Wigan get Riddell

[GeoffN]

I am indifferent and willing to see how he goes for us before making a judgement. The one piece of information we do not have and will not is the cost.

Me too. the one thing that worries me is the three-year deal; if he does turn out to be another DV, we're stuck with him. I'd have preferred a one year deal with the option of two more if he performs.

[tom g]

I don't really know much about him but from all accounts he will add something on the pitch. However I recall a couple of years back two Eels being in trouble for matters related to drinking, possibly ending in suspension. One was the halfback Tim Smith and the other was Piggy. Hope he will not have off field issues.

[Bear]

When he holds his arm up to aim... The fans used to mock him by putting their arm up...

AND IF HE WAS KICKER

[DaveO]

Im not impressed. We have signed a player we didnt need to cover for. Highma will do as good of a job as Piggy.

I don't know much about Riddle but he is hardly a top origin or rep player is he? He seems like your average NRL pro player who is a bit too fond of the beer and pies.

How often do we say we can't have superstars in every position? Well Higham was good enough and fell into that category but it seems whenever we focus on a particular position we do expect better than we have already got without thinking about the salary cap.

No way will he come on what Higham was on so as we need a playmaker and will have to spend big on 1 and a full back we have signed neither!

The cost is very important. We will see what else we can get with the money we have left.

IMO if we have spent more than Higham's wages on Riddle then surely that money would have been better spent going toward a top class prop and sticking with Higham?

We will have spent more of the precious salary cap fund on a position that was not a priority. If Fielden was up to it and Goulding really a starting centre then fair enough improve other parts of the team but prop and centre are surely where the money should be going?

We will have to see how he goes. As I have said elsewhere if he is as good as Robbie McCormck then great. Anything less then it will be why have we bothered?

Dave

[southern warrrior]

piggy is very popular down here and he has slimmed down a great deal this year shedding quite a few kilos dont remember how many but his game has improved and he's in the starting 13 every week so he cant be that much out of favour. like i said earlier a very versatile player. hope he doesn't prove me wrong ! i remember robbie mac dave o and i think he's definatly as good if not better.

[FROM A TO B]

I really hope "Piggy" reads this site.
It's good to know we're all behind him and wishing him well for the future (NOT)!
When it comes down to it, we currently have 2 hookers of similar stature, whereas is the future we will have a Newton / Cunningham style hooker and a quicker more nimble hooker in McIllorum.
As he has said: "I spoke to Trent a few times," Riddell told AAP.

"I did a fair bit of research on the club and the area itself and just decided it would be the best fit for myself and my partner to get over there and see a bit of the world while we're over there."

Riddell said Barrett, who has asked for a release from the final year of his three-year deal with Wigan for personal reasons, had been positive about the club.

"He was. Everyone I've spoken to has told me I'm going to love it over there and the footy will suit me down to the ground and the fans and everything, it will be a real good fit for me," Riddell said.

"It was probably an easy choice in a way and I just thought it was the right time to get over there.

"I didn't want to really leave it until I was 29, 30 to try and get over there.

"I can get over there now and have three or four years over there and go from there.

[nathan_rugby]

People are moaning about his size and weight. Look at keiran cunningham, the best hooker in the super league and he is by far the biggest, and its not all solid muscle. Same with newton.

We didnt really know to much about barret really when he came did we, he set us alight last year.

David Viaelki was one of the best centres going at parramatta and when we signed him he soon became one of the worst.

Nobody can make judgements until they see him play for us.

[Mike]

I would imagine that swapping Higham for Riddle would be cheaper. Millward was desparate to get Higham, we must have paid over the odds when you consider that ridiculous Bradford swap to get him. Higham is one of the players the IL can switch out to get more room for manuover under the cap. As people have said, Riddell is not an Origin or Test player and as such he is the sort of signing that teams like Wakefield used to make ad-nauseum and still stay under the cap. I imagine this is part of a strategy (perhaps a hastily modified one after Trent's bombshell) to take us into 2009 with a far stronger squad.

[lucky 13]

I think he's a good signing he is sort of in between newton and KC style wise and I have always enjoyed watching him play
Someone said earlier that Higham as been treated badly by the club and maybe things could have been handled better , but for me he has had a hand full of good games in 3 years that in what is now one of the most influential positions in the team is not good enough .
As for money it's once again pure speculation that he will be on more , he has not played rep football in Aus . Higham even if he was on an average SL wage would be overpaid on his performances because he has been less than average for us , I like Micky but he has not done anything like what I thought he may when we signed him , this is proven by Macolrum consistently out playing him this year and getting the starting spot when fit and deservedly so .[/quote]

[pedro]

Higham is not on top dollar