Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 10:38 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

I'll give you plenty of the above. He is an exciting player & of course we missed him last year.

Here's my POV tho... Whilst French is a great player to watch he's not a ball playing fullback and, invariably in those tight games, that's what you need.

I think back to the 2020 GF and I do think that we'd have won if he had a #1 who could work the ball better. There were a couple of moments were French didn't deliver the killer pass when it was needed.

(Still in grumble mode) If we'd kicked for touch took two drives and popped a drop goal over from bang in front we'd've won

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 11:37 am  

French won us so many games on his own in 2020, even this season when he played he scored tries out of nothing, something that as a team we miss so much when he doesn’t play…he would be an absolutely massive loss if he isn’t here next year. How anyone thinks Hardaker would be a bigger loss is beyond me.

Saw a comment about him not being a ball playing fullback…can only assume that’s a joke as I can recall some absolute quality cut out passes to put wingers in for tries in his time here.

He’s the only X factor player we have and the thought of another year of Hardaker plodding about at fullback is depressing.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 12:13 pm  

I don’t have any inside info but I’d personally be very surprised if French was finished at Wigan.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see him return for 2023 given the new franchise at Redcliffe but a move now doesn’t really make sense for him or an NRL club.

He just renewed at Wigan, has been out for a significant period of time and would be a big risk for anyone to take a punt on.

If he did go it would be a hammer blow for fans moral but it would mean Field to 1 and free up an overseas quota spot but I’m not sure we would be able to maximise that given the lack of quality players available for a move to SL.

Hardaker can go for me if we can get a deal that works for us.

He’s been a quality player for us but bother just seems to follow him about. After a brief period where I thought he had turned a corner I’m not expecting another indiscretion sooner rather than later.

For me his best days are behind him at 1 and whilst I think he still has quality at centre but it’s not irreplaceable.

Not that I expect him to be at Wigan much longer and certainly not beyond 2022 but if he were I’d like to see him move into the secondrow as I think he could transition very well to a pack/strike edge second row forward.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 1:00 pm  

We could do with another second rower definitely

[Pemps]

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 5:08 pm  

Egg Chasing wrote:

We could do with another second rower definitely

Farrell, Bateman, Isa, KPP, McDonald, Smithies... I’d rather bring a half or centre in.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 5:32 pm  

Pemps wrote:

Farrell, Bateman, Isa, KPP, McDonald, Smithies... I’d rather bring a half or centre in.

I thhink (or at least hope) the original post was being sarcastic........


(esp given our seemingly endless conveyor belt of second rows fom the acedemy)

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 6:00 pm  

Pemps wrote:

Farrell, Bateman, Isa, KPP, McDonald, Smithies... I’d rather bring a half or centre in.

Yes we don’t need another second row at all, I just think he has the game to transition into the pack comfortably.

Watching him today he certainly isn’t a natural Centre but can do a job there, particularly in defence.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 6:26 pm  

exiled Warrior wrote:

I thhink (or at least hope) the original post was being sarcastic........


(esp given our seemingly endless conveyor belt of second rows fom the acedemy)

You think right

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:02 pm  

NSW wrote:

Some posters on here are bizarre.

French was all but man of steel in 2020 and carried us to the GF.

He was the most exciting player since 2010-13 Tomkins. Edge of your seat every time he touched the ball.

Not played in 2 years ?! He played every game in 2020.

Rather keep Hardaker over French, seriously I don’t know what people are watching! Just look at the difference in our attack between 2020 and 2021. All down to a strike full back who can break the line and also set up the wingers and centres.

I’d be gutted if French isn’t a Wigan player next year.

Yeah, can’t believe what I’m reading.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sat Oct 23, 2021 9:33 pm  

Mitchell Pearce to Catalans looks like it’s happening.

Be great to see him in SL.