I’d be keeping Powell as 9 cover. O’Neil has a shot at LF, but no way he’ll get 13 shirt for now.

Hell no, he's slower than something really slow and that's slow

Farrell is a done deal, Radley was a no go

Wellens? Surely not!

Not a player rumour but it sounds like there is some potential for the WCC to be played in Las Vegas!

Best take a good run up when asking the missus about that one.

Now reported by The Mole that Smithies to Canberra is a done deal.

Must say it’s a blow to lose Smithies. He had captain written all over him but he owed us absolutely nothing, always played and gave everything running his blood to water in the process. He, along with KPP, will do very well in the NRL.

Hope so for both of them. As a Wiganer it is crap to lose them, but I wish them the best and hope it helps them develop as players. Both of them could be 1st choice forwards for England at the next world cup so in that regard it is excellent that they are challenging themselves in the toughest environment. We just need some English backs to go out there and smash it like our big lads have been doing

Why can’t we hold players to their contracts? KPP waited until the end of his contract so why can’t Morgan. Or more to the point, why did Wigan allow Morgan to break it? If I’m honest though I never got all the hype about him so not really too fussed.

The reason we haven’t dominated the comp is because we get poached by the NRL(and a couple to Union) far more than any other team.

Now money isn’t an issue at the club, the transfer fee is pretty irrelevant.

Morgan’s contract has been a bit of a mystery but we should have kept him til the end of it.

Our players get picked off every single year it seems, this year its two at least now.

In twelve months time it could be one or two more (Havard, Junior....etc). One of the reasons we have some squad disruption more than other teams?

Again, where is the chatter on Welsby & Dodd moving to the NRL. All gone quiet there at the moment, why such a difference?

Surprised Welsby is still in SL but Dodd is nowhere near good enough for the NRL atm

Alternatively do we get better players because they know they'll be able to progress to the NRL if they perform for us? If Wigan started playing hardball with players in this situation and I was a talented younger player I'd go to a rival instead.

I agree on Dodd based on this season's form. He is either playing within himself due to the injury or he's sticking to very rigid and structured instructions from the coaching staff. But he is capable of so much more. Pre-injury he was the best 7 in the competition and that was widely recognised. But this season he has been so poor.

Harry Smith has comfortably outplayed him for example but based on pure natural ability I think Dodd still has a higher ceiling than Smith. But potential is one thing and actually delivering the goods is another. Smith is quite clearly ahead of Dodd right now and the 2023 version of Dodd would get chewed up and spat out in the NRL.

You'd "think twice about signing for Wigan" because they could play hard ball with you going to the NRL? So by that logic, you'd potentially consider going to a side who aren't as good at developing young players & probably don't bring them through as well, just so you can break a contract in 8 or 9 years to go to the NRL? That's just absolutely backwards thinking.

Here's a novel idea, if you're a talented player and have aspirations to play in the NRL don't sign long term contracts with your current club. Instead of a 4 year one, sign a 2 year one and just leave at the end of it.

And before this becomes a bore fest of saying "who wouldn't change jobs for more money at a better company" I'll happily say that I wouldn't. If I'm in the middle of a big project, one with obvious upsides attached and have committed to it, then I'm seeing it out with my team.