Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:06 pm  

Pemps wrote:

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.

That's true (I did say if on the Isa one tho & kinda took it as fact Zak will start at 1)

I guess there's two choices;

1. Wait and see and if it goes wrong & talk about it after, but that looks like having the benefit of hindsight. 2. Comment on rumours and what "people in the know" have said. There's been been plenty of talk that Zak will play FB and Lam stuck Isa in the backs Vs Salford.

With Hastings, I was replying to a poster who replied to your comment. The club have said that Hastings isn't match fit. They haven't said he's injured. They've also been telling us that JH has been training the house down in Aus. If he's Indeed not match fit Vs being injured (like they've said) then I stand by comment that he should be playing. Giving another week to train weakens and already weak side.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:27 pm  

Binosh wrote:

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.

Pretty much where I’m at now. For a while I stuck on his side, even praising his honesty at one stage but it’s worn on me. I’m sick to the back teeth of Wigan RL being turned into the Jackson Hastings Show, the “is he or isn’t he leaving” (or more accurately “when will he leave”). He’s a cracking player undoubtedly and by the same token would undoubtedly benefit our side.

Equally the speculation of him going could easily derail our season - and that’s too much a risk to take. If the offer from Wests is genuine then get a fee and off he goes. As I’ve said, he clearly doesn’t want to be here. Get shut and play someone who does want to be here in his place aka Smith/Tommy.

You’ve got to wonder what the players think of him. Strolling back in after months away in the sun, whilst they’ve been grafting in the freezing cold to earn a starting berth or even a first team shirt and now this? I’d be right royally peed off.

It’s been the Jackson Hastings Show since he signed. It’s time he took it back to the NRL.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 5:49 pm  

100% Warrior wrote:

Pretty much where I’m at now. For a while I stuck on his side, even praising his honesty at one stage but it’s worn on me. I’m sick to the back teeth of Wigan RL being turned into the Jackson Hastings Show, the “is he or isn’t he leaving” (or more accurately “when will he leave”). He’s a cracking player undoubtedly and by the same token would undoubtedly benefit our side.

Equally the speculation of him going could easily derail our season - and that’s too much a risk to take. If the offer from Wests is genuine then get a fee and off he goes. As I’ve said, he clearly doesn’t want to be here. Get shut and play someone who does want to be here in his place aka Smith/Tommy.

You’ve got to wonder what the players think of him. Strolling back in after months away in the sun, whilst they’ve been grafting in the freezing cold to earn a starting berth or even a first team shirt and now this? I’d be right royally peed off.

It’s been the Jackson Hastings Show since he signed. It’s time he took it back to the NRL.

I’ve been very open about the fact I wish he’d keep his mouth shut on social media and just ignore people either mithering or looking for a rise but I will cut him some slack. I thought both he and French should’ve been back here sooner on the face of it and I still think they were (or have been) away too long but I don’t know the full facts. I’ve read French has his mother quite ill and I saw in social media that Hastings grandad needs major surgery and they clearly all very close. I don’t hold a grudge at all for him making noise about wanting to go back to the NRL at some point and in fairness to him, he is back here now and hasn’t just downed tools. On the field the lad is a dream regards his attitude so it’s all about where you stand away from the field.

I’m coming round to actually giving more grief to the club on this one. We’ve got a coach who we brought in as a caretaker and who is still living year to year and to keep the two lads from Down Under we put them in the same boat of going from year to year and allowed extended leave. You have to weigh up the pros and cons of the approach and we won’t really know until October if it’s worked or not but we will continue to be drowned by speculation until we start planning and operating with a more long term view. Is Hastings off will turn in to is French back? And is he then off at the end of the season? Is Lam going? Who will the next coach be? Who will replace Hastings? Who will replace French?

Lenagan and Rads are doing plenty right but the strategy with such key personnel is questionable IMO.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:13 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Lenagan and Rads are doing plenty right but the strategy with such key personnel is questionable IMO.

