[Pemps]

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:35 pm  

Pieman wrote:

maybe thats why hes not in the squad this week

Club have said he isn't match fit but will be the water boy on Friday. If he was off I don't think the club would want him around the players.

As someone has said above, he's having a club photoshoot today too.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:56 pm  

Pemps wrote:

Club have said he isn't match fit but will be the water boy on Friday. If he was off I don't think the club would want him around the players.

As someone has said above, he's having a club photoshoot today too.

Are we ever match fit in round 1 as we hardly ever play friendlies?l

[Pemps]

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:12 pm  

Egg Chasing wrote:

Are we ever match fit in round 1 as we hardly ever play friendlies?l

Ok then. Not as match sharp as the others.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:15 pm  

Posted by Hastings less than an hour ago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CM12hj7BpM8 ... wf8vueoh9t

Posted by Hastings less than an hour ago. https://www.instagram.com/p/CM12hj7BpM8 ... wf8vueoh9t

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:20 pm  

Does any other club suffer disruption on the eve of the SL season?

2017 - Widnes game moved away from DW on the morning of the match.
2019 - Wigan handed 2pts deduction for cap breach.
2021 - Hastings to West Tigers rumour.

What will happen in 2023?

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:22 pm  

Egg Chasing wrote:

Are we ever match fit in round 1 as we hardly ever play friendlies?l

Nope.

I know this will come across as a moan (probably because it is), but Lam has made some peculiar choices this week and they've got the potential to mess up round 1.

Field - if he's fit enough to go into the 17 then he should start imo. There's enough disruption with injuries, why compound it further? We could very easily be behind on the scoreboard and be looking to Field to come on and create something. Not really fair.

Hastings - Again see the above + your comment too. We're behind the 8 ball here and if we had French, Gildart, Manfredi in the squad, you could justify the caution. We don't though, so again why make it worse?

Isa - This one's an if, but IF he selects Isa at centre over Bateman then he's a loon. Leave Isa in the pack and let him play to his strengths. Again, we've got injuries and a lack of pace so why stick a 34 year old there instead of a lad who's played the position for England?

All in all, it reads to me like "it's only the weekly rounds" so it doesn't really matter. Now that might be true, but look at last season - we went into that final match of the year needing a win to get the LLS. Not picking up points that we should, might not seem like a big deal here and now, but they do matter over the course of the season.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:33 pm  

MattyB wrote:

Does any other club suffer disruption on the eve of the SL season?

2017 - Widnes game moved away from DW on the morning of the match.
2019 - Wigan handed 2pts deduction for cap breach.
2021 - Hastings to West Tigers rumour.

What will happen in 2023?

To be fair I can remember a couple of seasons where some SL clubs have been worried about going into admin on the eve of the season beginning.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:42 pm  

He’s keen to go back to the NRL and it’s probably the aim of the majority of our squad whether we like it or not. His last 2 seasons he’s played at a high level with speculation over his future constantly hanging over his head so I am certainly not in the camp of letting him go due to fear of disruption.
I also see this as the norm going forward, people are saying plan for the future but can we guarantee any player won’t want to leave in the near future? we are getting academy players tapped up and signed now so nobody seems safe. On the plus side Union seem to have backed off a little recently.
I for one hope he stays, has a good season and then leaves if he can get a contract, Smith will be a year older and more experienced and will hopefully be able to shoulder the responsibility of being a starter easier as I wouldn’t be too confident if that’s the case this year.

[Pemps]

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 2:31 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Nope.

I know this will come across as a moan (probably because it is), but Lam has made some peculiar choices this week and they've got the potential to mess up round 1.

Field - if he's fit enough to go into the 17 then he should start imo. There's enough disruption with injuries, why compound it further? We could very easily be behind on the scoreboard and be looking to Field to come on and create something. Not really fair.

Hastings - Again see the above + your comment too. We're behind the 8 ball here and if we had French, Gildart, Manfredi in the squad, you could justify the caution. We don't though, so again why make it worse?

Isa - This one's an if, but IF he selects Isa at centre over Bateman then he's a loon. Leave Isa in the pack and let him play to his strengths. Again, we've got injuries and a lack of pace so why stick a 34 year old there instead of a lad who's played the position for England?

All in all, it reads to me like "it's only the weekly rounds" so it doesn't really matter. Now that might be true, but look at last season - we went into that final match of the year needing a win to get the LLS. Not picking up points that we should, might not seem like a big deal here and now, but they do matter over the course of the season.

You've said Lam has made some peculiar choices and then listed 3 things, 3 of which you have no confirmation that he's done what you've suggested.
you don't know what's going to happen with Field, you don't know what's going to happen at centre and you don't know if Hastings is fit to play.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:03 pm  

If I were a Wigan fan id be absolutely sick of the sound of the name Jackson Hastings, you guys let good loyal players go to meet his wage demands and all he does is mess you around. There is constantly drama surrounding him, wether its cryptic messages on social media or his mum stirring the pot like a childish little double act. The fact he has just posted a pic a couple of hours ago in a Wigan kit within minutes of the Wests news coming out is just another stupid stunt for the sake of trying to be edgey. The guy is an absolute nuisance.