Honest Assessment!

[markill]

I do not see anything special with Jack Hughes, maybe a good utility player to cover positions on the bench

You obviously didn't watch Wigan much the end of last season/beginning of this.

By no fault of his own has he been played at centre countless times, when hes played 2nd Row/Loose forward from the age of 10 right up to 20. The odd time he has played centre yes.

There have probably been 2 occasions this year were he has played 2nd row and 2nd row alone. Every game due to injuries/resting players he has always made a switch to centre.

Lets not forget hes 21 years old, playing in a wigan side that have not been playing well for around 2 months now.

Given a solid run of games at 2nd row, he will definitly show his worth. He has all of the attributes of a quality 2nd row. Speed, Size, Strength, Offloads, Angled running, defence...

Hughes has played more 2nd row than centre this season - often off the bench but I would guess nearly twice as much game time in 2nd row than centre.

I think we expected him to come on more but he hasn't really stepped on from last year. Sometimes his concentration goes a little in games this season - he has made a relatively high amount of errors and they've stuck out to me. However, in general I think he should become a top player for our club - he has great attributes and seems to work pretty hard during game time. If he didn't have top players in front of him already maybe his development would have been more pronounced this season. He is unfortunate that when he could have had a go at right second row for longer with Hansen out, Goulding was also out and it was seen fit to play him in the centre for about 4/5 games in a row during that period.

[RobWigan]

I do not see anything special with Jack Hughes, maybe a good utility player to cover positions on the bench

You obviously didn't watch Wigan much the end of last season/beginning of this.

By no fault of his own has he been played at centre countless times, when hes played 2nd Row/Loose forward from the age of 10 right up to 20. The odd time he has played centre yes.

There have probably been 2 occasions this year were he has played 2nd row and 2nd row alone. Every game due to injuries/resting players he has always made a switch to centre.

Lets not forget hes 21 years old, playing in a wigan side that have not been playing well for around 2 months now.

Given a solid run of games at 2nd row, he will definitly show his worth. He has all of the attributes of a quality 2nd row. Speed, Size, Strength, Offloads, Angled running, defence...

yeah never miss a game hahah! Nice one ! He will be no more than a utility player , trust me

[DaveO]

I do not see anything special with Jack Hughes, maybe a good utility player to cover positions on the bench

You obviously didn't watch Wigan much the end of last season/beginning of this.

By no fault of his own has he been played at centre countless times, when hes played 2nd Row/Loose forward from the age of 10 right up to 20. The odd time he has played centre yes.

There have probably been 2 occasions this year were he has played 2nd row and 2nd row alone. Every game due to injuries/resting players he has always made a switch to centre.

Lets not forget hes 21 years old, playing in a wigan side that have not been playing well for around 2 months now.

Given a solid run of games at 2nd row, he will definitly show his worth. He has all of the attributes of a quality 2nd row. Speed, Size, Strength, Offloads, Angled running, defence...

I agree. I think giving him the no 4 shirt was premature and a mistake and I said so at the time so this is not hindsight. I think my concern it would hinder his progress has been born out.

[DaveO]

I do not see anything special with Jack Hughes, maybe a good utility player to cover positions on the bench

You obviously didn't watch Wigan much the end of last season/beginning of this.

By no fault of his own has he been played at centre countless times, when hes played 2nd Row/Loose forward from the age of 10 right up to 20. The odd time he has played centre yes.

There have probably been 2 occasions this year were he has played 2nd row and 2nd row alone. Every game due to injuries/resting players he has always made a switch to centre.

Lets not forget hes 21 years old, playing in a wigan side that have not been playing well for around 2 months now.

Given a solid run of games at 2nd row, he will definitly show his worth. He has all of the attributes of a quality 2nd row. Speed, Size, Strength, Offloads, Angled running, defence...

Hughes has played more 2nd row than centre this season - often off the bench but I would guess nearly twice as much game time in 2nd row than centre.

So who is correct on this particular statistic?

He is unfortunate that when he could have had a go at right second row for longer with Hansen out, Goulding was also out and it was seen fit to play him in the centre for about 4/5 games in a row during that period.

Yes and he wasn't that brilliant in the centres and I don't think that will have done his confidence much good.

[Mike]

Heres my honest assesment

1. Sam T - great FB attacking, OK defending/catching. Up to the end of last season I've been amazed how little he is injured given his stature, but this season things may have caught up with him

2. Josh - great winger.
3. Goulding - good centre, especially at getting his winger away. Don't see any real defensive problems either.

