Exiled Wiganer wrote:Hock left the club at the end of last year. We were not paying his wages this year and he did not count on the cap for us.
If he isn't a Wigan player how come we just managed to sell him to Salford?
We held his registration so he was a Wigan player. Simple as that.
Once his move to Oz was off we didn't have to sell him but have chosen to for various reasons already discussed.
He is no longer a Wigan player. The replacement for Hock was Farrell and that has worked out very well.
Faz is a very good player but there is no way a 2nd row of H, Faz with a player like Tuson or Hughes on the bench is as good as what we had previously where we had Hock, H and Faz.
Hock is not a Wigan player now we have just sold him and when Pettybourne arrives we will be back to the situation we were in when Hock was part of the team. That is three obvious first choice back rowers going after two spots with Lockers at 13.
We will have gone from Hock, H and Faz to Pettybourne, H and Faz.
It's blindingly obvious this will be the case and equally obvious Pettybourne takes Hock slot in that triumvirate.
I am sure Tuson could see this coming and the Pettybourne signing could well have influenced his decision to go for 1st team footy because as we all know, experienced overseas players are rarely signed not to play in the 1st team.
What will be interesting to see is if Pettybourne is as good a player as Hock.
So...
Out - Sam - in - Bowen - in his last few games he has been fantastic. Sure, his knees may not stand up, but then again maybe Wigan have thought about that and 1) checked him out carefully; 2) built something into his contract. We don't know, but my money would be on Wigan having given that some thought. Will that worry anybody? I don't know, but it ought to, given the quality of his performances the last couple of years.
You miss the point. I already said ignoring the dodgy knees and assuming he is a good player all we are doing here is replacing one good player with another. The best it does is plug the gap left by Sam and is a self-inflicted situation of IL's making.
I won't comment on the double think that berated the club for letting Fielden go, and then berates them for signing Bowen.
Well that works both ways. If you think the club was right to release Fielden who I am sure Hudds checked out medically you mist be furious we are taking a similar risk with Bowen.
Out - Tuson - in - Pettybourne - a definite step up, and exactly the sort of impact second row whow will improve us.
Hopkins is obviously Tuson's replacement.
Out - Pat - in - ? - hard to know what the club has in mind, but we are in September, not February, so they may have someone lined up.
I can't see any obvious signing targets so feel we may go with one of the young players which would be a risk as that side would be very inexperienced.
Out - Lauaki - in - Clubb. If so (and neither bit has been confirmed) then this would be a major trade upwards. Clubb could be a very useful forward indeed for us.
Don't understand this at all Lauaki is contracted for at least one more season so unless he is released or sacked he will be a Wigan player next season. If he is released at least some of his wages will count on the cap. He'd have ot be transferred, sacked (which obviously requires good reason to do so) or go on loan if anyone would have him.
Clubb is just not that good anyway to being better than a poor player isn't much of a selling point!
Out - Mossop - in - Powell and Hopkins? Now, this looks like a gamble to me. In the plus column we have our track record in turning Flower and Dudson, who would both be several levels below Powell in Welsh rugby pedigree, and the evidence from his very brief time in the game, that he mixes it up, and has presence but a lot to learn.
Plus Sarginson, who can provide cover pretty much from 1 to 7 and could do for us what Rathcford does for Wire.
The Powell signing remains a mystery. He clearly doesn't know what he's doing so it's not just a matter of conditioning though he does seem to struggle getting back into the defensive line. Asotasi is a much better signing for Wire and is exactly the kind of senior player we could do with to help Taylor, Crosby and Dudson out in the pack.
There is also another rather serious omission for next year. A goal kicker.