Where do you see the youngsters in 5 years time?

[ancientnloyal]

I think the way schools are promoting healthy eating... those who are seen as 'fat' or a potential natural prop may not become one in the future.

[lucky 13]

I think the way schools are promoting healthy eating... those who are seen as 'fat' or a potential natural prop may not become one in the future.

[thegimble]

Hansen is in the second year of a four year deal which I guess Noble was involved with ?

I am pretty sure Hansen was one of the players who's contract was extended as part of the deferred payments idea of Mo's to stick under the salary cap. Whether Nobby would have wanted him to be given an extension had the circumstances not forced the issue we don't know. He looks OK to me but I would have thought four year deals were for world beaters.

Dave

I think Hansen is worth a 4 year contract so long as hes not on daft money. Problem we have is in keeping players after they turn 20-22 as they want more money only for no space in the cap as its gone on star names.

Hopefully that policy stops and we do get quality players but also manage to give players bit more time to develop.

[ancientnloyal]

I think the way schools are promoting healthy eating... those who are seen as 'fat' or a potential natural prop may not become one in the future.

Ey it was a serious statement... I didnt have much time to think about it... but changes in the way we eat "5-a-day-or-be-a-ga..." fruits and veg etc... plastered everywhere on telly and the media. Poorer families may just buy the junk or unhealthier options for economical reasons, but wont afford to send a kid off to rugby training.


My idea is quite thin at present but I hope some people are seeing what im tyring to get at.

[lucky 13]

From what I've been told , you can test what size somebody will be at around 9 years old with a measurement of a bone in the hand , a lot of football clubs do it Liverpool for example my mates lad is in the academy system so Iknow they do , and it is widely used in American Football .
I would imagine that Ocarrol has always enjoyed is food and he has also been on a dietary program since he has been at Wigan the fact seems to be he genetically will never be as big as Prescott , no matter how many burgers he eats

[pedro]

Wigan has produced props in the past Prescott, Bibey and Hargreaves are all in the startign 17 week in, week out.

Large props are a dying breed and the trend is slowly becoming no matter what position you are you can cover anywhere due to size and speed. More and more players are comign through at the size of Bailey, Hock and Hansen.

I think with a bit of work Mossop will be a very big lad as he has the frame.

[cpwigan]

I just look at the NRL where forwards seem to be getting bigger. Lots of polynesian/south sea islander influence in many of those forwards.

Lucky is correct. You can test very early in a youngsters development. Lucas is the last prop physique but agile/fast for his size we produced IMO. Afterwards we seemed to get the Baynes model.

I do believe a lot of potential props are lost to the sport at a very early age.

[ian.birchall]

Sorry to query this, but is it really a new system? People keep going on about the lack of Wigan-produced youngsters in recent years but as far as I can tell they've always been there. Amongst those who have left in the last few years after making first team appearances are Dave Allen, Chris Ashton, Martin Aspinwall, Bob Beswick, Ricky Bibey, Liam Bretherton, Shaun Briscoe, James Coyle, Wes Davies, Sean Gleeson... the list goes on and on. Interestingly, of the names in my random list above only really two could be considered successful players now, Aspy and Briscoe. The rest didn't make the grade in Superleague, so just because players are "home-grown" doesn't mean they'll be great for Wigan in the future.[/quote]


Are you forgetting Stephen Wild Fraggle, he did gain more than one international cap and then of course there is Dodgy who personally I would have kept at Wigan

[cpwigan]

I do agree with Fraggle re the system has been there for the last 20+ years. Moreover, for every success (success = a player capable of representing a successful Wigan RLFC) there will be umpteen other Wigan born/developed youngsters plying their trade elsewhere. Always has been, always will be.

[GeoffN]

Brown & Robinson looked pretty good today, too!