New player

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DaveO
Posts: 15931
Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2002 5:32 pm

Re: New player

Post by DaveO »

i'm spartacus wrote:
DaveO wrote:
i'm spartacus wrote: I've got to point out the obvious hypocrisy of some of the opinions put forward on the wider forum before anyone condemns Andy Powell on his age.
No you haven't because there isn't any.
So wanting a player at 31 to stay for another couple of years at the age of 31, whilst saying that the age 31 is too old to sign on isn't hypocritical?
Read the rest of a post before jumping in. Of course it isn't hypocritical. As I outlined the rest of my post there is huge difference between giving a proven RL player like Richards a new contract and giving one to an RU player like Powell both aged 31.

Of course if you can't see that it's easy to fling the hypocrisy charge.

Any player of that age we sign as a new player to the club needs to be pretty special and a proven RL player IMO. Not an RU player to take punt on who may or may not work out.


Sad but its not the end of the world. The point you miss and why Pat would still have value here at 31 is he is a proven first class RUGBY LEAGUE player.
You make it sound like he's signing on to play a sport which bears no relation to his original sport. The clue is in the fact that both sports contain the word rugby. There is no 'chance' to take, he is a capped international 'rugby' player. You cast aspersions on the guy, and I will lay odds that you have never seen him play at all.
Sorry but that is laughable. The differences between being a prop in RU and RL are huge.
It's somehow strange that top grade Rugby League players always seem to make the grade in Union, but somehow you believe top class RU players cannot cut it coming the other way.
We are talking Andy Powell here not generalising and given the likes of Faz who ended up as a prop for us played centre and the fact Joel hasn't just walked into the England team should tell you when it comes to forwards there is a much bigger difference than when someone like Ashton or Robinson make the switch.

Mind you what relevance there is of players going from RL to RU when discussing players going the other way I don't know. RL players success or otherwise at RU proves absolutely nothing about how well an RU player will take to league.
The fact is that 'rugby league' coaches, who have played the game of 'rugby league' at international level. The self same people who coach a team currently at the top of super league, have made a decision that they believe he is good enough to play for that team. The separate games, despite their differences are in many respects, very similar. It isn't like learning to speak a foreign language.
Not that line. Please. The coach is always right line is no way to defend your opinions. You need to give your reasons why you think he will be a good player not rely on that.

The difference is people can see how these players were playing in our sport. If people wanted another season or two out of these players it was because they were dong the business on the pitch.
Again, you make it sound like he's only ever played cricket. He is at the top of his game, he has toured with the Lions, he was in a Welsh grand slam winning team. He is an international standard 'rugby' player
Not at the moment he isn't and please give up with the 'rugby' player rubbish. His Lions tour was five years ago in 2009 and he played one for Wales game off the bench in 2012.

What you are glossing over is you are comparing RL players who know the game inside out with a rookie. Menzies can play the game on auto-pilot.
You failed to understand what I wrote. I wasn't comparing RL players who know the game inside out, with a rookie. I was comparing forward play in union, to forward play in league.
The point I made still stands whether you compare forwards or backs.



It's exactly like GT. Powell is at the end of his RU career as Thomas was and now has to adapt to a new sport. He has to do it in a top side who expect to be competing for trophies as well which is a very different environment to the one Thomas entered.
But Andy Powell isn't at the end of his rugby career is he? He's at the end of his contract with Sale, that doesn't mean his career is over, and it fact it wasn't over. He chose to come to us, he could have gone elsewhere. I don't think anyone in their right mind would say that a club players career is over just because he didn't get picked for his national side.
All players of age 31 are nearing the end of their career when their career is RL. They are basically looking for their last contract. Powell is no different.

If we want an experienced prop I'd have no problem with a rugby league player of this vintage like a Craig Smith or Quentin Pongia being signed on a short term deal but we just don't need to be educating veteran RU players. And we certainly look rather stupid making out as if its some sort of capture. As Andy Wilson points out its likely to be players of this vintage we will be getting if we get any more from RU.
Why bother taking the risk in the first place? He's been an idiot off the field and he is nearing the end of his RU career. Instead of trying (and failing) to justify why he is no different than Pat Richards how about considering why on earth are we bothering in the first place?
I did not once compare Andy Powell to Pat Richards in anything other than age.

I cannot see how I failed to do that as they are both 31 years of age and that was the only comparison I was making.
And being no different to Richards on age is no justification for the signing which is what I was on about.
Just as a matter of interest, have you ever watched Andy Powell play, or had you even heard of him before he signed for Wigan

I am betting not, and don't lie.
WTF would I lie about it? Good grief! No I have not seen him play but given he plays RU that would tell me next to nothing about how he will play league.

What I do know is you can't come up with a reason why he is worth taking a risk on, only pretty weak arguments as to why he might make it.

His off field record is getting booted out of Wales squad in 2010 for driving a golf buggy up the M4, moving to Wasps to work with Edwards to try and rehabilitate himself but then parting company with Wasps after a drunken brawl outside a pub.

So given he is 31, is an RU player, got booted out of the Welsh international squad in 2010 and then booted out of Wasps what recommendation is all of that to get a gig at Wigan?
Wes
Posts: 2179
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:28 pm

Re: New player

Post by Wes »

Not going to super quote you Dave, I can not believe you haven't seen him play yet you are determined he will not make it.

That is laughable and weakens your argument considerably.

Powell is not a forward of the union mould ....

Out of interest Dave do you think the club is right investing in the welsh channels?
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