Amos Roberts

[josie andrews]

If we sign Roberts that is our quota full for next season.

That means no overseas prop forward and there are none good enough available in the UK.

If we sign Roberts you have to question the logic of getting rid of a UK player in Calders and using the one remaining quota spot for a winger when we could do with a real tough nut prop. Even if Calders wasn't wanted by Noble promoting Ainscough would have left us with the quota spot free.

It's also a bit odd that one week were are supposed to bidding for a prop (Wiki) and next supposedly a winger. Is there a recruitment policy or do we just chase whoever becomes available?
Dave

Totally agree Dave no sense in it whatsoever, and this doesn't mean I'm knocking the guy before he gets here, but hes a couple of years older than Calderwood and several years older than Ainscough and is it, as you say, just using a quota spot for the sake of it. :conf:

[Wigan_forever1985]

Excellent signing. Slight concern on conract duration. 4 years for a player who is 29 next season means playing through until 33 but will see what the contract saysmaybe it is a 4th year mutual option. But I still predict a bumper season next year. The team is starting to ballnce across the field, Jim

Born 2nd Nov 1980, he will be 28 next season which means playing till 32

[Wigan_forever1985]

Full name Amos Roberts
Nickname Famous Amos, Mossy, Sting
Born 2 November 1980 (1980-11-02) (age 27)
Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia
Height 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 92 kg (14 st 6 lbs)
Playing information
Position Wing / Fullback / Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2000–2003 St. George Illawarra 65 29 26 0 168
2004 Penrith Panthers 23 23 32 0 156
2005– Sydney Roosters 91 54 42 0 300
Total 179 106 100 0 624

Stats from www.wikipedia.org

[warrior till i die]

http://www.sydneyroosters.com.au/news.p ... cleID=3561

confirmed on the sydney site,

next year looks promising

can see after this year richards moving to full back to accomidate ainscough and mathers back up/sold

now for the prop!

[gillysmyhero]

I hope he is a good signing.I'm just wondering why do let a Fast youngish english winger go & sign an older on qouta winger.For me you could have Billy Whizz on the wing but if you dont give him the ball even he wouldnt be able to score.

[platt-warrior]

I'm afraid I disagree with both Josie and DaveO,not only are we getting IMO an excellent experienced player but also a good utility player.Signing a player for the sake of it ,is not the IL way IMO.

[cpwigan]

Firstly: Remember you heard it here first. Warriors.com breaks the news. The WEP and Observer follow. You would think Peter Aspinall would at least register in his name.

Re Roberts. He clearly has an impressive strike rate and has done it at 3 clubs. My hunch is that he is an attack minded free spirited Aboriginee player and thus better suited to SL than the NRL. His speed and finishing ability has seen him put on the wing but if you look at his physique he could readily play at centre. He is far better suited to that position than Phelps. Roberts is a right sided player.

We now have the following scenarios;

Richards
Ainscough, Roberts, Carmont, Pryce
Tommy, Smith

Phelps
Pryce, Roberts, Carmont, Richards
Tommy, Smith

Richards
Roberts, Goulding, Carmont, Pryce
Tommy, Smith

Several other alternatives too. We now have genuine competition in the outside backs which is great news.

[DaveO]

I'm afraid I disagree with both Josie and DaveO,not only are we getting IMO an excellent experienced player but also a good utility player.Signing a player for the sake of it ,is not the IL way IMO.

Well the quota Aussie has gone away since the RFL changed the rules this week but I am still not in favour of this signing for a number of reasons. First of all we let a younger British winger go so despite the quota issue going away that still is not a good thing IMO.

However more serious is this when you look at the likely back line which IMO will be:

Mathers, Roberts, Pryce, Carmont, Richards.

Notice anything about it? Not one Wigan produced player in that line up.

I think that is a joke and we may as well stop going on about our great youth set up from this point on.

If Roberts is contracted for four years then with Richards contracted for three then Ainscough may as well leave the club now. Noble will select that back line at every opportunity IMO.

That means Ainscough won't get a meaningful run out and what future is there for him and Goulding at Wigan now?

And if there are any injuries I expect Noble will pick Phelps!

