Next season

Discuss all things Wigan Warriors. Comments and opinions on all aspects of the club's performance are welcome.
Wintergreen
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Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 2:13 pm

Re: Next season

Post by Wintergreen »

btw French is head and shoulders above anyone else in that Wigan team. You can see that he is operating at a different level to them.
CheshireWarrior
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Joined: Tue Oct 01, 2019 7:58 pm

Re: Next season

Post by CheshireWarrior »

Working off the theory we have a fully fit squad for the start of 2020 (ideal world I know) and there are no more signings or confirmed departures (not rumours),

1. Hardaker
2. T. Davies
3. J. Bibby
4. O. Gildart
5. B. French
6. J. Sammut
7. J. Hastings
8. J. Bullock
9. S. Powell
10. G. Burgess
11. J. Greenwood
12. L. Farrell (c)
13. M. Smithies

14. T. Leulual
15. O. Partington
16. M. Clark
17. L. Byrne

Would like to place D.Manfredi in but even fully fit, id be amazed if he is the same player as he looked in the GF early 2019! Best of luck to the lad!
shaunedwardsfanclub
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Re: Next season

Post by shaunedwardsfanclub »

Wintergreen wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 8:30 am
shaunedwardsfanclub wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 12:56 am Unless we sort our pack out we are stuffed, we have too many who are past their sell by date. The Aussie backs would struggle behind our forwards. We should have retained one of Lockers, Benny and Clubb to play in our reserves, the other two should have been shown the door. Rads and IFL need to be ruthless. We have young bucks who carry that pack and that’s not how it should be.

Salford are not a great team but they do the basics well. Their two props are far better than ours. We need to sign some hard nosed forwards that create room for Hastings to play.

Rugby league is not a complicated game if you have the right personnel. We have done well to make second with this team but that is not good enough for Wigan.

Good luck to Salford they deserve to go to OT.
Exactly.

You look at Thompson and Walmsley and compare them to our front row....... It's just embarassing.

Btw technically we didn't come second, we came third.
True.
Winning is down to 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration - Shaun Edwards
Wiganer Ted
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Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:31 pm

Re: Next season

Post by Wiganer Ted »

Agree much with Cheshire Warrior's squad but Lam won't go for that.
Sammut won't get a game not withstanding his kicking game is far superior to Leuluai's.
Rather than play split halves with Hastings one side Sammut the other I reckon he'll go with Hastings as playmaker and French running off him at 6.

Our two problems are that the pack this past season has once again been too small. That together with our hopeless kicking game which has put the opposition on the front foot at the end of our sets means that we have struggled for most of the season. When was the last time we regularly made the opposition back three turn around on our end of set kick.
To get the best out of Hastings we have to have a dominant pack and play our biggest men regularly to get the best out of them. Burgess, Bullock & Clark are big men as are Greenwood and Smithies. We need another two at least.

We also need Lam to get the best out of the squad. As yet we don't know quite what he can do as a coach as he was dealt a lousy hand then had any number of injuries.
However, we saw v Salford what a coach who can get the best out of his squad can achieve. Man for man I thought we had by far the better players out there, that Salford were the better team is unquestionable.
I think there are more more questions about Lam than there are about the squad.
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wall_of_voodoo
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Joined: Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:51 am

Re: Next season

Post by wall_of_voodoo »

CheshireWarrior wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:45 am Working off the theory we have a fully fit squad for the start of 2020 (ideal world I know) and there are no more signings or confirmed departures (not rumours),

1. Hardaker
2. T. Davies
3. J. Bibby
4. O. Gildart
5. B. French
6. J. Sammut
7. J. Hastings
8. J. Bullock
9. S. Powell
10. G. Burgess
11. J. Greenwood
12. L. Farrell (c)
13. M. Smithies

14. T. Leulual
15. O. Partington
16. M. Clark
17. L. Byrne
Wishful thinking - Lam has favourites and I'm not even sure if he knows what his best team would be if everyone was available. This is what I think next season's team will look more like

1 Hardaker
2 Marshall
3 Hankinson/Bibby
4 Gildart
5 Burgess
6 Leulaui
7 Hastings
8. Burgess
9 Powell
10 Flower
11 Isa
12 Farrell
13 Lockers

14 Clark
15 Clubb
16 French
17 Smithies/Bullock

Davies/Sammut/Greenwood/Escare all at other teams
I'm a better fan than you
Because I don't "Boo"!!!

