Lauaki

[Kittwazzer]

If he puts a Wigan shirt on I will support him as I did with Mathers and Pryce until it became obvious they weren't Wigan standard.

I think most fans will take the same line.

Face it. He must be an SW signing and if Shaun can't make a prop perform, no-one can!

[the winky one]

I think Luaki will be a good signing. Hes a big lad and mobile with it too, can also pass.

Hes not had the best season but who has under Agar. Hes a poor coach. Luaki went very well for the Warriors down under, but like most Tongans and New Zeland folk they love coming over here so was released from the last year of his contract to join Hull.

Its like Deja Vou on here Deacon for example who everybody said was a poor signing and past it.
Piggy was a poor signing as was Richards according to some. But under a decent coach, look how good they have been.

Good signing IMO.

Well we need someone to stand up to the opposition and not be bullied...remember what was said about Finch earlier
in the season?. Let's wait before we start screaming

[butt monkey]

Lauaki is a lazy penalty liability.

Strange!

Exactly the same criticisms were being leveled at Andy Coley when Wigan were originally linked with him. Is he the same player? Or did his style of play/fitness improve just enough for peoples opinions to change slightly?

[butt monkey]

Lauaki is a lazy penalty liability.
Freddie put 100% into every game he plays.
Its not the size of the dog in the fight as I see it and its Freddy hands down here.

Totally agree. As Two Eyed Warrior says anyone can see how poor Lauaki is as a player and Freddie has signed a three year deal at Hull.

This is the worst bit of signing / transfer news since IFL got here.

I feel sorry for Wane. He is going to be lumbered with Lauaki and some Crusader rejects compared to Madge who has Coley and Hoffman in the side with O'Carroll ready for a come back.

Oh grow up Dave!

Saying the Wane will have to manage without Coley and Hoffman is hardly any ones fault. Coley's retirement cannot be blamed on anyone. It is a fact of sport and Wigan and Wane will have to manage without him. Hoffman only signed a one year with the option of longer, I don't think anyone really expected him to stay longer than that one year. Realistically, he only signed until Melbourne got their finances/squad back into some sort of order.

As for being "lumbered" with Crusader rejects, Who exactly Dave? Apart from the continuing rumour surrounding Thomas, any one else is pure speculation.

I will continue to wait until the ability to approach out of contract player has arrived and player start to sign (plus the announcements of coaches to be confirmed etc) before I start throwing my baby out with the bathwater with "dud" speculative signings

[thegimble]

Amazes me that people are so gutted that O'Carroll is going to Hull. He will never be a top class prop. Seems so many get losed in the fact he is a youth produce to see that he would be nothing more than a sqaud player who injured or not would not play that much for us.

On Lauaki he will not be a prop for us he will go to second row where he played for the Warriors in the NRL. Yes in the NRL where O'Carroll would not get anywhere near a game.

Most of what people have seen of him is for Hull and lets be fair here Hull can be a graveyard for players. They have signed so many decent players that Agar has destroyed them. As for people who think he is a luxury like Feka is doing him a diservice. Lauaki is a better player than O'Carroll as is both young players who's names are been linked with us. Lauaki is replacing Hock who will start instead of Hoffman next season. Only time he will go to prop is if any of the 4 main props and i include Mossop in this is injured.

[DaveO]

Saying the Wane will have to manage without Coley and Hoffman is hardly any ones fault. Coley's retirement cannot be blamed on anyone.

I am merely stating that Wane will be without Coley, Hoffman and O'carroll and in replacement looks to be getting some sub-standard players. Deacon will probably retire as well. Who is to blame and why it happened is not going to change that.

As for being "lumbered" with Crusader rejects, Who exactly Dave? Apart from the continuing rumour surrounding Thomas, any one else is pure speculation.

You do know this is the rumour mill don't you? The Crusaders players in question are Thomas (obviously), Dudson and Flower.

Now if I had suggested signing any of those players mid season you would have laughed me out of court and the same goes for Lauaki who as several people have said looks a complete liability.

But anyway, the point about feeling sorry for Wane was simply that if the rumours are to be believed it is Coley, Hoffman, Deacon and O'Carroll out, with Thomas, Dudson, Flower and Lauaki in.

Now if anyone thinks those rumoured to be coming in leave Wane with a better squad than we have this year I think they need to see a doctor.

[thegimble]

Can't believe that people think O'Carroll is a better player than Lauaki. As for replacing Hoffman we got lucky that Melbourne got caught out and had to get rid of players. Hoffman is not the typical NRL player who comes here to retire he came knowing he was going back to the Storm and not retiring as som many do when they come here.

We will never replace Hoffman thats impossible. How do we know that were not signing anymore than the ones mentioned. Thomas is free (apprently) and the 2 from Crusaders will be on minimum or just over. With Hoffman Coley, Deacon, O'Carroll, Ben Cross going will leave room for more than what is mentioned as coming in. Given that some of the younger players will be earning more it still gives a lot of space to bring in decent quality. If O'Carroll was going to be a very good player don't you think that another top side would have come in for him. ?He is going to Hull and they are hardly setting the world on fire.

[weststand-rich]

Here we are.

Hull vs Wire is on the box Friday. He'll come on at about 20 minutes minutes and I would put 20 dabs he's give away a penalty within 5 minutes.

Garenteed!

[DaveO]

Can't believe that people think O'Carroll is a better player than Lauaki.

Why not? Lauaki has been liability for Hull all season.

In any case O'Carroll s better than any of the ex-Crusader players rumoured to have signed and the money paid to them could have gone toward a better deal for O'Carroll.

As for replacing Hoffman we got lucky that Melbourne got caught out and had to get rid of players. Hoffman is not the typical NRL player who comes here to retire he came knowing he was going back to the Storm and not retiring as som many do when they come here. [/quote]

I'll say it again. The point about feeling sorry for Wane was due to Hoffman and the others leaving and given the players we are rumoured to have signed coming in, he has a worse squad than Madge. Why players are leaving has nothing to do with it.

We will never replace Hoffman thats impossible. How do we know that were not signing anymore than the ones mentioned. Thomas is free (apprently) and the 2 from Crusaders will be on minimum or just over.

So what? If they are not good enough (and they aren't IMO) they could offer to pay to play and I would not have them in the squad.

With Hoffman Coley, Deacon, O'Carroll, Ben Cross going will leave room for more than what is mentioned as coming in. Given that some of the younger players will be earning more it still gives a lot of space to bring in decent quality. If O'Carroll was going to be a very good player don't you think that another top side would have come in for him. ?He is going to Hull and they are hardly setting the world on fire.

Apparently we are already bang up against the salary cap for next season because deals agreed to improve some existing players contracts are kicking in. There is very little room to manoeuvre apparently and so that makes it even stranger to waste money on players from the Crusaders rather than keep O'Carroll.

[Shaun1967]

I feel sorry for Wane. He is going to be lumbered with Lauaki and some Crusader rejects compared to Madge who has Coley and Hoffman in the side with O'Carroll ready for a come back.

So are we taking it as fact now that IL does all the hiring and firing with no input from the coaching team?