www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 416&type=1 H'mm so we did offer him a deal but he turned us down presumably because of a longer and more financial rewarding deal at Hull FC. If he wanted to stay the option was there, particularly when Wigan had stuck with him through thick and thin, searching the globe for a surgeon to get him right.

www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 416&type=1 H'mm so we did offer him a deal but he turned us down presumably because of a longer and more financial rewarding deal at Hull FC. If he wanted to stay the option was there, particularly when Wigan had stuck with him through thick and thin, searching the globe for a surgeon to get him right.

but what did wigan offer?

I would guess that Wigan only offered him a 1 year deal and perhaps not much of a wage considering how injury prone he has been and how likely it was that he'd end up getting regular first team rugby.
Hull probably decided it was worth the risk to give him a longer contract and a bit more money and just hope that he is free from injury. I don't think offering him a long term deal or a pay rise would have made much sense from a Wigan point of view. Just a guess though.

So our props for next year as it stands are

1. Stuart Fielden
2. Lee Mossop
3. Paul Prescott
4. Jeff Lima
5. Dom Crosby

Second Rowers

1. Harrison Hansen
2. Gareth Hock
3. Liam Farrell
4. Chris Tuson
5. Jack Hughes

I'd say a second rower and a prop are definately needed for next year. A prop to cover the issues surrounding Fieldens fitness, we should have taken O'Hara from Crusaders when he was available, he would have been like for like with coley, brings bags of experience.

I hope we've got an announcement lined up somewhere because our rumoured recruitment doesn't suggest trophies to me!

Fantastic attitude but sadly physically limited in both stature and injury history.

Hope he goes on to have a solid injury free career, God only knows he deserves it, sadly at Hull I feel he may slip away into obscurity, but in truth that was likely to happen at Wigan given the limited first team opportunities he has and looked likely to get in the future.

In relation to Lauaki, he has so much more potential than O'Carroll ever did/has. I feel he will be used as a backrow forward and bring real punch into the side. We are not blessed with the biggest backrow forwards next yeat and he certainly bulks it up significantly.

Hock in my opinion will directly replace Coley. In the time he has been back he has looked far more effective in the middle than outwide.

We also look to have brought in some real size in the apparent signings of Dudson and Flower. Wane will have had some say in these signings and retentions, and I trust him more than most to cast a critical eye over the forwards that are available and come up with the right calls.

Within 4 games i would not be surprised to see Lauaki become a fans favourite, he has all the attributes of a crowd pleaser, IF we can use him aright and get the best out of him mentally and physically.

Look where Jeff Lima came from relative obscurity in France after a very average career, and in the right environment has become the cornerstone of 2 champion teams.

True and i find it difficult to blame the player because we don't know for certain what he was offered by Wigan - like you say it could of been a 1 year deal - either way every player needs some security and a 3 year deal at Hull provides that.

Wonder if Hull have a new coach lined up yet?

I would guess Hock will play more frontrow covering the second row as required.

Lauaki will play the secondrow, covering the frontrow as required, both Dudson and Flower can cover both front and backrow, although long term i feel both will be frontrowers.

Thomas gives us emergency cover in the pack and also at centre, allowing Joel to also cover the backrow.

Basically we have a plethora of options across the park if the rumoured signings come to fruition.

Our recruitment strategy at the moment does seem a little risky but our hand has been somewhat forced by the quality of what is on the market, and players retiring/taking up contracts elsewhere.

We have had in my opinion thus far to target potential over quality, the important thing is that we tap into that potential very quickly and our ability to do that could decide our fate next year and beyond.

I think you've hit the nail on the head Jon. If we can get these new signings to fulfill their potential, alongside some of the great youngsters we have who are also showing such potential, like Mellor and King. Then we've got a great future ahead. As already stated numerous times already, we'd ideally like a top quality centre, but the fact is none are available or viable.

Lauaki, Dudson, Flower and Thomas?

It should be Leigh fan talking about where they fit in next season not a Wigan fan!



There is no compulsion to sign anyone nor was there a reason to be unable to match Hull's deal for O'Carroll until we seemingly started signing dross and paying them wages we could have used for O'Carroll. Fielden and O'Carroll next year would have meant no need for any of the above front rowers in 2012.