Yes I bloody know transfer fees do not count on the salary cap for those illiterates that need it explaining to them because they assume everyone is as thick as they are :roll:
fozzieskem
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Joined: Sat May 14, 2016 10:54 am

Re: Next season

Post by fozzieskem »

I’d be amazed if Samutt is still with Wigan next season he’s already been offered around according to the press his mom appearance means it’s game over for him at Wigan

I’d also say this chances are assuming Hastings comes Wigan will have him for one season,surely rather than persevere with with Tommy or Sammutt blood Harry Smith and let him learn from a player who has lit this comp up since he rolled into town,build for the future now it’s time
DaveO
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Re: Next season

Post by DaveO »

wall_of_voodoo wrote:
Wishful thinking - Lam has favourites and I'm not even sure if he knows what his best team would be if everyone was available.
Quite right. Why Greenwood is out of favour I have no idea.

Good coaches don’t have a problem picking from a full squad but Lam’s selections just look confusing. He’s clearly no idea what to do with French or who to drop to include him in the side without wasting a spot in the 17.

Lockers could make life simpler for him by retiring.
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EagleEyePie
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Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2019 9:42 pm

Re: Next season

Post by EagleEyePie »

1. Hardaker
2. Manfredi/Davies
3. Gildart
4. Bibby
5. French/Marshall/Burgess
6. Hastings
7. Leuluai
8. Burgess
9. Powell
10. Flower
11. Greenwood
12. Farrell
13. Smithies

14. O'Loughlin/Smith/Burouh
15. Partington
16. Bullock
17. Clubb/Isa/Clark/Byrne/Wells (whoever impresses the most)

There are a lot of variables for next year. Competition for places is high in a few positions (and not enough in others). Picking props is just guesswork. I've omitted Navarrete but who knows, he's still below the age that props usually peak and a lot of players have some years where they struggle. Our props do seem a bit underpowered compared to other sides though.

If Greenwood can find his early season form he'll be great in the back row alongside Farrell. Smithies is our best loose forward and will hopefully keep up his current form and improve so he should start. I'd love to see Smith and Burouh get opportunities as I think we need to plan for the future in key positions. Neither Leuluai nor Hastings have a long term future and we definitely need a plan B for when Powell isn't available.

Bibby from what I've seen is comfortable at left centre so perhaps Gildart can be switched now that we've discovered how to attack on the right edge.
Barney841
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Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2016 9:24 am

Re: Next season

Post by Barney841 »

Anybody who puts lockers in there team for next season needs there head examining.
Waste of a shirt now. And don’t give me that crap he deserves it as he’s been loyal. Lam has to do the best by the team
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EagleEyePie
Posts: 434
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2019 9:42 pm

Re: Next season

Post by EagleEyePie »

Barney841 wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 8:52 am Anybody who puts lockers in there team for next season needs there head examining.
Waste of a shirt now. And don’t give me that crap he deserves it as he’s been loyal. Lam has to do the best by the team
If he plays on next year he should be considered along with everyone else. He's played more games this year than he did last year and he's been a long way from our worst player. There are other players who should be leaving before O'Loughlin.

He shouldn't put his hand up for GB selection though. He hasn't earned a place in the side this year so selecting him would be wrong. He's England captain, not GB captain so that shouldn't carry any weight.

What he needs is a full off season and to go into 2020 as his final year.
Locked