New signings for next year

[Barney841]

Wanna keep an eye that tyler Randall for wakey next season. Looks the business going off his performances so far(I know it's only 2 games)

[OAMJSONA]

George Carmont MK2 and Quentin Pongia MK2 would do me Mr Leneghan, if you could fit in a Noel Cleal MK2 that would be nice, cheers :thum:

and maybe a Brett Kenney and Gene Miles MK2 also

[sheepsteeth]

I was listening to steve Mascord the other week and was saying that the salary cap in the NRL hadn't been agreed for 2018 yet and some clubs had made signings on the basis it would be going up.
Now Rads was down under not long ago, I know he was probably discussing the matches over there next year but could he also have irons in the fire for if NRL sides need to let players go to come under the cap for 2018 whenever it's announced.

Just a thought. 2+2 probably makes 7 but you never know.

[Barney841]

I was listening to steve Mascord the other week and was saying that the salary cap in the NRL hadn't been agreed for 2018 yet and some clubs had made signings on the basis it would be going up.
Now Rads was down under not long ago, I know he was probably discussing the matches over there next year but could he also have irons in the fire for if NRL sides need to let players go to come under the cap for 2018 whenever it's announced.

Just a thought. 2+2 probably makes 7 but you never know.

Wishful thinking

[Wes]

I have bagged FPN a few times on here BUT if we have a change of coach for next season I'd be happy for him to stay.

Centre and a hooker would be on my wish list.

1. Escare
2. Manfredi/Davies
3. Centre
4. Gildart
5. Burgess
6. Tomkins
7. Williams
8. FPN
9. Hooker
10. Flower
11. Farrell
12. Bateman
13. SoL

Subs
Clubb J Tomkins Sutton MM 18. Tautai 19. Isa

Gelling, Powell, TL gone to make way for centre and hooker.

[medlocke]

George Carmont MK2 and Quentin Pongia MK2 would do me Mr Leneghan, if you could fit in a Noel Cleal MK2 that would be nice, cheers :thum:

and maybe a Brett Kenney and Gene Miles MK2 also

That would be nice but any player MK1 or MK2 would do for me as long as they where better than who they where replacing

[DaveO]

Isnt escare a goal kicking full back? ???

No. He's just another in a line of players who have been tried for that job since Pat Richards left and who isn't particularly good at it.

I don't know what it is with goal kicking but Richards wasn't a goal kicker before he got here and I don't even think Botica was. They decided to perfect the skill. It's not just that a good goal kicker can be the difference in points in a close match such as the cup final but even if you are winning well in a league game, turning four points into six more often does, over a season, do wonders for your points difference which can be important. The fact Wane has failed to address this issue for so long is criminal.

As to us having four wingers I didn't see anyone saying we needed to sign a winger. A centre and a prop is the minimum we need IMO.

I might be completely off here but Richards first season was pretty forgettable played out of position at centre. I wonder how much nailing the kicking duties cemented his place in the team the following year.

Flash forward Wane seems to have no qualms about us having a terrible kicking record, so no-one can use it as leverage to cement a spot.

For example as has been stated we have 4 good wingers, now if Wane suddenly woke to the fact that kicking wins you games plenty of the the time, one of those lads might think "do you know what im going to nail kicking that way he has to play me". Without Wanes focus there the players arent IMO treating it as a priority

I don't know about Richard's using it as a way to get in the team but Botica definitely did. He's quoted as saying so in one of the books I have onb Wigan form that era (sorry can't remember which one but it's also the one Monie is quoted as saying he could not understand why we didn't sign Phil Blake instead!).

Good point about the four wingers today but if they don't bother because Wane doesn't see it as a priority perhaps if one of them took the initiative and became a marksman it would present Wane with little option but to go with him. It's what comes first, Wanes's interest or the players shoving it right under his nose.

[DaveO]

Isnt escare a goal kicking full back? ???

No. He's just another in a line of players who have been tried for that job since Pat Richards left and who isn't particularly good at it.

I don't know what it is with goal kicking but Richards wasn't a goal kicker before he got here and I don't even think Botica was. They decided to perfect the skill. It's not just that a good goal kicker can be the difference in points in a close match such as the cup final but even if you are winning well in a league game, turning four points into six more often does, over a season, do wonders for your points difference which can be important. The fact Wane has failed to address this issue for so long is criminal.

As to us having four wingers I didn't see anyone saying we needed to sign a winger. A centre and a prop is the minimum we need IMO.

Botica was a great goalkicker before he came to Wigan.
GB played Oz just before he arrived at OT. They had a goalkickicking contest before the game. Kicks from different parts of the ground and drop kicks if I remember correctly. Cant remember who else was in it but Bots won it quite convincingly and shortly after that Wigan announced that Bots had signed and we had the finest goalkicker I've seen in fifty years of watching the game.
Every kick wiped its bottom, no matter how far out. Masterclass!

He wasn't viewed as a prolific kicker in NZ. Grant Fox got the job as NZ fly half position over him because of his goal kicking. It's viewed as a bit of irony that Botica became so good for Wigan after he switched to RL. You don't need to believe me, you can ask the All Black official history and the man himself via his quotes about it.

[pedro]

No. He's just another in a line of players who have been tried for that job since Pat Richards left and who isn't particularly good at it.

I don't know what it is with goal kicking but Richards wasn't a goal kicker before he got here and I don't even think Botica was. They decided to perfect the skill. It's not just that a good goal kicker can be the difference in points in a close match such as the cup final but even if you are winning well in a league game, turning four points into six more often does, over a season, do wonders for your points difference which can be important. The fact Wane has failed to address this issue for so long is criminal.

As to us having four wingers I didn't see anyone saying we needed to sign a winger. A centre and a prop is the minimum we need IMO.

Botica was a great goalkicker before he came to Wigan.
GB played Oz just before he arrived at OT. They had a goalkickicking contest before the game. Kicks from different parts of the ground and drop kicks if I remember correctly. Cant remember who else was in it but Bots won it quite convincingly and shortly after that Wigan announced that Bots had signed and we had the finest goalkicker I've seen in fifty years of watching the game.
Every kick wiped its bottom, no matter how far out. Masterclass!

He wasn't viewed as a prolific kicker in NZ. Grant Fox got the job as NZ fly half position over him because of his goal kicking. It's viewed as a bit of irony that Botica became so good for Wigan after he switched to RL. You don't need to believe me, you can ask the All Black official history and the man himself via his quotes about it.

yeah it was between him and fox, so the 2nd best in new zealand aint bad Dave

[Firestarter]

Grant fox said in an interview that botica was a better player and goalkicker...... the all blacks were renowned for having the better players(who didnt suite the system) on the bench.... aka botica, schuster, ridge,harrington etc