Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Sat Jan 23, 2010 1:41 pm  

If pryce would up his work rate and grow a heart he could make one hell of a forward. He would simply need to learn how to run the ball in hard, with his size he could be devestating.

I have seen nothing to suggest that pryce is a super league standard player in the two years he has been at Wigan.

Its make or break this year. He just frustrates me to death. Get some b@ll5 lad and have a go.

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:26 pm  

Father Ted wrote:

The club is to improve its scouting system we are told.
We need big forwards with bulk and who are mobile. Leeds have Lauatiti and now Eastwood. Saints signed Puletua and now Soliola who can go centre or 2nd row. We haven't signed anyone.
If we want to find big forwards why don't they look at Union? There are plenty Union clubs with guys who are 6'5" plus who are moblie and have bulk with them. I'm not talking GP at all. There are hundreds of Union clubs around and I can't believe we can't find just two players.
Maguire's second interview he said "we need to be bigger". I'd like him to enlarge on that one!

Great post and I agree completely. We are in need of a Soliola/Puletua or Lauititi/Eastwood type player to bolster the pack. Especially since we have lost Gareth Hock. We might not need to sign a player of that mould if Lee Mossop fills his potential and bulks up more and we resign Gareth Hock. But it will be an area Saints and Leeds have an advantage over us.

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:31 pm  

Tricky Dicky wrote:

If pryce would up his work rate and grow a heart he could make one hell of a forward. He would simply need to learn how to run the ball in hard, with his size he could be devestating.

I have seen nothing to suggest that pryce is a super league standard player in the two years he has been at Wigan.

Its make or break this year. He just frustrates me to death. Get some b@ll5 lad and have a go.

And how many times have you seen him though. Afaik he's played 7 first team games (2 of which were sub), and 15 reserve games in 2009 and didn't play in 2008. I don't feel it's very fair to judge off that rate, and lets be fair to the lad he could be pretty devastating in his time at Bradford.

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:27 pm  

Neil_A wrote:

Gary Henley-Smith??

GHS disproves the theory that it's all about speed.

The lad was a sprinter, and was lightning fast. But the first time he got tackled hard was the end of his RL career. He didn't want any more of that, thank you very much.

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:10 am  

cadoo wrote:

Great post and I agree completely. We are in need of a Soliola/Puletua or Lauititi/Eastwood type player to bolster the pack. Especially since we have lost Gareth Hock. We might not need to sign a player of that mould if Lee Mossop fills his potential and bulks up more and we resign Gareth Hock. But it will be an area Saints and Leeds have an advantage over us.

agree. wigans biggest loss in last 5 years hasnt been barrett but was fletcher. combined with logan we let two big time, big mentality players walk away. never been replaced. honestly think with them two in this team we would give it a serious go.

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:22 am  

jonh wrote:

personally have always thought union backrow players and scrum halves are ideal candidates for Prop and Hooker in our code.

And sometimes vice-versa when it comes to the scrum half/hooker role.

I think Micky Higham would make good Union scrum half.

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:52 am  

ABP' wrote:

And sometimes vice-versa when it comes to the scrum half/hooker role.

I think Micky Higham would make good Union scrum half.

He would need to sharpen up his delivery.

[DaveO]

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:57 pm  

Cruncher wrote:

It's not about filling your team with overseas mercenaries. But the occasional big name signing is always exciting. It gets publicity, puts butts on seats, reminds the current team that no-one is irreplaceable, and may add a major force to your arsenal.

Absolutely. Wigan have always never been afraid to go looking for talent anywhere and I hope it never stops. As you say it puts bums on seats and is exciting. Players like Nick Du Toit and Ray Mordt spring to mind as players you may never have expected the club to sign but when they did it certainly got people talking and interested.

It's entertainment after all and seeing top class players in the Cherry and White is a big traditional part of our club wherever they come from.

It's nice ideal to hope for a champion team made up of all Wiganer's but ultimately I think it would be self defeating because I think it would be a one off if it ever happened at all. It may make the club look unwelcoming to outsiders and that would not be a good thing IMO.

Dave

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:18 pm  

DaveO wrote:

Absolutely. Wigan have always never been afraid to go looking for talent anywhere and I hope it never stops. As you say it puts bums on seats and is exciting. Players like Nick Du Toit and Ray Mordt spring to mind as players you may never have expected the club to sign but when they did it certainly got people talking and interested.

It's entertainment after all and seeing top class players in the Cherry and White is a big traditional part of our club wherever they come from.

It's nice ideal to hope for a champion team made up of all Wiganer's but ultimately I think it would be self defeating because I think it would be a one off if it ever happened at all. It may make the club look unwelcoming to outsiders and that would not be a good thing IMO.

Dave

It's always about finding the right balance.

All the successful teams over the past decade have been built on a strong core of club produced players, some English players they’ve brought in and a few top foreign players. I doubt a team has ever won the league with say a complete home grown team or a team full of imports either.

IMO the current Wigan squad has a really good contingent of home grown players but we need to start focusing more on buying some already established GB eligible players. You only have to look at the successful clubs over the last 10 years and see the impact signings like Senior & Peacock have had on Leeds, Lowes and Forshaw for Bradford or Scully & Long for Saints.

Re: Rumours and signings 2010 v1 : Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:45 pm  

thepriestman85 wrote:

It's always about finding the right balance.

All the successful teams over the past decade have been built on a strong core of club produced players, some English players they’ve brought in and a few top foreign players. I doubt a team has ever won the league with say a complete home grown team or a team full of imports either.

IMO the current Wigan squad has a really good contingent of home grown players but we need to start focusing more on buying some already established GB eligible players. You only have to look at the successful clubs over the last 10 years and see the impact signings like Senior & Peacock have had on Leeds, Lowes and Forshaw for Bradford or Scully & Long for Saints.

That, I think, is the trick.

Contrary to the myth (which I still hear certain Leythers spouting today ), Wigan's team of all the talents was not the product of a massive raid on Australia's best. Initially, Mo concentrated on recruiting top quality British players. Signings like Goodway, Hanley, Gregory and Lydon were arguably more important for us than later signings like Bell, Iro and Miles (though Iro wasn't widely known until we signed him, and Bell was to some extent out in the wilderness when he got Mo's call). Earlier big name Aus signings - Steve Ella and Greg Dowling, for example - had only marginal impact on the team's fortunes.

Now that the coaching set-up is settled and we have a golden crop of home-grown youngsters waiting in the wings, I'm definitely looking for IL to start scouting for those one or two big names who could make all the difference and, given the tightening quota, it would be better for us all if they happened to be British.