Re: Hansen

[Kittwazzer]

The Dr to the best of anybody's knowledge has not broken the cap and it is now a 'live' cap. A lot of the early posturing was just that.

I don't think so. He has stumped up a lot of cash in this adventure and he will intend to grt results by fair means or foul. Hell, I could find ways around the salary cap!

[Kittwazzer]

The Dr to the best of anybody's knowledge has not broken the cap and it is now a 'live' cap. A lot of the early posturing was just that.

I don't think so. He has stumped up a lot of cash in this adventure and he will intend to get results by fair means or foul. Hell, a blind man could find ways around the salary cap. If clever accountants can avoid Starbucks, Amazon etc paying tax, let's just say beating the RFL would be a doddle compared to making HMRC look silly!

[Exiled Wiganer]

I think that it is a tad unfair to put all the blame on IFL - Rads, Waney and possibly Harris need to carry the can as well. I assume that they all agreed on the move, if they didn't then they can only be considered as 'yes' men which is no good for the club long-term. If things go pear shaped then Waney will find his neck in the noose as IFL will always say that he has supported the coach with the decisions he has made.

Having said all that, if Wigan are successful then they will all have been vindicated.[/quote]

If they won the double, presumably the goodwill they'd have earnt would last until the end of the year?

[butt monkey]

I seriously do not understand the "fuss". If it is to be believed and that contracts are practically worthless once a player decides he wants to move, then loyalty is non-existent both ways, full stop!

I'm not saying Hansen would have signed any deal offered, but neither can anyone on here say that if it had become a bidding war for his services with Salford then Wigan would have been able to offer more than Salford in wages. Perhaps the club knew this and simply used the one year option before the player left, but Salford returned with a cash deal to prize him loose. Hansen gets paid what he feels he is worth and Wigan get some money in return.

Lets be realistic, this player could have left for nothing and there was and is nothing to have prevented that. You can talk whatever rubbish about SC etc, but the simple fact is as far as the cap is concerned Koukash has all ready stated on national media that he IS prepared to break the cap. "If" (and all this conjecture is a big if as people keep forgetting it is Brian Noble we are on about here) they finish top and then are found to have broken the cap and get deducted points, then who will have the final laugh?

H could have been tied down long before the Dr even surfaced IF Wigan had wanted to and I would surmise on favourable terms to Wigan RLFC. Remember, you are a top 2nd rower / a senior player at Wigan RLFC and watching as Greg Burke gets a new contract, as Liam Farrell get a superb lengthy contract extension YET no interest is shown your way. The Dr enters the scene, your agent would not be doing his job is he did not alert you to 1) You are in demand and 2) You will be offered a better / lengthier contract elsewhere.

H has been loyal to Wigan, been a model pro in his time and never shown an inkling to walk away from his contract OR demand a transfer DESPITE probably feeling that IL & Co are treating him like crap! and taking the P

Do we need 20,000 or 30,000 or an established, model pro, leader for a season or more?

All very true CP.

But Wigan could have made Hansen the highest earner at the club. When the Dr calls around and says "you dad played for us, how about you do the same and here is an extra 20% on top of what you currently earn", how can Wigan deal with that? Should they?

Everyone will say it is a short career and he has the right to make a living and earn the best amount he can at whatever club. Wigan should not stand in the way of an unsettled player who wants to return "home" etc etc, you should know the score it's been done to death for players over the years for players who have left of their own devices.

Even if the club HAD made him a huge earner there was and had been a long rumour of Hansen returning to the club where his father made his name ever since Salford gained the new owner. The raising of the salary cap steaks internally could have placed the club on an entirely different financial footing should it have contemplated such a stance. IL will not always own Wigan and neither will the Dr. How the clubs manage their debts and wages once that happens IS a very important factor

[Owd Codger]

Now if it was O'loughlin or good younger players like Charnley, Goulding, Mcllorum etc, I would be upset!

[old hooker]

Hansen has been a good player for Wigan and a loyal servant but for heavens sake according to some you would think we had just let Greg Inglis go.He has given the indication that he would welcome the chance to play for his hometown club so now he can do so.We have replaced far better players than H and will do so again.

[AdamMac]

I don't see the major issue here in all honesty.

Yes, I'm a fan of Hansen and how he plays the game but ultimately SW/IL will always look for improvement and as much as Hansen has been a rock defensively, ball in hand he's pretty average. I think certainly in Bateman we have a long term successor that IMO will become a better player than Hansen, add to that Connor Farrell etc. IL has seen an opportunity to get some money in the till with a situation that would have happen in 12 months time anyway.

We were all gutted when Carmont left, another ledge, but look how well Thornley did over the season.

I wish Hansen all the best, its a shame im not seeing him play in cherry and white for one more season but not the end of the world IMO.

Best of luck H.

[cpwigan]

The concern is maintaining our present status which is basically the No1 club based on a Double. An ever present cornerstone of that achievement was a 28 year old second rower whom we have replaced with either Clubb a 26 year old who is of lesser quality. I do not see that as a positive gain personally. Hopkins who nobody mentions BUT IMO may be potentially the most suitable replacement, not sure if he is a lefty or righty though. Not an immediate gain but potentially long term. Bateman who needs to be eased into first team owing to Bradford flogging him too soon. Likewise Burke has huge potential but needs to be allowed to develop steadily. In the short term both would be a negative, in the long term potentially a positive.

So on that basis in the immediate term we have chose to 'self harm' Whats more, we as fans often think re here / now BUT Wigan made their choice re H 12 months ago because such decisions are never taken overnight, clubs plan well in advance which in one respect grates when the club announce we now because H has left have space on the cap which is at best economical or at worst a blatant lies because we know that Wigan always maintain a contingency amount on the cap which facilitates mid season signings like Matty Smith for example.

Being No1 a TOUGH TASK in any sport, Wigan are at the moment appearing to be willing to make it an even greater challenge with the losses of Sam T, Richards, Mossop, Tuson and now H. Some of those losses were unavoidable, some were not! The H one was the CHOICE of IL / Wane / Radlinski because had they wanted to he could have had a contract extension before the only Dr was Dr Who!

If we maintain our No1 position without H then the management got it right BUT it is only natural for fans to be concerned. TIME WILL TELL!

[AdamMac]

Can't disagree with to much of that CP. I just think last year has shown us fans that we need not panic to much. Lets see what happens come August onwards. One last thing is that H missed possibly a third of the season due to injury last season, maybe this put a doubt in the coaching teams mind in terms fo his fitness, hence the delay in offering a contract. Its a tricky one. Offer H a 2/3 year deal and you've basically said to our young back rowers that you're not getting much game time in the back row for the next 3 years (tied up with Faz,H,SOL)and with the current u19 system they'll no doubt be loaned out as opportunities will be few and far between and we could risk losing a rising star...

We have gambled in this situation happening 12 months earlier than we probably would have liked but so far its worked out ok for us. Lets wait and see I suppose...

[cpwigan]

not forgetting pettybourne,flower and taylor who on any given day can play second row.

I think Petty is a left from when I watched him for the Rabbitohs. He was a lot slimmer, H like then too. I liked his playing style. Flower possibly. Taylor NEVER, out and our prop.