I only tend to come on here every so often nowadays but when I do, my main focus is the rumours section or anything to do with player recruitment.

I personally, am becoming quite concerned with our movement in the market (or relative lack thereof). I follow the RL signings on the internet regularly and there is always news of SL clubs signing players but not much in the way of Wigan.

My concern is that the club is trying to put together a side on the cheap by focusing on young players and forgetting that all the great Wigan teams of the SL era have been supplemented by a healthy dose of imported talent.

We have signed Sam who I appreciate wont have come cheap but even with Sam considered (marquee rule and all) then we must have space on the cap to play with for next year and even though we are competitive with the current squad, anyone who has seen us play this year can see we are lacking in some areas.

Is this a concern of anyone else? I am hoping that this topic has been done to death and I just haven't been here to pick up on it.

Frankly, I will consider it a good end to the season if we make it to the GF as anything can happen once we are there but I am concerned that next season other clubs have recruited better than us.

Just out of curiosity, and hoping to open the debate up, who do you think has recruited better than us?

I'd say Leeds.

For me its not about one club making loads of singings but a number of sides improving their teams. Sandow will be an improvement on Myler, Galloway is an improvement on Peacock, Taylor will improve Les Cats.

Would you rather have Sandow than Tomkins though? I really don't see Galloway as an improvement on Peacock. Taylor, not sure and Cats are losing Zeb Tia. Leeds are losing Paul Aiton so it'll be interesting to see who they replace him with, he tore Saints apart on Friday and their intensity dropped off alarmingly when he went off injured.

Hull and HKR have brought in even more imports, but at the cost of merging their academies. Would you rather Wigan marge their academy with Leigh or Saints and sign a couple of aging Aussies?

Watching Leeds could be interesting.... The influence players like Peacock and Sinfield have is very difficult replace........

I just worry when statements are made that we won't be looking at the NRL. We simply can't ignore the NRL if we want to remain up near the top of the league IMO. We don't need to go any further back then 2013 to see that top Wigan sides include good overseas players. In 2013 Pat Richards and Blake Green were huge for us and before that in 2010 guys like Carmont, Leuluai and Riddell were equally as important.

I as much as anyone wants young lads to thrive but not at the expense of success. On the plus side I think we're only a good prop away from having a superb side next year but I look at superleague and I don't see where that prop comes from (realistically). I then look at a player like Keith Galloway signing for Leeds and feel we've missed out. This guy made 180m from 16-17 carries at the weekend. I'd like to know when the last time one of our props even came close to that?

I see what your saying Rogues and maybe it is an over reaction just because Wigan is where my loyalties lie.

But my general perception is that the teams around us seem to be keen on improving their squads no matter where the talent comes from. As for Wigan I get the feeling we would rather play a youngster a year too soon than sign an overseas player who takes up a place for two years and then the youngster would be wasted for that extra year.

I personally think Wire are doing good business with Gidley, Sandow plus the rumours of them being in for Eastmond etc.

I think everyone would agree that ideally this years team would need 1 or 2 signings (in addition to Sam) even before anyone left. However, I think we will probably lose a few and just replace those like for like

Is Zeb Taia off? Blow if that's true on top of Whitehead.

We're just a prop short IMO if there's no more major exits. I think Galloway could have been that man. Maybe Sam Tomkins will know of a big, mean, block busting prop we can sign from the Warriors who'd not cost the earth.

Sorry Rogues but you're clouding the argument here. Why would we have to merge our academy with anyone? The point is that there are good Aussie options being taken up, in the forwards particularly, by other clubs. It doesn't matter whether Galloway is an improvement on Peacock, he is an improvement on any of our current prop options. Similarly, I'm of the opinion that Taylor would immeasurably strengthen our pack. Now, it may be that we have signings in the pipeline as Nicky Kiss mentioned but, if we don't, I can understand if people start to comment on it at the very least, not least for the fact that, as you yourself say, we are operating under the cap already and will be losing players next year, freeing up even more space. If it transpires that IL spends the cap money augmenting the contracts of our current personnel I for one would be less than ecstatic about it.

Tomkins of course.

I think you are missing my point a little.

Sandow isn't Wire's only signing is he. Leeds have brought in Garbut, Galloway and Mullally. Sam might be better than all of them but he's only one guy. The players i've mentioned are all ready made players for the here and now and not for 3/5 years time like the kids we will more than likely be bringing through



Why can't we do both? Why does it have to be one or the other?

I'd personally be happy to run with a smaller squad if it meant injecting a bit more quality in it. For example i would have been happy replacing two from 6 if Tomkins and Galloway replaced Bowen, Burgess, Patrick, Logan, Thornley & Hughes.

I'll return the compliment and say "spot on!". At the beginning of the season I was of the opinion that our depth would be our biggest asset but now I'm not so sure. I know we are kind of criticising things whilst we are sitting pretty in the league but I yearn for quality, like you. It's a reflection of our squad (or perhaps just my view of it) that I view Galloway as "quality".

What if that current player was Hampshire?

On one hand we criticise the club for not finding a way to accommodate this talented kid in the first team, and on the other we complain that we aren't signing any Aussie imports (who, by the nature of the beast, will not be among the best in the NRL).

Don't get me wrong ... I'm worried about our recruitment too. I think our props are largely crap, and we are desperately in need of a quality centre.

But if money is being spent on keeping our best young players - in other words, trying to prevent another Burgess situation - I wouldn't be terribly unhappy.

I'd give you Hampshire at a pinch but feel the analogy with Burgess is being too kind to him. However, given those presumably exiting it shouldn't be too difficult to meet his financial demands. Also, I suspect money won't be the primary issue with Hampshire, it will be about first team opportunities which the coach isn't giving him at the moment.

I think there's a big difference between quality and quantity. I personally think even with 6 players leaving there's still enough squad players to cover the loss of 4 of them. That to me is a massive indicator of how swelled we appear to be.

Agreed about Galloway but you made a decent point on another thread about all this being relative. When you are comparing him to the quality of props both at our club and in SL in general he is undoubted quality. Galloway like Cuthbertson might not compare to top NRL props but they are easily good enough to make a big impact at Wigan.

Then its simply bad management imo.

If you have a player as talented as Hampshire then you don't bring in someone who is a direct competition for him. Why does it have to be one or the other? You can retain youngsters and at the same time sign decent players.