Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Discuss all things Wigan Warriors. Comments and opinions on all aspects of the club's performance are welcome.
User avatar
wall_of_voodoo
Posts: 1231
Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:51 am

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by wall_of_voodoo »

Not a potential signing I dislike (mind you I was happy when we poached Tautai from Wakey) however https://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpr ... 1-9754562
Head coach Powell confirmed that the player had been offered a new deal, as Mitch Clark himself told the Pontefract & Castleford Express last week.
We could be simply being used as a bargaining tool for more money

Money needs spending on a quality spine. The rest are fillers but with a poor 6 -7 - 9- and 13 we achieve nothing with world beating props (if they even exist)
I'm a better fan than you
Because I don't "Boo"!!!

Yes I bloody know transfer fees do not count on the salary cap for those illiterates that need it explaining to them because they assume everyone is as thick as they are :roll:
Dev
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2019 11:57 am

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by Dev »

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 2:23 pm
moto748 wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 1:46 pm
ancientnloyal wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 12:42 pm I stopped reading after “out of contract with Castleford this year”

Ffs
Cas are a better side than Wigan right now all across the park. Almost any of their players (with one or two exceptions), parachuted into the current Wigan side, would improve it.

You may resent that, but it's where we are.
And how are we going to change that by taking their cast offs? if you accept they have a better team then taking players they deem not good enough is hardly going to change that is it? put it this way do you think Cas fans would rather us take Clark or Watts?
How can you say he’s a cast off and say they deem him not good enough when Cas have said clearly they want to keep him, he is out of contract at the end of the season and they are doing their best to try and persuade him to stay, that’s like saying budgie is a cast off and deemed not good enough because he is out of contract and other clubs are looking at him! He’s an upgrade on tautai and clubb that’s for sure!
medlocke
Posts: 10628
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:57 am
Location: Millom
Contact:

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by medlocke »

Some ginger gadjee on Facebook is claiming he's signed for Bradford
Woody1989
Posts: 182
Joined: Mon Nov 18, 2013 11:16 pm

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by Woody1989 »

From the little I've seen of Clark he looks decent, not world class but an upgrade on Tautai. There doesn't seem to be many world class forwards off contract at the minute. David Fifita has just signed a new deal with Wakey and the only other one I can think of is George Burgess (who'll no doubt will be going to Leeds if he decides to come to SL).

Replacing Tautai and Hamlin with Clark and Amor might be the best we can do right now.
adiddy
Posts: 607
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2003 5:26 pm

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by adiddy »

Wigan_forever1985 wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 12:51 pm
Blackpool_Pie wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 12:18 pm
adiddy wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 10:39 am Mitch Clarke might be seen as a cheap signing but he's also a beast of a forward who runs the ball in like a prop forward should. A forward like we haven't got at the moment.

I'm happy with this potential signing as he's effective and won't cost a lot.


Matt
I agree with this.

I've seen him a few times and hes cut from the same cloth as Bullock who was also considered cheap.
Also, check out cas fans reactions to this news. They aren't happy one bit.
Welcome to the middle of the pack mentality

I get that fans want to remain positive but the two posts above just sum up where Wigan are now.

On Bullock i feel we are getting the Sam Powell syndrome here, because he's better than most people thought he'd be he's being mistaken for very good which im sorry he isnt. He is ok, thats it, hes a filler prop a work horse you have in your team in the acceptance that you cant have superstars across the board. He isnt a pack leader nor does he bring anything but hard work. Im not trying to put him down as he is doing a good job for us but lets not use him as the yard stick for good props.

He is basically the same as a mossop or crosby - two props deemed not good enough for Wigan a few years ago - just because he came from the championship it skews expectation.

Again im not trying to sound negative but fans seem to accept that this is the Wigan standard of player, its just like when we were signing all the dross we signed years ago like Wilkes, Botham, James, Withers, Mcavoy, Millard etc - yeah some of them did better than expected but dont confuse performing slightly over a low expectation to performing
[/quote

Crikey sorry for having an opinion on a player rated by Cas fans, who is only 26 and runs the ball in harder and more often than any of our forwards. I've only supported Wigan for 40 years and seen us in situations a damn site worse than we are now. Some supporters need to get a bit of perspective. But what do I know........I've only got a middle of the pack mentality.


Matt
w.thomas
Posts: 347
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2015 11:57 pm

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by w.thomas »

He looks ok, better than most of our forwards on current form but that's not saying much. Not addressing the size issue still are we though? He's hardly a giant at 6ft and 106kg. Always seems like its a matter of who we can get who's being offloaded and cheap. If he signs though I will happily give him a chance to show me how little I know about RL ha
shaunedwardsfanclub
Posts: 6338
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 2:08 pm

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by shaunedwardsfanclub »

wall_of_voodoo wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 7:05 pm Not a potential signing I dislike (mind you I was happy when we poached Tautai from Wakey) however https://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpr ... 1-9754562
Head coach Powell confirmed that the player had been offered a new deal, as Mitch Clark himself told the Pontefract & Castleford Express last week.
We could be simply being used as a bargaining tool for more money

Money needs spending on a quality spine. The rest are fillers but with a poor 6 -7 - 9- and 13 we achieve nothing with world beating props (if they even exist)
We should always show interest in other teams players if only to push their re-signing value up and therefore make clubs struggle under the salary cap.
Winning is down to 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration - Shaun Edwards
ian.birchall
Posts: 3679
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2003 9:42 pm

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by ian.birchall »

moto748 wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 6:04 pm
Wigan_forever1985 wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 2:23 pm
moto748 wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 1:46 pm

Cas are a better side than Wigan right now all across the park. Almost any of their players (with one or two exceptions), parachuted into the current Wigan side, would improve it.