I get what you are saying, but I also think the club is a victim of its own success. We're in the situation that we are in because we pick & nurture hungry young(ish) talent. We go for guys like Bevan French and Hastings who are under 25 and have points to prove. Other clubs go for guys like Coots & Sezer who are absolute quality, but their NRL days are done.

I don't know what the solution is, but the club obviously thought that French and Hastings on 1 year deals are better options than taking a gamble on a new guy from Aus. For every Sezer there's a Orford etc.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 7:06 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I get what you are saying, but I also think the club is a victim of its own success. We're in the situation that we are in because we pick & nurture hungry young(ish) talent. We go for guys like Bevan French and Hastings who are under 25 and have points to prove. Other clubs go for guys like Coots & Sezer who are absolute quality, but their NRL days are done.

I don't know what the solution is, but the club obviously thought that French and Hastings on 1 year deals are better options than taking a gamble on a new guy from Aus. For every Sezer there's a Orford etc.

I get their thinking and in the current climate they may well be right and as I say, the proof will be in the pudding come October for this season. I think we need to try and get to a position of more stability from next season. A coach for more than a season at a time (if it’s Lam then fine but if he’s considered good enough and he’s committed to us then give him a longer deal) would be a start for me. If we got to a position of having both French and Hastings saying they’d commit to 2022 but no more, I wouldn’t keep both of them and would look elsewhere to replace one. The positions are too important to keep having the will they, won’t they be here hanging over the squad and these extended off season breaks can’t be feasible long term.

Things are not normal at the minute for anyone, so doing things differently may well be a masterstroke. It just doesn’t feel like it’s something we can continue doing year in, year out.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:27 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I get what you are saying, but I also think the club is a victim of its own success. We're in the situation that we are in because we pick & nurture hungry young(ish) talent. We go for guys like Bevan French and Hastings who are under 25 and have points to prove. Other clubs go for guys like Coots & Sezer who are absolute quality, but their NRL days are done.

I don't know what the solution is, but the club obviously thought that French and Hastings on 1 year deals are better options than taking a gamble on a new guy from Aus. For every Sezer there's a Orford etc.

Most of the very talented players want to end up in the NRL. The fact that so many players go from Wigan to the NRL and the club don't stand on the way of that process might actually be a pretty big carrot to persuade them to sign for us in the meantime. It's not ideal of course but the only way not to lose your players to the NRL right now is to not have good players IMO. Longer term I'd like to see the league improve to a point where some of the best players want to stay but that's not an easy fix.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:49 pm  

It’s undoubtedly a fine balancing act and Lenagan and Rads have earned the right to use whatever strategy they wish. It’s a no win situation in many ways with guys like French and Hastings. They leave and people moan, they stay for a year at a time, get extended leave and people (me) moan as well. It’s all a good debate though about what is the best way to approach things going forward. It would be lovely to win one of the big ones this year, get Lam signed on a longer deal and take some pressure off everyone.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:54 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

. It's not ideal of course but the only way not to lose your players to the NRL right now is to not have golf players IMO. Longer term I'd like to see the league improve to a point where some of the best players want to stay but that's not an easy fix.

That's a good point. It's almost worthwhile having a squad of very good players, but maybe not ones that the NRL will want (older guys, ones that left the NRL or SL level players).

Look at Saints as a perfect example. They've got a very, very good squad but outside of Thompson, who has obviously left, there's not many players there that will be attracting the eyes of NRL scouts. Compare that with some of the players we've had over the last 5 years - Bateman, Williams, Sutton and now Hastings and they are right in that bracket of players the NRL like to sign. Just like Thompson was.

That's not to say that Saints players aren't good or wouldn't be able to play in the NRL btw. It's just if you were an NRL scout and had to pick between Lomax or Williams, you'll always pick the younger guy.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:03 pm  

Binosh wrote:

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.

The lack of a clapping emoji available to put under this post is criminal.

Nail. Head.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:07 pm  

sergeant pepper wrote:

For every Sezer there's a.......

Player Warrington signed.