this may prove to be a mistake.

As I have said elsewhere if you watch Bowen catch a difficult ball or a bomb it shows there are still special skills associated with being a full back despite the modern view all a full back does is join the attacking line as an extra half back. If Hampshire plays against a top side this year at 1 then if I were them I'd bomb him relentlessly. If playing at 6 he'd be targeted by forwards I'd expect him to be targeted by kicks at f/b if the side we are playing is good enough. Not many are. Bradford put one bomb up all night (which he dropped) but I doubt he would get as easy a ride at f/b v Leeds.