Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:26 pm  

roader wrote:

Someone on NRL forum saying Gold Coast may have signed Matty Russell.

Yes he has

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:21 am  

Great move for him if true.

Shame to lose him but we can't fit him in at the moment. I just hope we've sorted out first option on him should he come back.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:12 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

Great move for him if true.

Shame to lose him but we can't fit him in at the moment. I just hope we've sorted out first option on him should he come back.

Gotta disagree with that one.

We've lost both our starting HB's this season so there was plenty of room for movement in the side.

I'd loved to have seen Sam move back to HB and for us to have signed an aging FB to share the role with Russell.

We should have tried to talk Patten out of retirement and spelled both him and Russell next year.

Realistically with Sam probably leaving in two seasons time we've not planned well for the future here.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:20 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Gotta disagree with that one.

We've lost both our starting HB's this season so there was plenty of room for movement in the side.

I'd loved to have seen Sam move back to HB and for us to have signed an aging FB to share the role with Russell.

We should have tried to talk Patten out of retirement and spelled both him and Russell next year.

Realistically with Sam probably leaving in two seasons time we've not planned well for the future here.

Jack Murphy seemed to be ahead of Russell and at this stage seems more than capable of stepping up next season ans beyond.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:47 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Gotta disagree with that one.

We've lost both our starting HB's this season so there was plenty of room for movement in the side.

I'd loved to have seen Sam move back to HB and for us to have signed an aging FB to share the role with Russell.

We should have tried to talk Patten out of retirement and spelled both him and Russell next year.

Realistically with Sam probably leaving in two seasons time we've not planned well for the future here.

It wasn't the clubs decision, they wanted to keep hold of him, it was his decision to leave. Plus there was no way Wigan would have matched what GCT offered him.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:02 am  

Fair play if they wanted to keep him.

I thought it was a bad planning issue

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:13 am  

I wonder if it will go the same way as the last player they signed from SL......

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:07 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Fair play if they wanted to keep him.

I thought it was a bad planning issue

Wigan spend a lot of time on succession planning, that's why we have signed Smith and Green to fill a void until the emergence of Powell, Williams and Hampshire.

Not everything goes according to plan and that is certainly the case with Matty but in general, I think you will find that the club will get it right over the next few years.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:51 pm  

Possibly also a lot of this year's U20s will find themselves in Super League or Championship squads which will help their development.
It maybe that with the U20s going the best talent of the U19s will be promoted to SL or Champ clubs instead of the U20s. The U20s was constantly being critisised for not providing a competitive environment for developing younger players and that with so few quality U20s squads going to play first team rugby could well be the best for them and their future.

Re: Rumours and signings v8 : Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:18 pm  

Phil Wilkinson ‏@PhilWilkWIG
Ian Lenagan reveals Wigan tried to sign Hull FC-bound Gareth Ellis. Plus Tuson, Hock, Tomkins & Wane in 3-pages of Warriors: Wigan Observer

I don't suppose anyone who takes the Observer. Would like to elaborate on what is said in the article? I presume Ull FC bid more, and that was that.