Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 8:13 am  

Tricky Dicky wrote:

His agent was not at all impressed at Tommy going around again on his full 80 minutes radio show last week.

Me neither and I suspect his Dad is also not impressed, unless Leuluai is only going to play in emergency if we have injuries or suspensions to Field, Hastings, Powell and Smith.

If Smith is to become a regular first team game time player getting more experience, the time has come for Tommy to go on the coaching staff as was expected that he would do at the end of the this season.

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:52 am  

Ruddy Duck wrote:

Me neither and I suspect his Dad is also not impressed, unless Leuluai is only going to play in emergency if we have injuries or suspensions to Field, Hastings, Powell and Smith.

If Smith is to become a regular first team game time player getting more experience, the time has come for Tommy to go on the coaching staff as was expected that he would do at the end of the this season.

If I was either his agent or his dad I wouldn't go rocking the boat too much in 2021. Smith will get some decent game time next season no doubt, will be twelve months older and more experienced (still only a very young lad). Exactly the same with Ryan Hampshire, his dad (then ultimately his agent) making demands to Wigan which ended up being his downfall.

For 2022 Tommy will retire and Hastings will probably leave us as his contract has expired, with luck Smith could then be our consistent half back for the next 7-10 years.

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:28 pm  

MattyB wrote:

If I was either his agent or his dad I wouldn't go rocking the boat too much in 2021. Smith will get some decent game time next season no doubt, will be twelve months older and more experienced (still only a very young lad). Exactly the same with Ryan Hampshire, his dad (then ultimately his agent) making demands to Wigan which ended up being his downfall.

For 2022 Tommy will retire and Hastings will probably leave us as his contract has expired, with luck Smith could then be our consistent half back for the next 7-10 years.

I have also considered the Hampshire analogy and my worry (which could be total bs) is that Smith maybe impatient for regular game time particularly if he has strong confidence in his own abilities.

Hopefully as Rouges posted earlier he will be offered improved terms from the start of the 2021 season.

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 2:23 pm  

It is unrealistic to think that we will play the same team every week. I know we always like to see our strongest players but in a high impact game like ours it would make sense to bring developing players in and use them throughout the season. It may well be the difference between having a raft of injuries and having to out them in all at once. If one bench player a week is the reason that we lose we are getting something very wrong and if TL is the only reason that our defence is sound then someone needs to take a good hard look at themselves..

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 4:41 pm  

Itchy Arsenal wrote:

I have also considered the Hampshire analogy and my worry (which could be total bs) is that Smith maybe impatient for regular game time particularly if he has strong confidence in his own abilities.

Hopefully as Rouges posted earlier he will be offered improved terms from the start of the 2021 season.

I believe Hampshire and smith have the same agent

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:17 pm  

Tricky Dicky wrote:

I believe Hampshire and smith have the same agent

Ah on the podcast that I heard he was very gushing in his praise of Smith and Dodds (?) at Saints

Not sure if I’m happy with that news or not

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:48 pm  

MattyB wrote:

If I was either his agent or his dad I wouldn't go rocking the boat too much in 2021. Smith will get some decent game time next season no doubt, will be twelve months older and more experienced (still only a very young lad). Exactly the same with Ryan Hampshire, his dad (then ultimately his agent) making demands to Wigan which ended up being his downfall.

For 2022 Tommy will retire and Hastings will probably leave us as his contract has expired, with luck Smith could then be our consistent half back for the next 7-10 years.

I agree with you over not rocking any boats no young lad,no matter how good is bigger than the team wait your turn and it’ll come soon enough.

I don’t buy though,this idea Hastings will go home it seems to me he’s building a life for himself in the U.K.,his past with the NRL is Rocky to say the least no I where a betting person I’d say he will still be here for a couple of years at least

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:56 pm  

Different situations between Hampshire and Smith IMO. Unless Smith is completely thick he will realise there's a strong likelihood that some/all of French, Hastings and Leuluai won't be here in 2022, and that he is the obvious person to step up. Hampshire never had that situation, he wasn't used in the halves and the incumbents didn't look like going anywhere.

My worry isn't that Smith gets annoyed and leaves. My worry is that we don't develop him enough in 2021 then suddenly expect him to be the main man in 2022. Players with far bigger reps than him have struggled as a starting halfback for Wigan. They need to put him in position to succeed if they're going to give him that responsibility in 2022.

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 6:21 pm  

The halves in 2022 could be Smith and Jai Field

Re: Squad numbers announced : Sun Dec 13, 2020 7:48 pm  

Tricky Dicky wrote:

The halves in 2022 could be Smith and Jai Field

I think that's the most likely outcome.