Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:48 pm  

Dave K. wrote:

How do you think he will do in the NRL, good SL player, but when I look at some of the NRL centres I think he may struggle. Very few backs do well in the NRL from the UK?

I hope he does well but I'm not predicting it to be honest. I think he may struggle defensively, and may not be big enough to make the hard yards. He has injury concerns too now. I'm guessing the club will be looking for a centre and a winger to replace him and French (with Hardaker taking the FB spot and Bibby taking one centre position).

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:01 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

It's hardly news is it? He's said all along that he'd like to have a go over in Aus. Good luck to him. He'll have completed seven seasons at Wigan at the end of this year.
His three best mates, Williams, Sutton and Joe Burgess have experienced the Aussie lifestyle so it was almost inevitable that he would want to try his luck.
If he stays fit he should do well over there.

I agree there shouldn't be any ill feeling towards him if he does go - seven seasons of full commitment and a huge asset to the team. I'll enjoy watching him play NRL and there's always the chance he'll come back of course.

But the NRL bug seems to have well and truly infected the Wigan club and looks to be spreading all the time. Compare the NRL moves of English players in the Wigan and St Helens clubs over the last decade and it looks like this (I may have missed someone):

Saints - James Graham, Luke Thompson
Wigan - Sam Tomkins, John Bateman, Ryan Sutton, George Williams, Joe Burgess, Dan Sarginson, Harry Rushton, Oliver Gildart (a move for Ethan Havard also looks inevitable in the next few years)

Probably three main reasons for this in addition to the general appeal of a better quality competition, new country, great weather etc.

1) Players are watching how well it has gone for their mates and want to follow in their footsteps (plus it will always help with the transition if they know there will be a familiar face or two already there).

2) NRL clubs will be watching the success of some of the WIgan boys that have gone over and potentially target the club's players as a result.

3) The policy of the Wigan club not to try to prevent NRL moves but part with players on good terms in the hope they will return.

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:47 pm  

I'm one of those who thinks that S. Tomkins time in the NRL could've gone very differently if he went to a different club (and obviously had a better luck with injuries). I feel pretty similar about Gildart. If he stays fit and signs for a competitive team then I think he could really impress. If he goes to Wests and they don't improve substantially from where they are now, I think he might struggle to make an impact.

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:12 pm  

MadDogg wrote:

I agree there shouldn't be any ill feeling towards him if he does go - seven seasons of full commitment and a huge asset to the team. I'll enjoy watching him play NRL and there's always the chance he'll come back of course.

But the NRL bug seems to have well and truly infected the Wigan club and looks to be spreading all the time. Compare the NRL moves of English players in the Wigan and St Helens clubs over the last decade and it looks like this (I may have missed someone):

Saints - James Graham, Luke Thompson
Wigan - Sam Tomkins, John Bateman, Ryan Sutton, George Williams, Joe Burgess, Dan Sarginson, Harry Rushton, Oliver Gildart (a move for Ethan Havard also looks inevitable in the next few years)

Probably three main reasons for this in addition to the general appeal of a better quality competition, new country, great weather etc.

1) Players are watching how well it has gone for their mates and want to follow in their footsteps (plus it will always help with the transition if they know there will be a familiar face or two already there).

2) NRL clubs will be watching the success of some of the WIgan boys that have gone over and potentially target the club's players as a result.

3) The policy of the Wigan club not to try to prevent NRL moves but part with players on good terms in the hope they will return.

Jordan Turner, Andre Savelio, Levy Nzoungou?

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:25 pm  

Think he will be ok in attack but honestly think he will get trampled all over in defence and not last very long. If we can somehow get Jake Wardle I will be a happy man. Gildarts injuries are mounting up and his pace will soon be gone

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:29 pm  

Cherry_&_White wrote:

I'm one of those who thinks that S. Tomkins time in the NRL could've gone very differently if he went to a different club (and obviously had a better luck with injuries). I feel pretty similar about Gildart. If he stays fit and signs for a competitive team then I think he could really impress. If he goes to Wests and they don't improve substantially from where they are now, I think he might struggle to make an impact.

It’s the injuries part that ruined Tomkins second season and that probably would’ve happened at the best or worst club in the NRL. I bet Gildart would snatch your hand off for a season like Tomkins first in the NRL. I recall he got around 12 try’s and 12 assists, which was comparable that season with an in their pomp Greg Inglis and Billy Slater but he did it in a poor side.

The point is a good one about going to a good side though. He could probably look at his mate Luke Thompson. It’s not been a huge period of time he’s spent over there and he’s playing pretty well but he’s not a stand out (yet) like he was here. If he were playing at Melbourne or Souths for example, I think he’d be earning rave reviews.

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:47 pm  

Let's face it, he's already there.

He certainly doesn't seem to be at Wigan.

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:57 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

It’s the injuries part that ruined Tomkins second season and that probably would’ve happened at the best or worst club in the NRL. I bet Gildart would snatch your hand off for a season like Tomkins first in the NRL. I recall he got around 12 try’s and 12 assists, which was comparable that season with an in their pomp Greg Inglis and Billy Slater but he did it in a poor side.

The point is a good one about going to a good side though. He could probably look at his mate Luke Thompson. It’s not been a huge period of time he’s spent over there and he’s playing pretty well but he’s not a stand out (yet) like he was here. If he were playing at Melbourne or Souths for example, I think he’d be earning rave reviews.

but with a good medical team at a club that could have given the right diagnostic and sorted it instead of the shambles NZW gave, he landed back in England and once assessed went under the knife

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 4:31 pm  

Pieman wrote:

but with a good medical team at a club that could have given the right diagnostic and sorted it instead of the shambles NZW gave, he landed back in England and once assessed went under the knife

Suppose so. I must admit other than knowing it was a knee injury I don’t know a great deal but he had issues here before he went with his knee and it all just seemed a continuation of that.

I always just like to defend his time in the NRL. His time gets spoke about like it was an injury plagued mess from start to end, when in truth he had one very good year and one ruined by injury.

Re: Oliver Gildart? : Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:18 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Jordan Turner, Andre Savelio, Levy Nzoungou?

Joe Greenwood