Part of the issue is that we haven't brought anyone over from the NRL. There's no real surprise package. Things may have been different if we'd signed Green from Canterbury rather than HKR.

Personally I'm looking forward to seeing Taylor but I'm a little disappointed that we seem to be going with Hughes as a centre rather than Gelling/Thornley but that may change as the season progresses.

I was discussing this the other night with a mate saying how good RL was 10 years ago.

Now I'm looking forward to the season but not half as much as I used to

The centre spot is the concern, but it could also be a nice surprise just as Goulding has been the last few years. I would have loved us to splash the cash on a big name NRL centre, we MUST be under the cap significantly and have the cash to spend, but I am also open to seeing how any of those 3 run next year.

I expect 1 of the 3 to really make a go of it.

Shaun Wane appears to be going for players who are far bigger than their predecessors. Lima leaving who was around 5'11" being replaced by Taylor who is 6'5", that's a massive increase in size. Prescott is back and he's 6'3", Thornley was brought back to replace George and Iain's 6'4" or 5".
There is concern about the halves but as has been said Green has real pace where Finch had none, Smith has a kicking game where Tommy had none.
Green and Smith may not be as good as their predecessors but they will both bring something to the team which we did not have. Behind the massive pack that should be on the front foot in most games our new halves will have plenty opportunity to show what they can do. I don't think they'll disappoint.

Years ago Maurice at the end of every season had a clear out of our younger players, many who went were given very little opportunity if any.
This was followed by announcements of the signing of NRL players, some of whom were great some who wern't worth the plane fare.
When IL bought the club he stated that it was to be his policy to bring through as many Wigan youngsters who were worth their place. We now are begining to see the benefits of this. From the U20s who won all those GF's we have so many now in the first team squad. IL was perceptive in that he saw the way the game was going and clubs would stand or fall by their youth development.
Our youth development is serving us very well indeed.

Given the circumstances in which RL in general and SL in particular are now in Wigan are very well fixed. We have a club that is very well run, making a profit, winning trophies, have an eye for the future with the youth set up and have the best marketing people in the game.

Fixtures out, squads announced, season tickets bought and really looking forward to the new season with the new signings and seeing how the team improves over last season. Bring it on!

Ideal world would have seen us retain George for 1 more year as a mentor/back up centre who would play if required. Other than that I am really happy with our squad and cannot wait till the start if the season.

In our squad we have some absolutely fantastic players - individuals who would be selected for and perform admirably for any team in either code - and we are on the brink of a new season. The forthcoming season will give us moments of triumph and heart-break. We will see exhilerating rugby from our team and from other teams. We will laugh together in the stands and we will grumble over the errors, mistakes and missed opportunities until the bell for last orders rings in our ears. Nothing has changed. I love Wigan and have done since my father took me to my first game back when we were a relegated team. I truly hope we will earn some silverware this year, but if we don't then I will be a happy supporter simply because I will have been thoroughly entertained from start to finish. I'm sorry but I cannot find it within myself to get miserable and jaundiced about the future simply because we might not have recruited to the demands of some supporters. We watch a sport. We love that sport and we love our team. My life would be incomplete without it.
God, I'm excited - bring it on!

When Tommy came to Wigan (in the wake of the Moran disaster) he wasn't this great NRL star that had come to save us. He was just a half decent young half back from Harlequins, in fact it was Moran who came to us from Quins with a much bigger reputation having performing well the previous season.

I thought Tommy blew very hot & cold under Noble and it was only in his final three years under Maguire & Wane plus cementing himself as a World Cup winning international did he perform consistently well thus elevating himself to be become arguably a world class player.

Will Blake Green be a Tommy or a Dennis Moran? Not sure yet, (the previews look promising) so hopefully the former. But let's not crucify the lad five games in if he's not killing it out on the field straight away.

With Matty Smith, he thrives on the back of a strong pack and has talent without doubt. I do think he's a confidence player though.

I think its mainly down to people finding other things to do rather than post on forums.

Its been getting quieter and quieter for months, a lot of regulars who would post non stop all day seem to have dissappeared.

other than that, most subjects have been done to death, leading to lack of interest. Its that simple.

This! A thousand times this! Don't care about the perceived "quality" or about league games not meaning much, I can't wait to sit down and watch some rugby league again!

Agree with a lot of this too. For me round about when FInch & Lima both announced they were off they really stopped performing. Was more obvious with Finch for me, we needed him to step up when Tommy was injured and he really didn't deliver, instead relying on the same play (usually the flat pass to Hock) over and over again

For the first time in 15 years, I nearly didn't buy a season ticket. I eventually bought my two then a few hours later even rang up to cancel them, then a day later decided to buy them back again and give it one last year. If it's just as bad or worse next season then i'll just pick and choose my games in future.

We're going to lose some big names no doubt, but we need to keep producing and getting behind the new guys. Only way we can hope to grow from here on.

Simples +1

But this is still a shrinking economy.

If we produce one generation of good players after another - only to see them go to another competition before we get the full benefit of them, then we never actually gain any ground. Eventually we are literally nothing more than a seedbed for someone else.

The bullish attitude of 'so what if he goes, we can always produce another one!' can be made in a strong, broad-based and wealthy competition like the NRL, but from our lips it is hollow bravado.

For me, British RL is now facing one of the biggest crises in its entire history. Unless some way is found to attract a lot more investment into the British game - and soon! - we are in big, big trouble.