Hampshire

[Wandering Warrior]

The idea of Hampshire going and Bowen staying is beyond daft.
I hope to Heaven this just isn't true!

Given the oddities of some of the departures over the last two or three years I wouldn't put money on this scenario not panning out!!

[Wandering Warrior]

The alternative is that IFL has no ambition and is happy to cash in and see Wigan reduced to mediocrity.

The guillotine awaits you!!

[East Stand Faithful]

The alternative is that IFL has no ambition and is happy to cash in and see Wigan reduced to mediocrity.

The guillotine awaits you!!

I am quaking in my boots


Seriously though, how many players have we lost in recent years?

Budgie is in the departure lounge and our next big thing is now rumoured to be heading the same way. These are not established players, they are prospects. You cannot keep losing your best players and prospects and replace them with players of equal quality.

We are rumoured to offer our youngsters buttons and super league is clearly miles behind the NRL.

All our major competitors (Leeds, saints, wire) seem more able to retain their better players and prospects.

So am i wrong in the above? Can someone persuade me everything in the Wigan camp is fine?

[Wandering Warrior]

I'm on the same hymn sheet as you I'm afraid and stand to be executed also.
I was in the lounge under South Stand before the Broncos game and heard an Aussie say that they had much to thank the English for. My thought was yeh, for taking our best players!!

[Owd Codger]

No surprise if true, when there is more money in the NRL and now in Union.

Plus the better lifestyle in the land of Oz.

How many of you would not do likewise, especially if single?

[Owd Codger]

The alternative is that IFL has no ambition and is happy to cash in and see Wigan reduced to mediocrity.

The guillotine awaits you!!

I am quaking in my boots


Seriously though, how many players have we lost in recent years?

Budgie is in the departure lounge and our next big thing is now rumoured to be heading the same way. These are not established players, they are prospects. You cannot keep losing your best players and prospects and replace them with players of equal quality.

We are rumoured to offer our youngsters buttons and super league is clearly miles behind the NRL.

All our major competitors (Leeds, saints, wire) seem more able to retain their better players and prospects.

So am i wrong in the above? Can someone persuade me everything in the Wigan camp is fine?

Yes, our game is behind the NRL, both in finance and play and the reasons for it are well known.

Budgie is indeed in the departure lounge but by his own admission, it is more to do with the Australian lifestyle than money.

We are not only losing players but getting players from within and also outside who are just as good and in some cases better.

And why the assumption that all is not well in the Wigan camp

If we are paying buttons to our young players, why do we keep attracting most of the best to our Academy.

As for Leeds and Saints keeping their best players, this is not true, especially with Saints.

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

The guillotine awaits you!!

I am quaking in my boots


Seriously though, how many players have we lost in recent years?

Budgie is in the departure lounge and our next big thing is now rumoured to be heading the same way. These are not established players, they are prospects. You cannot keep losing your best players and prospects and replace them with players of equal quality.

We are rumoured to offer our youngsters buttons and super league is clearly miles behind the NRL.

All our major competitors (Leeds, saints, wire) seem more able to retain their better players and prospects.

So am i wrong in the above? Can someone persuade me everything in the Wigan camp is fine?

Yes, our game is behind the NRL, both in finance and play and the reasons for it are well known.

Budgie is indeed in the departure lounge but by his own admission, it is more to do with the Australian lifestyle than money.

We are not only losing players but getting players from within and also outside who are just as good and in some cases better.

And why the assumption that all is not well in the Wigan camp

If we are paying buttons to our young players, why do we keep attracting most of the best to our Academy.

As for Leeds and Saints keeping their best players, this is not true, especially with Saints.

One of the problems, at junior level, is offering the right salary to a player who has made or looks likely to make the first team squad and looks to have the attributes to play at the top level. We have lost Budgie, not because we couldn't match the offer from the NRL (something that we are not likely or prepared to do) but because we couldn't offer enough to entice him to stay longer (I am sure that he would have stayed another 2/3 seasons and then eventually left for the NRL). We need to recognise that these lads are not playing for the love of Wigan, or rugby league in general, this is their living! I would suspect that many players, under 19 years of age, are paid a pittance and that is something that the RFL need to deal with across the board if we are to encourage talented lads into our game and keep them.

I believe that Rads & Co are going through a learning curve regarding salary negotiations and they will, on the whole, get it right eventually. What we do need to do though is stop letting contracts run down so that third party interests become significant contributions in negotiations. We have paid the price with Budgie, won with Williams, Rocky's future at Wigan seems to be in the balance and we were fortunate that Sutty changed his mind and decided to sign. Others, such as Shorrocks, need to be encouraged to sign on the dotted line before we fall into the same trap.

[Wandering Warrior]

This is really my big gripe that letting contracts run down can be fought with problems. Whether it's done to keep players mean and lean or not is beside the point, forward thinking is usually the main trait of decent management!!

[jobo]

This is really my big gripe that letting contracts run down can be fought with problems. Whether it's done to keep players mean and lean or not is beside the point, forward thinking is usually the main trait of decent management!!

IL has been trying to get all of them onto long term contracts but solely on his terms. At the moment, Aussie clubs are prepared to pay promising young players not just a bit more but loads more than Wigan are and are less concerned about whether their investment pays off. It's a difficult juggling act for both parties but in Hampshires case I'd say give him the contract that will make him want to stay.

[Wandering Warrior]

No doubt it will be minimum wage for five years!!