Marshall extends deal

[wall_of_voodoo]

Of course, it's very pleasing to see him signing this extension, his general form and improvement over the last year or two has been great to see, and definitely sees him go above JB.
What we have to remember though, is for every deserving contract extension we make to these young stars, like Harvard, Byrne, Smith and so on, there is a balancing act to deliver the Salary Cap strategically. So calls from fans to sign so and so, to improve whatever position, requires a controlled approach, which often goes missing, naturally from fans' emotions, but needs to be arithmetically sustained by the Club.

I think everyone already knows this. It is the clubs bizarre approach to recruitment and retention that raises the eyebrows from fans.

Example. Last season we had Davies, Burgess, Manfedi and Marshall as first team wingers. Ignoring injuries how many other clubs choose to have so many yet then recruit another in Bevan French?

This season. We then point out that Bevan French is now a full back which then means both Hardaker and Escare are shunted around (or dropped) to accommodate. Three full backs!

Centres. We have Gildart, Hankinson and recruit Bibby but because we have accommodated French to full back have to give one centre position to Hardaker. Why sign Bibby?

Tommy. Initially signed to play for another couple of seasons. Four years later still going and more and more ineffective performances. When the "plan" was for him to go into coaching, why keep re-signing him? Ditto Lockers?

Sign Bullock, Clarke and Burgess as props after giving Clubb a two year deal he never deserved on form and also having to fit players that appear to have moved quickly into the first team frame. Players like Partington, Byrne and Havard maturing well as first graders.

It is a haphazard and at times nonsensical approach to recruitment that belies the fact there is a salary cap and often sees the club squander money on players who should have either never been signed in the first place or kept on after their initial deals ended.

[widdenoldboy]

Well deserved, when first came into the team his speed and finishing prowess where evident.
SInce then he has added an ability to make hard yards (so we hardly miss Davies), is safer under the kick (last match apart) and has put in some bell ringing tackles to be a near complete winger. Oh yeh, and he adding the X factor to his game.

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

Good stuff.

[DaveO]

Of course, it's very pleasing to see him signing this extension, his general form and improvement over the last year or two has been great to see, and definitely sees him go above JB.
What we have to remember though, is for every deserving contract extension we make to these young stars, like Harvard, Byrne, Smith and so on, there is a balancing act to deliver the Salary Cap strategically. So calls from fans to sign so and so, to improve whatever position, requires a controlled approach, which often goes missing, naturally from fans' emotions, but needs to be arithmetically sustained by the Club.

Completely disagree. The fans know full well we work under a salary cap and know full well the implications of that i.e. you can't just go out and sign this or that superstar. Are you really suggesting they don't get this by now? That's a a bit patronising if you are.

What they can also see is that, to use your phrase, "for every deserving contract extension" there are contract extensions that should not be made and if they weren't perhaps we could go out and improve the team by signing(s). I mentioned several of these on the Sam Powell thread so no need to repeat them here.

As to Marshall I am very pleased he's extended and well done to him for showing the form to win that contract extension.

He's a bit like Farrell. An excellent SL player who probably would not make it in the NRL but has secured his future at arguably the top club in the UK game. When people go on about we can't have superstars in every position if they were all as good Marshall & Farrell you might not see so many calls to bring in players anyway.

[ancientnloyal]

Deserves a new contract pleased for the lad

Yup

[ancientnloyal]

With a position like wing Wigan have over the past decade brought up from within... Richards was maybe the last outsider. We have a great production line in that position and even more to come by the looks of it.

Long may it continue

[morley pie eater]

Of course, it's very pleasing to see him signing this extension, his general form and improvement over the last year or two has been great to see, and definitely sees him go above JB.
What we have to remember though, is for every deserving contract extension we make to these young stars, like Harvard, Byrne, Smith and so on, there is a balancing act to deliver the Salary Cap strategically. So calls from fans to sign so and so, to improve whatever position, requires a controlled approach, which often goes missing, naturally from fans' emotions, but needs to be arithmetically sustained by the Club.

Completely disagree. The fans know full well we work under a salary cap and know full well the implications of that i.e. you can't just go out and sign this or that superstar. Are you really suggesting they don't get this by now? That's a a bit patronising if you are.

