barrett out for a month

[Bear]

Wigan Watcher posted:
Having a general chat on the phone asking was anything going on at the JJB, the reply was no not really apart from there is something wrong around Barrett, I asked what. The reply was no one knows but his name is being bantered about the place. I said what does that mean and was told problems but did not know what problems. A veil of mystery has been put over his name at the moment and not in a good way, I said don‘t tell me that, the reply being I’m sure it is nothing!

I wished Id never phoned now.

Why what do you think will happen then :conf: I think he will be ok in a couple of weeks if its his calf.

[DaveO]

Bear posted:

Wigan Watcher posted:
Having a general chat on the phone asking was anything going on at the JJB, the reply was no not really apart from there is something wrong around Barrett, I asked what. The reply was no one knows but his name is being bantered about the place. I said what does that mean and was told problems but did not know what problems. A veil of mystery has been put over his name at the moment and not in a good way, I said don‘t tell me that, the reply being I’m sure it is nothing!

I wished Id never phoned now.

Why what do you think will happen then :conf: I think he will be ok in a couple of weeks if its his calf.

Given the speculation one of two things will be the outcome. A calf injury that keeps him out for about a month. Or as rumoured on rlfans (which most consider a wind up) he is out for six months.

If the rlfans rumour is not a wind up I would expect the club to "do a Davico" and give him his P45 if possible. The club can't have that amount of money tied up in a crocked player given our threadbare squad.

Dave

[Exiled Wiganer]

If he is badly injured, then that will test us, but it is a test we ought to be able to pass if we are a decent side.
Noble has had a full off season with them (though he did not seem to be in a hurry to get back to work). He has had his say on the signings, and has had time to work with everyone. If one player's absence throws us badly off then he has failed in his job.

I think the Orr plus prop against Barrett debate has been too done to death. We do not know whta might have been. Orr was injured a lot and dreadful when we really needed him, so I am not weeping over his going. Perhaps if we struggle his reputation will continue to grow - he'll be Brett Kenny by mid-season.

As for the extra prop, Noble has known for a while that he has to get sufficient time from Feca/Hock/Prescott/O'Carroll/ Fletcher/Hill. if he can't come up with something that works, he's not the coach we think he is.

I happen to think that we have a very good pack, and that Leuluai will prove a great player, and so am keeping positive.

Having looked at others' sqauds, aside from Leeds and FC, there are a lot of teams who could struggle with injuries in key areas, so we could still be in the chasing pack.

Frankly, if we simply avoid being nearly relegated, that will do for me this year.

[DaveO]

Doug Stand posted:
I can't agree that Orr was the form stand-off of the competition. He had a couple of good games, but I still rather a fit McGuire, Roooney, Briers, Horne, even a Leon Pryce. Probably any stand-off in SL other than Orr.

I don't think any of that lot did a great deal last season. McQuire is a support player pure and simple. He won't create anything himself as you say Orr won't. Rooney is OK but you would be at best swapping like for like with him and Orr. Briers is one of the most over rated players in the game IMO. Horne I don't really know one way or the other. I didn't think he was that much of a stand out player.

Of that list Pryce was the most effective of the lot but look at the team he was in. And even so I don't think Pryce is a particularly skill full stand off. He is big and fast and in many ways is more like a 13 playing 6 as you mentioned previously.

I think Orr stands up fairly to any of them. If that means our league is full of less players than Barrett then that is the way it is.

In terms of the 6,7 13 v the get the pack right approach I think recent seasons have shown "size matters".

We know what we would get with Orr in the side, he'd probably be ok for Wigan but ok is not good enough. We have the side minus an effective stand-off to stay up, but with a class stand-off we go from 7th to top four challanging for honours.

Well I just think he was more than OK in the latter half of last season. I thought he answered his critics in that he was solid in defence but lacked attacking flair with some great breaks.

I only hope Barrett is fit and the talk of him being out is nonsense

So do I because without him playing to expected form we will be worse off as a team than last season. An experience prop down and no stand off at all!

Dave

[jinkin jimmy]

I know you are the most tenacious poster on here Dave but come on!! Would you seriously rather have Orr than McGuire or Pryce? Methinks you have gone too far this time. :eh:

[lucky 13]

Danny Orr was good back end of season Wigans pack had been improved and he had a decent half back to play along side of instead of Moron.

Maybe if he had been coached by Nobby and in a good wigan team Orr would have done this for all his wigan career instead of a few matches at the end of last year.

He helped us out of the mire last year and we should thank him for that ,I thought he was a good player at Cas but didn't quite do it for us, but he has gone now if this is a good move only time will tell.

Barrett will play well he is a class act as for his injury don't think its that bad, he will not be out 6 months its a wind up.

Any player can get injured so this doesn't matter in the orr barrett equation .

Unless your pack goes forward and creates room for a quality standoff then centers are not going to do anything .

This is how we should rebuild ,our pack is short a prop this dosnt mean we shouldn't have signed barrett more like DV should be on less or in hindsight not at the club at all this will be sorted next season we will have a much better balance it just takes time . :conf:

[mike binder]

Noble as cofirmed he will play but is only sending a fringe squad to whitehaven ,if he dodsnt play the club defo hiding something

[Mike]

This is old news - appeared in the WEP last Thursday/Friday (see the linked story). The rumours are more recent than this announcement. Shame about the Whitehaven match though.

[DaveO]

jinkin jimmy posted:
I know you are the most tenacious poster on here Dave but come on!! Would you seriously rather have Orr than McGuire or Pryce? Methinks you have gone too far this time. :eh:

I didn't say that. Orr was on our books and was capable enough to compete with those two and the others mentioned by Doug. He was IMO good enough for Wigan for reasons already discussed. They aren't that much better.

Put it this way if we had retained him to add depth to the squad and Barrett is injured as rumoured I would not be that concerned at all. As it is we are effectively running on two props and one half back if there is anything in the Barrett rumour before a ball is played in anger and I don't like it!

Dave

[damien morrissey]

mike binder posted:
Noble as cofirmed he will play but is only sending a fringe squad to whitehaven ,if he dodsnt play the club defo hiding something

Lets hope he isnt getting a dose of Carneys home sickness.