Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:09 pm  

Not sure about this one at all.... I thought he was retiring.

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:13 pm  

Very good signing if true IMO.

Certainly one of the best realistic outcomes we could hope for in tough times for Super League and at a time when the NRL is booming.

People moaned about Wigan having too many Aussies/Kiwis in the team a few years back and we seem to have overcompensated for that in recent times by having so many young lads but not enough experience in the squad.

I believe we had the balance right when Madge was in charge. The Bowen signing will go towards balancing the squad with a much needed experienced import added.

[DaveO]

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:28 pm  

Th'Observer wrote:

Very good signing if true IMO.

Even considering this?:

"......Bowen's training data this season, indicate his reconstructed knees will struggle to cope with another NRL campaign in 2014".

The last experienced Aussie we signed with a knee injury was Amos Roberts who injured his knee in 2007 before signing for us in 2008. He had about two short runs of any note in the side in four years. Class when he played but never played enough. I can't see Bowen being any better a prospect with him running around on two reconstructed knees.

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:39 pm  

DaveO wrote:

Even considering this?:

"......Bowen's training data this season, indicate his reconstructed knees will struggle to cope with another NRL campaign in 2014".

The last experienced Aussie we signed with a knee injury was Amos Roberts who injured his knee in 2007 before signing for us in 2008. He had about two short runs of any note in the side in four years. Class when he played but never played enough. I can't see Bowen being any better a prospect with him running around on two reconstructed knees.

I agree with what you say about Amos but lets give the bloke a chance before we write him off as a crock.

I'm looking forward to seeing him in a Wigan jersey. It seems like a real shrewd and sensible signing to me. Lets face it, the Aussie media loves bigging up the NRL and whilst two knee reconstructions aren't exactly ideal that quote from the Aussie press screams of pointing out the inferiority of Super League reading between the lines.

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 2:54 pm  

DaveO wrote:

Even considering this?:

"......Bowen's training data this season, indicate his reconstructed knees will struggle to cope with another NRL campaign in 2014".

The last experienced Aussie we signed with a knee injury was Amos Roberts who injured his knee in 2007 before signing for us in 2008. He had about two short runs of any note in the side in four years. Class when he played but never played enough. I can't see Bowen being any better a prospect with him running around on two reconstructed knees.

I agree that signing someone (if we are trying to do so) with two reconstructed knees is a big risk as we could end up with someone eating up cap space and a quota spot sat on a bench for most of the contract. That said though there may not necessarily be a flare up and we could get someone who helps us keep competing at the top while helping out his eventual replacement(s) as they mature further. Deciding whether a recurrence would be likely and whether it would be worth the risk of signing him is what the medical staff are there for.

Also to be fair to Amos Roberts he did get over the injury he had when we signed him and was performing far better during his second season than he had in his first. He then got a serious injury in a freak accident while scoring a spectacular individual try when his leg got wrapped round a post. It was that injury, picked up playing for us (and being talked of as a possible MOS up to that point) which hampered him and ultimately forced his retirement, not a pre existing one.

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:04 pm  

I really can't comprehend all this talk of risk. If he spends all his time out injured, we're no worse than we would have been if we hadn't signed him. It's not like we could have signed someone better, good NRL players aren't an option anymore, players from other top SL clubs have no reason to move, and the other SL clubs don't have good full backs anyway. If it comes off, great, if it doesn't, we've got Tierney and Hampshire. Reminds me of when Madge signed Deacon

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:08 pm  

As good a signing as wigan could have got to replace sam.i dont see the age thing being too much of a problem,brett hodgson was only a touch younger when he came over and look at the service he has given and he is still going strong.

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:14 pm  

It could be (if true) a very big gamble, do we want another Stu Fielden or Paul Prescott?

[DaveO]

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:41 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

I really can't comprehend all this talk of risk. If he spends all his time out injured, we're no worse than we would have been if we hadn't signed him.

Well that is obviously not true as he takes up cap space.

It's not like we could have signed someone better, good NRL players aren't an option anymore, players from other top SL clubs have no reason to move, and the other SL clubs don't have good full backs anyway. If it comes off, great, if it doesn't, we've got Tierney and Hampshire. Reminds me of when Madge signed Deacon

Lack of quality players to sign or at SL other clubs is no reason to sign a player who is considering retirement due to injury.

Nothing like signing Deacon either. I doubt he'd have been signed if he had two reconstructed knees and was struggling to prove his fitness to continue playing at Bradford.

Re: Matt Bowen signs : Thu Aug 15, 2013 3:50 pm  

DaveO wrote:

Well that is obviously not true as he takes up cap space.

Lack of quality players to sign or at SL other clubs is no reason to sign a player who is considering retirement due to injury.

Nothing like signing Deacon either. I doubt he'd have been signed if he had two reconstructed knees and was struggling to prove his fitness to continue playing at Bradford.

All of this will ensure our medical staff will be even more stringent IMO. I'm happy to let them assess his fitness. If we can't trust our own staff who can we trust?
Regarding his age I think he is ideal. Signing a 25 yr old would ruin our youngsters' prospects, signing anyone much younger is pointless ( we have those in abundance, it would seem).