And i'll see you Hock

You've been wittering on about Warrington's aging squad for the last two seasons (now coming up to three) and how its all going to come crashing down around our ears yet this year Warrington haven't had to make any signings from an over-inflated market for second class players. Meanwhile Wigan appear to be in turmoil and have lost the majority of their senior players.

We've got plenty of other youngsters ready for first team rugby (Evans x 2, Williams, Shaw, Laithwaite, etc) and if we don't have one ready in a position we need to cover then if we have to sign a player nobody will be able to compete with our willingness to pay what it takes to get the right player. I wouldn't be the least bit suprised if Clark from Catleford isn't at Warrington in 2014.

Dont talk 'bull'

possibly. just think that when a side has to replace aging key players in a short space of time it leads to big problems. it happened with the great saints team of the early 00's when they lost long/sculthorpe/martyn etc all in a short space of time. arguably saints havent recovered from losing those players.

also think as a wire fan its dangerous to say youve already replaced them. we thought we had good replacement for lam in luke robinson as coming off the bench into a good team he looked the business. put him under pressure and it was a different story - this could be what happens to obrien? it took us to signing leuluai (and temporarily dobson) to find a good scrum half. similarly hill cant be morleys replacement when he's already a fixture in your side? also ratchford - i thought he was now a first choice centre rather than waiting for hodgson to retire?

i dont know which juniors you have coming through and you may well have the answers to these questions - i just think it'll be a lot more difficult than you anticipate.

Eh? We always had several overseas players in the side at during that time from Kenny and Ferguson to Bell and Botica and many more. Some of them [iwere[/i part of the core of those sides. A great shame we won't see the likes of Bell over here long term for the foreseeable future.

As others have mentioned sport is also entertainment and a lack of quality overseas players which has always been part of the game will make it poorer. It will stagnate as well with less influx of new ideas as I am also not sure who would want to come and coach in SL if all the talent is going the opposite way.



I bloody hope not. He tried that last season and look what happened.

I actually remember getting 2.5 dollars to the pound when we were in Sydney although it was 2.06 when we were at the meeting in Rochdale. Apparently it's the mining industry that is making the Australian dollar so strong.

I think he wants to take advantage of the Wigan production line of young players that the town has pumped out for decades. Which is fine. However even that number has been declining over the years as the young lads of Wigan decide to do other things than practice RL on the paddock.

Lenegan seems also to now want to take away the foreign imports which the Wigan club have been renowned for, since the days of Lance Todd.

The above wouldn't be sounding alarm bells to me, but the selling of Hock and the rather odd reasons of late, for why some of our players have left the club, certainly does.



How on earth we are going to compete next season and beyond with a lowering of standard and seeming willingness to sell our best talents. The selling of Hock is a dangerous precedent IMHO.

Went to Oz in 2002 for the Ashes cricket and it was 3 to the pound at that point.

Went for 3 and a half week and lived like a king(well a rich pis*head anyway) and came back with a packet.

Crazy how things change.

I think you have stumbled across something there. Why would so many players want to up sticks? Is there something wrong within the club? Fair enough if they were out of contract Leuluai, Carmount, Hoffman and sort of Finch. But what about the likes of Lima, Hock, Joel.

Did he? I must have missed that bit.

£, £, £.

You make some very good points to which I agree. I have never liked the idea of bringing overseas talent to bolster are game and put bums on seat, knowing it was to the detriment of our young talent, but if it was for the overall good of the game in widening its appeal then, so be it. Those days are rapidly fading now, and whether we like it or not, and my feelings are mixed on this, this is how our cloth is now going to have to be cut. In the eyes of many we always have been a second class sport, but now I fear we have sunk to third, and are in great danger of winding up in steerage. I’m not a total doom merchant, we still have the best team sport in the world, we also have IMO the most loyal and committed support there is, but like IL and some others have said we need radical change and need it NOW! And if you don’t agree than join the rest of the lemmings who are taking a header over the cliff to sporting oblivion. I may be being a bit melodramatic, but I’m just trying to make a point. JUST LOOK AT THE SIGNS, LISTEN TO OTHERS, AND THEN TELL ME I’M WRONG! I know some will, but at one time people were burned at the stake for saying the world was round. At least I won’t be roasted on my own.

Any chance that there's an element of competition between your players that's maybe less prevalent at a side like, say, Leeds who are maybe more team oriented?

Feel free to suggest that all Leeds players are all crap and no-one wants em

But I did wonder whether full contact training and the like was the best way for a side to bond.

I can never understand this point of view from a Wigan fan. It is part of Wigan's history and tradition that it will sign anyone from anywhere. As to you knowing it is to to the detriment of our young talent where does that idea come from? We have always brought through young players which is where the likes of Edwards started. If they are good enough they will get through. I think those running Wigan have always realised the local talent pool can never satisfy all the teams demands and so while its exciting to sign top overseas players I don't think its ever been just a marketing ploy. They are signed to improve the team and to help it win things and in the majority of cases they do.Sport is not a charity and if Wigan can improve the side by signing a player from another UK club or from overseas they will do.

It's a pity, as you point out, the capability to do this is rapidly diminishing.