What they can also see is that, to use your phrase, "for every deserving contract extension" there are contract extensions that should not be made and if they weren't perhaps we could go out and improve the team by signing(s). I mentioned several of these on the Sam Powell thread so no need to repeat them here.

As to Marshall I am very pleased he's extended and well done to him for showing the form to win that contract extension.

He's a bit like Farrell. An excellent SL player who probably would not make it in the NRL but has secured his future at arguably the top club in the UK game. When people go on about we can't have superstars in every position if they were all as good Marshall & Farrell you might not see so many calls to bring in players anyway.

Which bit do you "completely disagree" with?
Presumably "completely" implies all of it?
So you completely disagree that a young player signing an improved contract has salary cap implications? That choices have to be made?

Or maybe it's just a self-descriptive phrase applying to everyone and everything they say?

Whatever you say, DaveO completely disagrees - just take it as read from now on.

[Nezza Faz]

Without trawling back over past threads, please name a player(s) DaveO that we should have signed, and stayed within the Cap, with the added implication of improving the salaries of those younger squad players who form the future of the Club ? I know it's early days but we are top of the League, so somebody's doing a reasonable job of managing these things, with the bonus of having star marquee players like Hastings, French and Burgess signed up. I'd imagine they are already planning for Hastings position, whether they can tempt him to stay or if he leaves.
PS Apologies if my post sounded "a bit patronising" to you, completely unintended.

[nathan_rugby]

Of course, it's very pleasing to see him signing this extension, his general form and improvement over the last year or two has been great to see, and definitely sees him go above JB.
What we have to remember though, is for every deserving contract extension we make to these young stars, like Harvard, Byrne, Smith and so on, there is a balancing act to deliver the Salary Cap strategically. So calls from fans to sign so and so, to improve whatever position, requires a controlled approach, which often goes missing, naturally from fans' emotions, but needs to be arithmetically sustained by the Club.

I think everyone already knows this. It is the clubs bizarre approach to recruitment and retention that raises the eyebrows from fans.

Example. Last season we had Davies, Burgess, Manfedi and Marshall as first team wingers. Ignoring injuries how many other clubs choose to have so many yet then recruit another in Bevan French?

This season. We then point out that Bevan French is now a full back which then means both Hardaker and Escare are shunted around (or dropped) to accommodate. Three full backs!

Centres. We have Gildart, Hankinson and recruit Bibby but because we have accommodated French to full back have to give one centre position to Hardaker. Why sign Bibby?

Tommy. Initially signed to play for another couple of seasons. Four years later still going and more and more ineffective performances. When the "plan" was for him to go into coaching, why keep re-signing him? Ditto Lockers?

Sign Bullock, Clarke and Burgess as props after giving Clubb a two year deal he never deserved on form and also having to fit players that appear to have moved quickly into the first team frame. Players like Partington, Byrne and Havard maturing well as first graders.

It is a haphazard and at times nonsensical approach to recruitment that belies the fact there is a salary cap and often sees the club squander money on players who should have either never been signed in the first place or kept on after their initial deals ended.

Fully agree, there doesn't seem to be any logic at all.

Add signing Greenwood to the mix who plays the same side as Farrell.

Succession planning for Lockers also. Where is that? I know Smithies looks possible but he only came out of the woodwork last year. Was it going to be Bateman?

[Nezza Faz]

You say Smithies "only just come out of the woodwork" - he's actually been here as an Academy product for around 5+ years. So if that isn't "succession planning" I don't know what is, and the same can be said of the other youngsters in the same age bracket, like Smith, Borough (sp), Byrne, Partington, etc. They are all the results from succession planning, that's why you have an Academy together with a Coaching Team surrounding that. They are not just plucked from obscurity without some close monitoring. They have a value ! And as pointedly obvious, we are top of the League for a reason, therefore someone's done some planning, or does that just happen too. Every neutral pundit points at Wigan's "succession planning" and the method we have behind it, which they say should be a blueprint for the rest of the game to copy ! Or we could just try and "buy" success, like Warrington/Hull !!
I'd imagine with SOL, they feel he still can contribute this season and can add to the team at certain stages of the year, whilst Greenwood was everyone's pick whilst he was in form last season, before injuries played their part.