It will also be interesting to see if he goes Murphy to start off with or if he feels Bennison is worth the no5 shirt

I know there's been different threads on here and Warriors fans about the pack ,but our decision last year to really stack the props seems to have paid dividends as we are settled again for this year, and have depth there too

We're well set across the board for the next 5+ years really and can be really specific with the recruitment now and in which positions they try to fill from the academy. Looking over the hill at Saints, the transition period has started to a degree but there is still going to be an awful lot of change needed in the coming seasons and that is part of the reason I'm surprised Hurrell wasn't replaced now. Within the next 2 to 4 years, they're likely going to need to replace Hurrell, Feldt, Lomax, Walmsley and Paasi. I can't see Percival playing past that period either and Clark and Sironen will be right at the end of their careers. You'd also imagine in that time Welsby may decide to chance his arm in the NRL as well, so lots of good work is going to be needed and it's getting harder and harder to recruit top quality players. They'll bring good players through, as they always do but it won't be easy.

there is a very different feel about Wigan now, to say the previous 10 years

i know there will always be 1 or 2 lads who want to chance their arm in the NRL, and no-one can blame them really given the lifestyle and likely salary increase. However, we seem to have gone from virtually anyone wants to / or can go, even with a long term contract, to players seemingly wanting to play for Wigan. IMO KPP went about his move to the NRL in the right way. He informed the club of his intention, but more importantly played his heart out for Wigan in that last season, and gave his all, as a fan, thats all i want to see when they have the Cherry and White on.

in terms of the feel, its gone from feeling like a major surgery / makeover each off season, to minor surgery / cosmetic

. As you said, at the minute we have long term contracts to key players, we know when others are off contract and with smart retention / not renewing for the sake of it, we could see this side together for a good few years, with minor tweaks to it

i suppose the change to when off contract players can talk to other clubs will potentially have an impact, not just on Wigan's recruitment but across the game. Theoretically, from 1st Dec, we could find out that Byrne, Isa and Farrell, are all moving on for the 2026 season as they have signed for other clubs, so that could take some of the decisions out of the clubs hands earlier if the player feels they are going to be offered a better contract elsewhere. i'm not sure yet, whether i like that change or not, but i suppose from a player perspective, the sooner they can sort out their next contract the better for them, so a positive from a players perspective?

The Saints squad is made up of two parts. Aging players several whom seemed past their best, and some young players looking to make the grade. I think there are around a dozen who are over 30

Thought I would resurrect this thread but for a Wigan question. What are your predictions for next year? Obviously you are the team to beat and if I was a Wigan fan I would be feeling really confident but what are your expectations?

Will the Vegas trip have an effect later in the year? If you go far in the CC will that have an effect on the Grand Final? Naturally injuries are a huge factor and if you lost the likes of Smith and French at the same time, it would be an issue all be it Farrimond would come in who is a generational talent.

I think you'll win the GF again but not the CC is my opinion.

A repeat of this year where we win everything in sight is 99% not gonna happen. We'll be in the mix for it all of course, but if I had to guess I'd say we'll probably win one of CC or GF and finish 1st or 2nd in SL.

I expect Hull KR to finally get their hands on a trophy in 2025. Wouldn't surprise me if they got LLS plus a CC or GF

For Vegas, Wire are a good team but I think we'll be well up for that and treat it like a GF. If we've got a full team I reckon we'll win by 12+

Vegas will be less of an issue than the WCC so I don't see it as an issue, travelling apart. I think we have found our groove and based on last season the team (players, coaches, backroom staff) are able to raise their game when it matters. Obviously, every team will want to shoot Wigan down and rightly so, therefore it will be much harder than last season to win trophies. Having said that, I look at the other teams in the competition and I don't see much strengthening. I would be surprised if we didn't win the LLS, which increases our chances of winning the GF. As for the CC, much depends on the draw. Based on last season, the squad is good enough to cover injuries and suspensions, our young guys have a lot more experience under their belt and I expect them to be pushing for starting berths.

How do you rate Saints chances Stu?

Lots of moving parts to consider. I have a good feeling about Sailor, he has come over here with a great attitude, seems settled already and wants to prove a point. I think he will give us a bit of X factor that only really Welsby has given us before.

Feldt will go well, strong carries, sound defensively and will finish tries. If Murphy can stay fit then he will be a good signing too. I also think the new assistants have definitely provided some freshness and from interviews I've seen with some of the players, they do seem enthused with the coaching changes and intensity. Briers has a big job on with the attack but if he can get Welsby and Sailor linking well with Murphy and Feldt as finishers, we will go ok.

Those are the positives.

The negatives are that we are still short at centre- two really. Percival is quality on his day but injury prone now. Hurrell is a liability defensively and now a year older and coming off the back of a big injury. I can't believe he has been given another year.

We are still short of a quality 7 as Lomax is nowhere near the player he was. We are still short of props too and are hoping that Walmsley can stay fit and provide a couple of 15 min spells and that Paasi comes back better and fitter than last season. If we can get limited minutes out of those two then with Lees, Stephens and Delaney we will go ok. It's a big if though and I can see Walmsley still suffering with injuries.

Batchelor was woeful last season and needs a big year, so too Whitley. We do still have quality in the likes of Clark and Knowles but we are relying on a relatively low number of injuries. Last season killed us in that we had half the year with lots of forwards missing and the second half of the season, the forwards came back and the backs were injured.

I'm predicting a top 4 finish but no pots. Maybe a CC if the draw goes well and Wigan go out.

The fact is we have a Head Coach overseeing everything who is not good enough.

Saints pack got pretty much dog walked by everyone bar London and Hull. The pack is also weaker the coming season. They will scrape 5th or 6th.

I can really see Wigan doing the treble again. They are so far ahead of everyone else it’s embarassing

Thanks Stu, on the whole I agree with your synopsis. What’s your take on having 18 players out of contract at the end of next season? There appears to have been some inept planning. The biggest concern should be Knowles and Lees being able to speak to rival clubs.

Stu's assessment of Saints is pretty much my own view although I will add that I've seen some Saints fans saying "if we have better luck with injuries" and similar and I genuinely don't think that's a possibility. Although there's always an element of luck there's a law of diminishing returns when you (re)sign injury prone players. Saints have too many of those. I see similar to last year, or maybe a touch better, on the injury front but not enough to make a significant difference.

For Wigan I think we'll go well again but unlikely to match last year's heroics simply because we'll be competing on all fronts again. We did well to get our spine (O'Neil excepted) back in harness when it mattered and I don't think that's something that you can count on most years. Vegas will have an effect too. I'll go for another trophy and there or thereabouts in the others. That said, I wouldn't put it past this lot to raise their game again.

Like most Wigan fans I'm looking forward to the season again and that in itself is something to be happy about.

i think the good thing about Wigan, despite the success last year, is that we will still have some young hungry players who perhaps werent part of that (yes they were squad members, but maybe didnt play as much as they wanted). So the likes of Hill, Walters, Farrimond and O'Neill (through injury) should all be keen to show what they can do and win medals, and i think that'll keep pushing us through

as most say, i cant see another clean sweep, but we'll be there or there abouts when it matters