Wigan Observer A new 6

[Shaun1967]

Just bear in mind as well that the names mentioned Edwards, Connolly, Sam, were, or are on their way to becoming real legends in the game.
They could do things before they turned twenty that most others could never achieve.
It isn't too often that players come along who are developed enough at that age to perform consistently at professional level.

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

Cheers for that. I suppose the game has evolved in 30 years, not least by going full time pro.

Its just when I hear about 17/18 year olds not being ready,I immediately think about Shaun becoming the youngest ever Wembley player in 1984, a record that would be broken 5 years later by Gary Connolly!

I think so. The game was much dirtier / brutal and yes your nose / teeth were battered etc but I do think the wear / tear on the body was somewhat less.

Never forget for Edwards there was a young Keith Holden, etc etc. Giz was a special player IMO.

The term legend comes to mind.

[Panchitta Marra]

Brett Finch has been the key to much of our success.
Initially we thought his timed (flat) passes were ideal for Ryan Hoffmann, we now realise that they are even more deadly with Gaz Hock.
Could/would Matty Smith or Rangi Chase be as effective with Gaz Hock in the same manner, I have my doubts as Finchy leaves the pass to the very last split second and is very camouflged the way he does it.

[josie andrews]

Chase i beleive s been offered a fortune to come -

I bloody hope not, he is definitely not worth it

If you've got mega bucks & don't want to use your young players just yet, spend that money on a quality Aussie not a bloke who doesn't know who or what he is! :conf:

I'm sure we have a few good quality lads playing on the fringes in the position he plays & I have every confidence in our coaching staff that they will nurture & produce the quality players we need.

Yes a couple of experienced players as well but not Chase, or Brough for that matter.

I don't think coming here will improve either of these players game

What quality Aussie would you have signed instead of Chase? You are aware that the NRL market is 'largely dead' - Ian Lenagan's own words in The Guardian last year. It's simply not a possibility.

Also if you have the confidence in our coaching staff to 'nurture and produce the players we need' then why don't you have the faith in our coaching staff to sign the right players? That's just plain hypocrisy. It's either one or the other.

You've ruled out Chase and Brough - the England partnership & two of the best halfbacks in the league. Who would you have signed instead?

Apparently not as Brough is not in England squad now as his place has been taken by Sinfield!!

I don't think Chase is worth the money being bandied about!! £350,000 I think not!

[exile in Tiger country]

Plenty of "I don't want Rangi Chase" posts on here.But, can someone tell me who we should sign THAT IS AVAILABLE!!
It's no good keep whinging that Smith and Chase are not Tommy and Finch, if Smith and Chase are the best that ARE AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT, then what else are the club to do?
If anyone out there has information about how to get Cooper Cronk, Benji Marshall, or anyone else of that ilk, then please let Ian Lenegan know. Because I'm sure he will have been looking already.
In life you can't always get what you want, when you want it. It's no different in Rugby league.

Chase IS NOT AVAILABLE!! That is why compensation figures of £350K are being bandied about. If we are shelling that out, maybe it's time for Mr Lenegan to put his hand a bit deeper and get Cronk or Cam Smith on a plane to Manchester airport.

[Kittwazzer]

I think my aversion to Chase is largely the alleged £350,000 fee and the alleged 'megabucks' we will be paying him.

Then it occurs to me that this is IFL we are talking about. I cannot believe he would entertain these figures!

[butt monkey]

Plenty of "I don't want Rangi Chase" posts on here.But, can someone tell me who we should sign THAT IS AVAILABLE!!
It's no good keep whinging that Smith and Chase are not Tommy and Finch, if Smith and Chase are the best that ARE AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT, then what else are the club to do?
If anyone out there has information about how to get Cooper Cronk, Benji Marshall, or anyone else of that ilk, then please let Ian Lenegan know. Because I'm sure he will have been looking already.
In life you can't always get what you want, when you want it. It's no different in Rugby league.

Chase IS NOT AVAILABLE!! That is why compensation figures of £350K are being bandied about. If we are shelling that out, maybe it's time for Mr Lenegan to put his hand a bit deeper and get Cronk or Cam Smith on a plane to Manchester airport.

Of course he isn't available.

What might be happening though is that the players head has been "turned" (similarly to what happened with Joel T) by the opportunity to play for a bigger/better club for possibly more money (hence the contract he signed for them is useless - as everyone always keeps saying)

The player was reputed to have been at loggerheads with Ian Millward during the close season (can't be bothered to find the thread for that) and now with the rumour of Wigan's interest he has been quoted as saying he would like to at least "talk" to the club over a possible move

Transfer money is inconsequential as it doesn't count on the salary cap, he now qualifies via residency for England so will not need a new work permit and could be available as Castleford have recently seen a number of their players move on (mainly to Hull )

Gleeson, 28, will cost Wigan £100,000 plus full-back Richie Mathers, who is heading to the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

[Wes]

Ranging Chase won MoS because players didn't want Sam to win, Saints voted Chase in spite of Sam and we voted Chase in spite of Roby.