Have people completely missed the fact we seem to be freezing out the junior players by signing a player of age 28 on a four year deal? Once Calders went there was the opportunity for Ainscough to step up. Not now its been taken away for a LONG time.

Dave

[Cruncher]

I'm afraid I disagree with both Josie and DaveO,not only are we getting IMO an excellent experienced player but also a good utility player.Signing a player for the sake of it ,is not the IL way IMO.

Well the quota Aussie has gone away since the RFL changed the rules this week but I am still not in favour of this signing for a number of reasons. First of all we let a younger British winger go so despite the quota issue going away that still is not a good thing IMO.

However more serious is this when you look at the likely back line which IMO will be:

Mathers, Roberts, Pryce, Carmont, Richards.

Notice anything about it? Not one Wigan produced player in that line up.

I think that is a joke and we may as well stop going on about our great youth set up from this point on.

If Roberts is contracted for four years then with Richards contracted for three then Ainscough may as well leave the club now. Noble will select that back line at every opportunity IMO.

That means Ainscough won't get a meaningful run out and what future is there for him and Goulding at Wigan now?

And if there are any injuries I expect Noble will pick Phelps!

Have people completely missed the fact we seem to be freezing out the junior players by signing a player of age 28 on a four year deal? Once Calders went there was the opportunity for Ainscough to step up. Not now its been taken away for a LONG time.
Dave

Not necessarily.

This is what you fear may happen, assuming everyone stays fit, stays on form, etc. There's no guarantee it actually WILL happen, in fact it's unlikely to happen given that not everyone will stay fit and that slots will inevitably become available.

Dave, on one hand you're always calling for the club to sign better players. And on the other, when we do - like on this occasion - you decry it, saying that it won't give the unproved youngsters a chance.

These contradictory opinions are not atypical of certain types of curmudgeonly Wigan fan. But I'm baffled. Which is it you actually want to see: the recruitment of quality players to Wigan, or a policy of giving the kids a chance at the expense of this?

[cpwigan]

My main concern is length of contract. To be honest we are locking ourselves into long contracts with many senior players. The other concern is that Phelps may have been a panic and rash signing.

Re Young players. I am considered overly pro the youngsters by many. I believe Stanton was ready for the first team. Ainscough may not be. However, he is not 3 or 4 years away and if we do not intend to play him then we must loan him out. Joe Lydon can say what he wants but as far as I am concerned he is an hypocrite. He clearly said at the Fans Forum that academy/reserve RL was not fit for purpose. The purpose being to develop future first team players. THE REALITY IS THAT RESULTS ARE IMMATERIAL,Player development is the be all and end all. Yet at the end of the season JL was jumping up and down and talking about success as winning trophies like the Reserve Championship, League placings. Ainscough was treated shabbily by Wigan RLFC in 2008. To be left to rot in the Academy was a disgrace. Just as to never give Stanton any first team opportunities was.

I rate Goulding. I hope the club stick by him and develop him. I also rate Ian Thornley. If Ian plays academy RL in 2009 then JL needs to take a long good look at himself. He needs reserve RL in 2009. The 15 re-signings announced yesterday. Are Wigan RLFC doing the right thing by Sam Gee, John Walker and Andrew Thornley? None have a future as top SL players IMO. Therefore it is pointless trying to develop them and blocking other more promising players from developing.

As much as I admire his attitude, Phil Bailey needs to leave after 2009. We have ample SL back rowers and more on their way. I said as early as 2007 Wigan RLFC should not sign a back rower for the next decade. I stand by that.

If Wiki had been available. I believe we would have signed him in 2009. He is not and I do not see anybody else available who could offer what Wiki could have as a role model/leader AND therefore O'Carrol and Prescott deserve another season of opportunities.

Half backs. I am glad we do not seem to be signing one. Sam Tomkins needs to be first choice back up to Tommy and Smith. My only reservation being that Tommy and Sam may not be a good combination.

Roberts could for me turn out to be a 'George Carmont' siging. My biggest worry is if he gets put out on the wing then he could be made to look bad as recent history suggests wingers tends to suffer at Wigan RLFC and their try per game ratio drops dramatically. He may need to play centre to see him at his best.

If Pryce comes through. Still a big IF. Nobody can say IMO. Mathers may become surplus to requirement.