Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 12:17 pm  

Cherry_&_White wrote:

You 100% can't blame them. They'll have likely been brought up dreaming of winning trophies for Wigan, but it's difficult for that to overcome the offer of vastly bigger wages and playing at the highest level.

Sadly I think as long as we continue to produce players who are good enough, we will continue to lose a decent percentage to the NRL. I don't think there's a Leeds or Saints model that we can adopt to convince them to stay. I'm pretty much resigned to KPP going at the end of his contract, but hopefully the noises about Havard extending for another few years are right. If we can keep him until he develops into an international class player, and keep Byrne and Smithies for the foreseeable too, then I' be happy with that.

I don’t think we have to worry about the likes of Byrne or Smithies as they don’t really strike me as NRL type targets.

I do believe any of the England players who are below 28 and have good World Cup campaigns will start to be on NRL shopping lists which may affect Saints, especially with Wolfe strongly linked to a return to the NRL next season and the new Dolphins franchise diluting the player pool further in Australia.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 12:39 pm  

Woolf must be a strong contender for the Canterbury job

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 1:55 pm  

TonyM19 wrote:

Woolf must be a strong contender for the Canterbury job

Gould has already said there will be an interim coach until the end of the season and it seems as though Fittler is the one that they want

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 2:50 pm  

NSW wrote:

Spoke to Rads a few weeks ago and he seems confident Nsemba will play first team this year.

If we can keep Havard/KPP long term our pack will be in good hands

Junior (Nsemba) scored a hat-trick yesterday and I can see him making it to the very top, he is only 18 years old so he doesn't need to be rushed through. I've seen him play since he was about 12 and he's very special indeed and a natural athlete.

When he played in the Wire friendly I heard that the first team players were very excited about him despite his age.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 4:02 pm  

MattyB wrote:

Junior (Nsemba) scored a hat-trick yesterday and I can see him making it to the very top, he is only 18 years old so he doesn't need to be rushed through. I've seen him play since he was about 12 and he's very special indeed and a natural athlete.

When he played in the Wire friendly I heard that the first team players were very excited about him despite his age.

Isn't he only 17? I may be wrong though.

He was very close to playing against Hudds I believe last Thursday however Nicholson got the nod as he is on loan and Wigan don't want loan players to be forgotten about so he got his reward for that.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 6:41 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Makes little sense the link with Vaughan, unless he’s being offered round on an extremely good deal. He’s a good player, no doubt about it but we seem to be going down the route of getting those 23-25 year old players, on the fringes of NRL first teams. They’re cheaper and they’re hungry to prove a point. I think we’ll carry on with that if quota spots open up.

At his age and given recent events you can understand why he is being offered to SL clubs.

No doubt he would benefit from a fresh start too.

Would be a very 2002 type signing…

At the right price It could be a shrewd pick up for somebody.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 6:48 pm  

dany1979 wrote:

At his age and given recent events you can understand why he is being offered to SL clubs.

No doubt he would benefit from a fresh start too.

At the right price It could be a shrewd pick up for somebody.

Probably Catalan

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 7:41 pm  

dany1979 wrote:

At his age and given recent events you can understand why he is being offered to SL clubs.

No doubt he would benefit from a fresh start too.

Would be a very 2002 type signing…

At the right price It could be a shrewd pick up for somebody.

I saw a report earlier saying Karl Fitzpatrick is in Oz wrapping up deals for Dufty and Vaughan. That would make more sense on Vaughan and it would be a very Wire like signing.

I fancied us having a punt on him last year but that’s what it is, a punt! I can’t blame myself for that as we did have Clubb wobbling about and Bullock sat in the stands more often than not. We’re in a much stronger position now. I’d like another prop but I’d want a sure thing. A player with a good character, who we know will come in and improve us. He could do that quite easily but he could just as easily be an absolute dud.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 9:05 pm  

The pieman wrote:

.

I know you cant stop players wanting to move on, especially as the NRL is seen as the best league in the world and salary cap significantly higher, but Leeds and Saints have prevented mass exodus, so why have Wigan not been able to do that?

I asked this exact question to KR.

He said it’ll start happening to Saints more, “I know how much they are paying Morgan Knowles (who had just signed a new deal).” Said player retainment is the hardest part of his job.


Edit this isn’t a quote but it’s what I inferred - Basically if the NRL want them, and the player wants to go. There’s not much he can do.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 16, 2022 9:07 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

I saw a report earlier saying Karl Fitzpatrick is in Oz wrapping up deals for Dufty and Vaughan. That would make more sense on Vaughan and it would be a very Wire like signing.

I fancied us having a punt on him last year but that’s what it is, a punt! I can’t blame myself for that as we did have Clubb wobbling about and Bullock sat in the stands more often than not. We’re in a much stronger position now. I’d like another prop but I’d want a sure thing. A player with a good character, who we know will come in and improve us. He could do that quite easily but he could just as easily be an absolute dud.

Yep, the club seem to have made pretty big strides in terms of creating the right culture so it would be an odd move to go for Vaughan.

I could actually see him at Leigh under Lam.