I'm sorry but this is just bitter nonsense.

Speculation about who voted for who in the MOS running is just schoolyard gossip. Yes, Sam Tomkins IMO deserved the award over Rangi Chase but feck me I'm not going to hold it against Chase if he does sign for Wigan. What I will say is that Chase may not have deserved the award over Sam in my eyes BUT he certainly deserved to be in the top three alongside Sam & Roby.

If it was Critics choice Sam would have won the accolade, At Chases age if he was all that he'd be back in the NRL bigger cap better level of rugby but he's not, Chases agent would have knocked on every NRL clubs door but the fact of the matter is he's in SL earning a wage at a mediocre club.

So this is the benchmark we'll rate halfbacks on shall we? Whether the NRL come knocking for them. Well that rules out every single halfback in the league except for Finch/leuluai as no other halfbacks have been chased to the NRL.

Since when has what club a player plays for had any bearing on how talented they are? Jonathan Thurston played in the NRL side that finished bottom of the NRL in the same year we won the Grand Final - by your logic he's at a mediocre club earning a good wage. Jarryd Hayne is playing for the Eels who are at the bottom of the league.

Hell there was a time when no-one would touch Finch with a bargepole after he was sacked at the Eels and the Storm handed him a lifeline.

HELL when we signed Thomas Leuluai he was at a struggling Harlequins side earning a decent wage with the NRL not knocking on his door - that make him not good enough too?

Fair play to him he's making a good living and fair play to him if we do come knocking if I was him I'd say yes and if we do sign him I'll support him and give him a chance BUT ill say it again he's not good enough and I don't want him at Wigan.

Why don't you want him at Wigan? Because he won MOS instead of Sam Tomkins? Because the NRL haven't come knocking for him? Because he plays at Castleford?

What rational reason based on his rugby league ability have you seen that makes Rangi Chase not good enough for Wigan? And then after answering this, please could you offer some viable alternate halfbacks who are good enough for Wigan who we could sign.

Rangi is very poor in defence, he has no long kicking game his pass selection is very poor and he is very much all for himself.

He constantly runs across the line not at it flapping his right arm backwards to offer a drop off or passes the ball 1 out or dies with it.

That's all he has he is a 1 trick pony admittedly however he does have a very good short kicking game.

Now you may think all rugby players are grown ups and act all prim and proper well there not and they don't. Saints voted Chase so did Leeds and so did we the rest of the league was split.

It is however only my opinion yours can be entirely different

[OJ]

I think my aversion to Chase is largely the alleged £350,000 fee and the alleged 'megabucks' we will be paying him.

That was how I felt as well. I don't really have any strong feelings one way or the other about the bloke himself and if he does end up playing for us I will be behind him 100% unless he does something mega stupid. Clearly we need to give the shirt to someone and choices appear to be limited. It would be great to think someone already at Wigan could do the job and think we can trust our coaching staff to make the right decision. If we have to get the player from elsewhere I just hope it doesn't cost us 350K plus 2 players going out the door.

[exile in Tiger country]

Plenty of "I don't want Rangi Chase" posts on here.But, can someone tell me who we should sign THAT IS AVAILABLE!!
It's no good keep whinging that Smith and Chase are not Tommy and Finch, if Smith and Chase are the best that ARE AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT, then what else are the club to do?
If anyone out there has information about how to get Cooper Cronk, Benji Marshall, or anyone else of that ilk, then please let Ian Lenegan know. Because I'm sure he will have been looking already.
In life you can't always get what you want, when you want it. It's no different in Rugby league.

Chase IS NOT AVAILABLE!! That is why compensation figures of £350K are being bandied about. If we are shelling that out, maybe it's time for Mr Lenegan to put his hand a bit deeper and get Cronk or Cam Smith on a plane to Manchester airport.

Of course he isn't available.

What might be happening though is that the players head has been "turned" (similarly to what happened with Joel T) by the opportunity to play for a bigger/better club for possibly more money (hence the contract he signed for them is useless - as everyone always keeps saying)

The player was reputed to have been at loggerheads with Ian Millward during the close season (can't be bothered to find the thread for that) and now with the rumour of Wigan's interest he has been quoted as saying he would like to at least "talk" to the club over a possible move

Transfer money is inconsequential as it doesn't count on the salary cap, he now qualifies via residency for England so will not need a new work permit and could be available as Castleford have recently seen a number of their players move on (mainly to Hull )

Gleeson, 28, will cost Wigan £100,000 plus full-back Richie Mathers, who is heading to the Halliwell Jones Stadium.