New signings for next year

[Firestarter]

Sorry halligan not harrigan

[Wandering Warrior]

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.

He may well not have been viewed as a prolific kicker Dave and I don't dispute what your saying. However I was at the aforementioned game and I only have to believe what my eyes saw. He certainly knew what he was doing that day, prolific or not.
The rest is history!
Furthermore his comment about practising his goalkicking to get in the team I always thought was a tongue in cheek comment. Whatever Monie said about signing other players, he was happy to have him at Auckland for a short time.

[pedro]

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

kiwis that aint it?

[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

kiwis that aint it?

all blacks when they were all in the union team..... they all turned too league later in there careers

[pedro]

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

kiwis that aint it?

all blacks when they were all in the union team..... they all turned too league later in there careers

halligan is the best kicker ive ever seen followed by frano

[Wintergreen]

When we had Botica and were x points down, we always used to assume that a try was an automatic 6 points.

Thesedays I assume that, unless it's directly under the sticks, it will be 4.

18 points difference = 3 tries or 5 tries.......

[Wandering Warrior]

Correct re. Bots and the automatic 6 points. We had it with Faz and Richards to a lesser degree as well.
Who was it that said we didn't need a goalkicker?

[PF Warrior]

May be bit if a silly question, but what is Botica doing now? The last time I heard I think he was kicking coach to the All Blacks, but that was some years ago. A long shot, but would it be worth getting him to come over, on a short term contract to coach our players in kicking. It may be a crazy idea, or it may merit some thought by the powers that be at the club.

[First Try Tickle]

I know most fans on here hope for a new coach next year, along with a new centre and hooker. Then which players they would lose to make way for these.

But I really think that Shaun Wane will still be here next season especially after winning the World Club Challenge. And with Wane still in charge there is now way that Powell will be leaving. If Tommy says he's ok to carry on playing then he will stay at scrum half and Sam and Escare will have to battle it out for full back.

The same also applies for Gelling. He's one of Wane's project players so will always be one of his favourites, and with Faz and Bateman in the second row then centre it is.

Then there's Joel, every person I knows thinks his time is over, but I still see him playing next season, along with SOL if he's happy to carry on.

So new signing, no I don't think anyone decent will be coming in, maybe a couple of project type players.

Am I happy with this NO. Will I renew my season ticket next year YES.

[pedro]

Toronto sound like they have recruited better than us for next year