Some of our first team squad will end up out on loan, be it for a season, month by month or dual registration. It has to happen given the sheer size of our squad, but its hardly done us any harm so far has it - Farrell, Joel, Mossop, Charnley....

You seem to have forgotten that we smashed you on your own ground last season!!!!

Isn't Prescott in the Ireland squad for the European Cup?

rlNo, our representatives are McIllorum and O'Carrollrl

I seem to remember he declared himself English and not eligible for Ireland after the last World Cup.

At least the lad has ambition.

Mossop was fairly poor at times last year and needs to work on his defence and general game, hence being dropped at times last year. He has a lot of potential but is far from a certaintly in the 17. I would definately be starting off the season with Prescott in a prop spot before him.

And I know your O'Carrol's but that doesn't alter the way I look at the game in front of me.

25 league/PO games this year plus cup games so maybe 28 in all suggests to me that a certain coach doesn't think he's had a "Bad season" up until the last 2 games Would you?

I know your O'C's biggest fan but 17 games in the last 2 years seems to show to me that he may be suffering from trying to punch above his weight at this level.
You saying Prescott has been average or had a Bad season barring 2 games is ludicrous when he has dropped bigger names than prescott this year when they haven't performed to what Madge deems Acceptable i.e FEKA/Mossop etc
IIRC I don't remember Madge dropping Prescott when Fit all season so he must be doing something right?

I hope ALL PLAYERS stay fit at Wigan and that Madge then picks his squad how he wants to on his terms.
What I don't like is the way some seem to look negatively upon certain players to try and get their favourites picked ala Ainscough over Roberts.

Would Prescott get in my 17 if everyone Fully Fit? Maybe/Maybe not next season.
For the season just gone he would get in my 17 every week with only Mossop in his early season form pressing him (I would still have used Mossop in the 2nd row for last season whenever possible to let the lad get a bit more physical maturity into his game as the way Madge coaches his players to play takes a lot of physical prowess to play like that every week).

Taking what I was saying this time last year and transposing it to current debates is a bit pointless, top marks for memory though. To update my views for your records:

O'Carroll - hasn't really kicked on from last year and fallen back in the rankings, partly through injury and partly through not taking his chances. May well be worth loaning him out if a SL club is interested and the other props are fit. I wouldn't play him ahead of Prescott on last known form and he needs to stay fit to prove his worth.

Ainscough - didn't really get a shot all season, no suprise with Roberts' form at the start of the year and Pryce's at the end. Think he'll suprise us at Bradford though.

Mossop - I just love how hard he goes into the collision and his ability to not let the opposition find the floor coming out of their 20. As for defensive flaws, he can look a little too slow sliding across but I think he's fine at prop, more of a problem at second row that.

Prescott - great end to the season but I've really not seen much in him this year other than that. Think he's been lucky to make the team a few times this year with the wrong players being injured/suspended. Has he really not been dropped all year? Fair enough if true but I'm not going to do the whole emperors new clothes thing of assuming he's brilliant just because Maguire picks him. Might as well shut down the board as blindly agree with the club all the time. I'm not trying to have a go at him just think he's a bit overated at the mo.

Can't get on the stats off my phone so I might be setting myself for a fall here but how do his pens and errors stack up?

Taking what I was saying this time last year and transposing it to current debates is a bit pointless, top marks for memory though. To update my views for your records:

O'Carroll - hasn't really kicked on from last year and fallen back in the rankings, partly through injury and partly through not taking his chances. May well be worth loaning him out if a SL club is interested and the other props are fit. I wouldn't play him ahead of Prescott on last known form and he needs to stay fit to prove his worth.

Ainscough - didn't really get a shot all season, no suprise with Roberts' form at the start of the year and Goulding's at the end. Think he'll suprise us at Bradford though.

Mossop - I just love how hard he goes into the collision and his ability to not let the opposition find the floor coming out of their 20. As for defensive flaws, he can look a little too slow sliding across but I think he's fine at prop, more of a problem at second row that.

Prescott - great end to the season but I've really not seen much in him this year other than that. Think he's been lucky to make the team a few times this year with the wrong players being injured/suspended. Has he really not been dropped all year? Fair enough if true but I'm not going to do the whole emperors new clothes thing of assuming he's brilliant just because Maguire picks him. Might as well shut down the board as blindly agree with the club all the time. I'm not trying to have a go at him just think he's a bit overated at the mo.

