Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:22 pm  

Cuddleclub wrote:

Get your point re Lane, I think it just shows the lack of depth and the overall poor nature of the squad. Okunbor and Pele will either be rocks or diamonds. I can’t see any change from previous seasons we will pick up a few decent wins and then fall away final third of the season as usual, finishing 8th-10th.

I don't think the squad is too bad, definitely weakness in the backrow.

I'll be disappointed if we don't improve, but tend to agree it won't be by much.

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:26 pm  

Dave K. wrote:

I don't think the squad is too bad, definitely weakness in the backrow.

I'll be disappointed if we don't improve, but tend to agree it won't be by much.

Wigan have got a bench choose from of -

Cooper
Mago
Thompson
Dupree
Leeming
Hill
Nsemba
Walters
Chan
Eseh
Hampshire

Just shows for me how poor our squad is. We are either massively mismanaging the cap or we are nowhere near it. For me it’s the latter, despite what Adam says.

Hope I’m wrong but I can’t see much improvement.

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:31 pm  

Dave K. wrote:

I don't mind Scott and Brown on the bench TBH.

When you have those two and Cator on the bench and Wigan have as their bench options (from the post above):

Cooper
Mago
Thompson
Dupree
Leeming
Hill
Nsemba
Walters
Chan
Eseh
Hampshire

Then I think that is a very lightweight bench (Pele aside) and will struggle to be a match for Wigan

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:32 pm  

Cuddleclub wrote:

Wigan have got a bench choose from of -

Cooper
Mago
Thompson
Dupree
Leeming
Hill
Nsemba
Walters
Chan
Eseh
Hampshire

Just shows for me how poor our squad is. We are either massively mismanaging the cap or we are nowhere near it. For me it’s the latter, despite what Adam says.

Hope I’m wrong but I can’t see much improvement.

Waste of time comparing us to Wigan, no squad in SL comes close, they have 3 marquee players amd fantastic youth system.

Not sure what Smith could do better for recruitment, think he did just about as good as he could do.

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:32 pm  

Ellam wrote:

Yeah looks like
Walker
Litten/Martin
Carlos
Sutcliffe
McIntosh
Hoy
Brown
Ese’ese
Houghton
Ashworth
Sao
Okunbur
Fash
Subs
Cator(interchange at 9)
Pele
Brown
Scott
if Smith fit first game I'd swap him and Cator.

Aren't you forgetting Taylor??

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:33 pm  

Steve0 wrote:

When you have those two and Cator on the bench and Wigan have as their bench options (from the post above):

Cooper
Mago
Thompson
Dupree
Leeming
Hill
Nsemba
Walters
Chan
Eseh
Hampshire

Then I think that is a very lightweight bench (Pele aside) and will struggle to be a match for Wigan

As said above, most clubs will this season.

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 1:39 pm  

Dave K. wrote:

Waste of time comparing us to Wigan, no squad in SL comes close, they have 3 marquee players amd fantastic youth system.

Not sure what Smith could do better for recruitment, think he did just about as good as he could do.

They can spend the same as anyone else baring 3 marquees which I don’t think makes that much difference over the course of a 25+ man squad.

Cooper
Mago
Dupree
Leeming
Walters
Chan
Eseh

All aren’t from their academy.

I don’t blame smith. I blame the powers that be, not a chance we are anywhere near full cap with our squad and if we are then there are serious problems.

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:44 pm  

Doom mongers started before season kicks off.Cricky let's give the lads a chance before writing them. Jeez

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:57 pm  

hull2524 wrote:

Doom mongers started before season kicks off.Cricky let's give the lads a chance before writing them. Jeez

There's a difference between criticising and saying that Wigan have far more strength in depth / better bench options than we do

Re: Pre-season. : Wed Jan 31, 2024 3:04 pm  

Cuddleclub wrote:

Brown is ok, Scott is a waste on the bench for me, he either starts or doesn’t make the 17, especially if you’ve already got a utility like a cator/smith on the bench.

Agree. Scott should be competing for a centre spot at this stage in his career. Play him at centre or leave him out and start with another forward on the bench. Okunbor can be moved to the backs in case of injuries.

Desperately need another forward preferably a second row otherwise Sao or Ashworth will probably have to start there and weaken the front row.