4. Thornley - poor centre. no pace, no attaching threat
4. Gelling - poor center. too many mistakes, but does have some attacking threat
5. Pat - ok winger, great kicker. pace has gone now so only threatens near the line - we don't use his height either. probably not done as well this year due to problems inside him and lack of pace

6. Green - ok/good stand off. makes breaks, poor passing right now, pretty good kicking
7. Smith - ok/good scrum half. good passing, not much threat attacking the line

8. Lauliki - poor prop. running style doesn't make many yards, very easy to get round in defence
9. McIllorum - good hooker. solid, aggressive defender, good distrubtion, no so good at running the ball
10. Mossop - good prop. hard working in attack and defence, going to get better with age

11. Hansen - good 2nd row. dependable
12. Farrel - good 2nd row. lacks a little size but has pace to make up for it
13. O'Loughlin - great 13. dependable, organiser, good at linking play to the backs

So if I were recruiting I'd be looking for good/great players for numbers 4, 5 and 8 plus a goal kicker. If we wanted to improve the quality of our spine we should alo be looking for a new 6 or 7.

If Sam is leaving and based on the others we know about we need five new players: 1, 4, 5, 8, 10 and it could be worse than that. I guess we've covered a prop and a back with the two we know are coming, but that would mean 3 kids stepping up to full time first team action.

[RobWigan]

Well here is mine

Tomkins- Fantastic player! One of the best i have seen
Charnley- Fantastic footwork,.dazzling at times, defence is his weakness
Goulding- Great all rounder , and i am surprised by this
Thornley- Good going forward but maybe looks better than he is
Richards- Legend, will not here a bad word
Smith- Organiser and awesome place kicker
Green- Solid, nothing special yet but fingers crossed
Mossop- Our best prop but taylor not to far behind
Mcilorum- Been best hooker in.league butvlooks like it is catching up with him
Taylor- As above
Hansen- Legend , rarely makes miatake
Farrell- Same as mcilorum
O loughlin- Same as pat richards

[markill]

You obviously didn't watch Wigan much the end of last season/beginning of this.

By no fault of his own has he been played at centre countless times, when hes played 2nd Row/Loose forward from the age of 10 right up to 20. The odd time he has played centre yes.

There have probably been 2 occasions this year were he has played 2nd row and 2nd row alone. Every game due to injuries/resting players he has always made a switch to centre.

Lets not forget hes 21 years old, playing in a wigan side that have not been playing well for around 2 months now.

Given a solid run of games at 2nd row, he will definitly show his worth. He has all of the attributes of a quality 2nd row. Speed, Size, Strength, Offloads, Angled running, defence...

Hughes has played more 2nd row than centre this season - often off the bench but I would guess nearly twice as much game time in 2nd row than centre.

So who is correct on this particular statistic?

He is unfortunate that when he could have had a go at right second row for longer with Hansen out, Goulding was also out and it was seen fit to play him in the centre for about 4/5 games in a row during that period.

Yes and he wasn't that brilliant in the centres and I don't think that will have done his confidence much good.

I was going to say the confidence thing Dave but left it for others to say because I don't know the lad or how confident he actually is.

As for the stat, now I'm at home and can see the numbers, he's played more centre than I thought. Neither of us are right really, the truth is somewhere between! haha.

Started at centre v London H, Cas A, Catalan H, Leeds A, Wakefield H, Bradford A & London A - 7 times. I think he also came off the bench to play centre away at Hull FC, so 8 appearances at centre really.

He started in 2nd row 3 times - Salford A Warrington H Huddersfield A, and has come off the bench 10 times other than the FC game and I think in all of those appearances he has played 2nd row/LF off the bench.

So there are more than 2 times he's played back row, but he's probably played about the same amount in total in back row as he has centre. Some of the back row apps have been more LF and his centre apps have been on both sides, a little more right than left, left being where he played centre last season and also I think performs at his best in 2nd row too.

[phil winnard]

Pretty much agree with that assessment Mike. Need a world class left centre and winger and a beast of a prop. Either the winger or centre needs to be a world class goal kicker too!!!!!

[medlocke]

Pretty much agree with that assessment Mike. Need a world class left centre and winger and a beast of a prop. Either the winger or centre needs to be a world class goal kicker too!!!!!

Iagree with this, Manu vatuvai, Siuatonga Likiliki & James Tamou

[donny]

after 60yrs of wigan rl I have had enough after these last few weeks we have gone from world beaters into the laughing stock of super league,I am very disapointed in Shaun Wane, and i would get rid,I would drop Sam Tompkins for wembley,he obviously dousn't want to play for us,we must have the worst centres in super league in Gelling and Thornley ,the half backs are non existant,and Richards is the new slug,Logan tompkins is very average,I could go on but but it wont help matters,I sit here and dream of the old days, when we didnt have a subs bench,and all the players had full time jobs,and all the players played up to and before the cup final,there was no resting of players,I think Wigan will be hard pushed to finish half way nest season,they need a clear out.I will sign out for the last and wish the supporters of this once great club the best of success in the future, ive had enough i cant take anymore Good bye.