I'd have loved him this time last year and certainly instead of the pudding that was Singleton.

Now, we're pretty covered and it's 12 months down the line. I'd have made an argument that, if he'd have come in 23, I'd have him over Thompson. Likewise I'd have had Tom Burgess over both of them.

Fair assessment of their playing abilities, but JWH is a quota player, while Thompson and Burgess are both English.

Wigan would have needed to unload a quota player in order to have signed JWH.

Love JWH, spoke to him at the Maguire night a couple of years ago. Top bloke and has a massive respect for SL and Wigan.

Will enjoy him in SL but he wasn’t the right signing for us at this time.

Feel the same, but he's on the other side of the world from home; he may just want to get back to Oz. But he's been brilliant for Wigan, and every good wish to him.

Let's enjoy him while he is here.

French will leave at the end of the year and I'll honestly be happy for him - I think it will be the right move for him now he's won everything and given Wigan almost 6 years of great service. Hope to see him in a prominent role for an NRL side so he can prove what kind of player he is over there.

He's a better player than the one that left Parramatta, that's for sure.

Bevan French will be one of those players we talk a out for a long time to come. He's given excellent service to Wigan, created some amazing memories, and owes us nothing. If the time is right for him to go home then good luck to him, I hope he goes to a good club and enjoys more success.

I'm sure he has a healthy salary and we are well placed to search for a replacement if we need to. We are the premier team in the SL, any big name Aussie looking for a change of scenery would have us as No1 option. I thought Mr Cleary suited red and white hoops on Saturday

If the club decided to go with a similar explosive player, at a good age and maybe in need of a change of scene, a Penrith player who travelled but didn’t play might be a shout in Dane Laurie. He has a 12 month deal at Penrith so we’d have to see how the year plays out.

It’s clear that if he goes or stays we need to know early as it’s critical we get the succession planning right.

We don’t have anyone in the 5/8th role that French plays waiting in the wings.

One thing the club did very well under IFL was manage the retention and replacement process very well and I’m sure that will continue to be the case.

In my opinion we pull out all the stops to retain him including going big financially if we need to, an offer he cannot refuse, but if he is set on a move home as others have said he will go with nothing but best wishes.

French stayed for 2023/4 to repay the club for the loyalty they showed him (a good salary mind)

In that time he’s delivered us a man of steel, the GF and written himself in the history books of the club last Saturday.

He goes with my blessing if that’s what happens, we’ve had his best years and hopefully another trophy before this year is out.

Part of me wonders whether Penrith might go for him. They'll need a replacement for Luai - may replace from within but French and Cleary sounds pretty good to me.

I have been thinking the same, they had a bloody good look at him on Sat

If he does go back I hope he gets a gig at a big club like Penrith and playing at 6 (or 1) and not as some sort of utility back up at Wests/St George etc. This rubbish that lads like him and Field can't handle it physically got shown up on Saturday. I watched that bloke in a bar podcast and they spoke about how surprised they were that KPP looked like he could cope with the pace of the friendly against Melbourne. These Aussies genuinely think these lads are coming from a pub league, regardless of how many Grahams, Batemans, Hodgsons or Burgess brothers turn up and show it isn't all that different if you're a good player at a big club over here.

Transfer news........Just heard from good authority that Wigan have put a bid in for St Helens trophy cabinet as apparently it's no longer in use