You may resent that, but it's where we are.
And how are we going to change that by taking their cast offs? if you accept they have a better team then taking players they deem not good enough is hardly going to change that is it? put it this way do you think Cas fans would rather us take Clark or Watts?
Well, you imply that Cas are getting rid of him because he's not good enough. Is that the case, or is it cap space that's driving their move? Watts is a decent player, but also a bit of a penalty machine; I wouldn't say it was clear that he would be the better choice. And, as I say, ATEOTD, either would improve us.
I was surprised to see on the Superleague Show that Watts on more than 1200 yards was the 3rd greatest meter gainer in Superleague after two stains backs, yes he gives penalties away but he also adds grunt and aggression. I posted we could have done with him when Hull offloaded him to Cas last season, I still think that..
Regarder une fille en bikini, c'est comme avoir un revolver chargé sur sa table:
Il n'y a rien de mal a ça mais il est difficile de penser à autre chose.


Now Europe is just for holidays.
josie andrews
Posts: 35573
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:17 pm
Location: Wigan
Contact:

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by josie andrews »

ian.birchall wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 9:52 am I was surprised to see on the Superleague Show that Watts on more than 1200 yards was the 3rd greatest meter gainer in Superleague after two stains backs, yes he gives penalties away but he also adds grunt and aggression. I posted we could have done with him when Hull offloaded him to Cas last season, I still think that..
I like Liam Watts & thought the same when he left Hull. Would have liked to see him at Wigan 😊

I think you mentioned in previous post about getting Scott Taylor! He would never come back to Wigan as he used us to get back to play for Hull FC where he & his family are massive supporters of the club.
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
DaveO
Posts: 15880
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2002 5:32 pm

Re: Wigan Warriors target New Zealand prop for 2020

Post by DaveO »

EagleEyePie wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 6:55 pm Can't say I'm surprised that people are complaining about this. It's par for the course these days that everything has to be met with talk of how terrible things are at the home of the reigning Champions.

Has anyone looked at the off contract list recently? There's barely any talent to be found in there, particularly in the front row, but Mitch Clark does seem like a decent player and Cas fans seem to rate him very highly, which is promising because they have some bloody good forwards in their side.

No, he isn't a Liam Watts, Chris Hill, Luke Thompson etc, although there was a time when the likes of Watts and Hill weren't at the level they are now. Good players don't just suddenly exist so sometimes you've got to be smart and work out which ones are just starting to reach their peak and could become top signings.

Most top class forwards are under contract. The club doesn't seem to be in the position to pay out transfer fees. That leaves us in the same position as a lot of other clubs in fighting to find the best that's out there. Clark could well fit that category.

I agree with Exiled Wiganer, it's hard to get a sense of how good the recruitment will be until it's all done. What we're lacking at the moment is a top quality prop and depth in the front and back row. If the club just signs one big name forward they haven't solved the lack of depth. The club should be looking at several different players and Clark's name is hopefully just one of several targets.

Besides, for those wanting us to sign players from the NRL - just look how Frank-Paul Nu'uausala turned out. Or Roy Asotasi. Or Keith Galloway. Ashton Sims. Anthony Laffranchi. Luke Douglas. Those were not top class Super League props by any stretch of the imagination.

I'd say the best Super League props tend to be the home grown ones, with a few exceptions.
You do realise the above is a damning indictment of the clubs ability to recruit top players? It's just a long list of excuses.

We are supposed to have this great production line of players which ought to mean players we sign from outside are a cut above. Not average joes. When we are reduced to trading players within superleague or recruiting championship players we are headed for mid table mediocrity. This is what mid table sides do.

This isn't to say there aren't some good players in SL but we are not prising the best of them away from their clubs are we? Wire are doing to us recruitment wise what we used to do to them in years gone by, securing players like Widdop.

We also have developed a habit of only spotting players after they have been recruited by other teams. We started this with Green, looks like we will do the same with Hastings and now this player. When are we going to find our own? Do we actually have any scouts worth the name or contacts down under?

As to players not alway making it, well that has applied to plenty of recruits we have made from within SL. We have had a bit of habit of recruiting players who have played well against us in a game and then they have been poor e.g. Tauati. I can't believe you even mentioned FPN. He played exactly how Wane wanted him to play and that wasn't to his strengths. Why we recruited him given Wane's style of forward play I will never know.
Post Reply