Wigan have always had a knack with players who looked good elsewhere of turning them into very good players but there has to be something there in the first place and to expect it to work out with so many average and one totally past it player is worse odds than Euromillions. If we really have signed those four the recruitment is woeful and will do nothing to help season ticket sales maintain their current level never mind increase.

Here are some of the stats for the players that are rumoured to be signing with Wigan compared to some of the current Wigan players.

Metres per game / Carries per game / Metres per carry

Gil Dudson - 46 / 6 / 7.4
Hame Lauaki - 69 / 10 / 6.7
Ben Flower - 68 / 9 / 7.2
Andy Coley - 82 / 12 / 7.0
Gareth Hock - 76 / 11 / 7.2
Harrison Hansen - 67 / 11 / 6.1
Liam Farrell - 63 / 10 / 6.4
Chris Tuson - 36 / 6 / 6.2

Gareth Thomas - 81 / 11 / 7.4
Stefan Marsh - 52 / 10 / 5.0
Joel Tomkins - 83 / 13 / 6.4
George Carmont - 96 / 11 / 8.8


Tackles per game / Missed Tackles / Marker Tackles

Gil Dudson - 13 / 1 / 2.2
Ben Flower - 26 / 1.8 / 4.8
Hame Lauaki - 12 / 0.5 / 1.7
Andy Coley - 24 / 1.2 / 4
Gareth Hock - 15 / 0.5 / 0.8
Harrison Hansen - 25 / 1 / 3.8
Liam Farrell - 32 / 1 / 6.3
Chris Tuson - 18 / 0.9 / 3.4

Gareth Thomas - 20 / 1.2 / 3.5
Stefan Marsh - 14 / 1 / 1.6
Joel Tomkins - 18 / 1 / 3.1
George Carmont - 18 / 1 / 3


Tackle Busts / Clean Breaks (per game)

Gil Dudson - 0.2
Ben Flower - 1.3
Hame Lauaki - 1.4
Andy Coley - 0.5
Gareth Hock - 0.5
Harrison Hansen - 0.9
Liam Farrell - 1.5
Chris Tuson - 0.6

Gareth Thomas - 1.5 / 0.2
Stefan Marsh - 1 / 0.1
Joel Tomkins - 1.7 / 0.4
George Carmont - 2 / 0.6


Errors / Penalties (per game)

Gil Dudson - 0.2 / 0.1
Ben Flower - 0.3 / 0.8
Hame Lauaki - 0.4 / 0.5
Andy Coley - 0.4 / 0.6
Gareth Hock - 0.5 / 0.6
Harrison Hansen - 0.5 / 0.3
Liam Farrell - 0.4 / 0.6
Chris Tuson - 0.9 / 0.3

Gareth Thomas - 0.8 / 0.7
Stefan Marsh - 0.6 / 0
Joel Tomkins - 1.2 / 0.6
George Carmont - 1.1 / 0.3

Going off those stats Ben Flower looks a handy player and could improve out of sight at a club like Wigan and Dudson again has materials to work with. His metres per carry is very impressive and if Wigan can get him fitter and stronger he could turn in to a very shrewd signing.

Thomas could have been a cracking League player but he came accross 10 years too late.

So basically your beef seems to be losing O'Carroll a player we have coped without since.......forever! We have Fielden next year regardless, and more squad depth.

I fail to see any problem at all with losing O'Carroll a player who has never had a significant impact for 3 players with potential to actually make an impact next year and beyond.

Recently I have chosen to ignore most of your posts but the outcry against signing 3 players to replace 1 player in the team who realistically has contributed 0, is beyond belief.

I will personally back the club on this one and the Thomas deal for commercial reasons, there is no point debating with you as our views and opinions are poles apart hence my reason for ignoring most of your recent posts that only seem aimed at slating the club without seeing any of the blatant positives from the moves.

Until signings are announced a lot of the posts are speculation and until we see any of the actual signings perform in the Wigan shirt there cannot be constructive criticism.

Expecting major signings each year cannot be balanced by the development and retention of the Wigan academy players. Players will not be short changed just to stay at their home town club. Just as any young player knows that as long as Tomkins x2, Charnley, Farrell, Hansen,Prescott etc are staying then they will have to rely on players getting injured or be an exceptional talent to get in the first team and be a top class to be offered a deal that is better than can be gained elsewhere.