Can't get on the stats off my phone so I might be setting myself for a fall here but how do his pens and errors stack up?

Look, no-one is saying (Or should I say I'm not saying) that there aren't a dozen other props out there who couldn't do a similar job etc.

What I am saying is that when your carrying Fieldens/Fekas/Coleys(albeit Coleys a bit less) wages and then next season Fielden & Coley & Lima your going to struggle to get a 4th/5th prop in there from the Top drawer costing Top Dollar.

I'm more than happy for IL/MM to assess our options and if there are a couple of players in front of someone for a starting spot then I would consider sending then out on loan (Davies/Marsh/Tuson) or releasing them (Pryce/Phelps).

What I am saying is that Prescott has done a Good solid if somewhat unspectacular job at times in a Front row that's just won a GF when he was arguably 3rd choice prop in front of fans favourite Feka.

Fielden/Coley/Lima - 3 of the starting 4 no arguments.

I watched Davies last season and his form at Widnes/Reserve level was nowhere near replicated at SL level and understandably so, he's What? only 19/20? Lets give him time and play him when it suits us and him not because we HAVE to play him!
O'Carroll has been injured 3/4 qtrs of last season and this and IMO even at his best is arguably no better than Prescott who has played nearly treble the games He has. And TBH, A good Big un will always beat a good little un. So in that respect an average Big un will always beat an average little un!
Mossop has played 90% of his games 2nd row and we've yet to see how is return to action goes.
Hock - Lets wait and see.

So for me who else is there for the 4th choice prop?

Now if Hock and Mossop come back absolutely all guns blazing then there'll be no-one happier than me to see Prekky lining up as 18th man, it will show how good of a squad we have.
If Prescott/O'Carroll etc are happy to stay on the wages they're getting then I'm also happy, more options the better.
But if they start asking for stupid money OR they're staying blocks youngsters from coming through (Bearing in mind Coley 1yr? Fielden2yr so if we let too many go now it could come back to haunt us in 12 months) then fair enough let them go.

PS

I bet his pen/error "Stats" count favourably to any player who's played the same games etc apart from the top couple of SL/International players.
In fact, just had a quick check and compared him to Fielden/Coley in a few areas! These are regular rounds as well so don't count the games were you say he was better i.e semi final and final.

Appearances 21 --- Coley 21 ------ Fielden 25
Tries 0
Try assists 0
Goals 0
Drop Goals 0
Meters 1592 = 6.9mtrs per carry ----- Coley 285/1921 = 6.74 mtr per carry ---- Fielden 358/2543 =7.1mtr per carry
Carries 230
Tackles 426 ---- Coley 523 --- Fielden 607
Offloads 9
Tackle Busts 16
Marker tackles 52
Missed tackles 19 --- Coley 22 ----- Fielden 18
Errors 9 ---- Coley 16 ---- Fielden 18
Penalties 16 --- Coley 23 ---- Fielden 17
Red cards 0
Yellow cards 0

Now I take the stats with a pinch of salt, and I've picked a few out that are Key to Props success and for me if there is any kind of accuracy with these then he counts favourably in all departments against 2 of the props that were over the moon they've just signed new deals.

End of the day, his work rate (Considering Fielden/Coley have played more games and more minutes) is good.
His stats are comparable in many ways if not better than the other 2
And, He's young, He's relatively cheap and IMO getting better and more importantly for me BIGGER!

Prescott is an OK player and as Jukesays mentions you can't have four top paid props in the side.

On the subject of statistics the fact he played as many games as he has this season isn't a ringing endorsement when his main competitors which are O'Carroll and Mossop were both injured. It certainly wasn't Feka as if those two had been fit it would have been which one of Prescott, O'Carroll or Mossop would Madge have chosen before Feka.

O'Carroll was in the side before Prescott this year and up until the play off series I would not have said Prescott had cemented his place as 4th prop starting next season based on his league form.

That said it all seemed to click for him come the play offs so he will certainly have done his chances no harm of getting the nod when all players are available at the start of 2011.

Dave