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May be wrong but i think Sammut will add the unpredictability near the line we have been missing, and sorry but i watched Edwards all his career at Wigan and he often stood behind the defensive line to clear up any breakthroughs to save his energy for the attack

Well a few days on and the way I think we are thinking Sammutt will either be a wild success or absolute failure with no real in between,very clear to Wigan aren’t spending the cap and won’t be doing,even Adam Pearson saying Lenegan had told him Wigan had cut wage spending and this signing points to that being true.

I wish the lad well,it may be time to try and move at one of Woods/Shorrocks on perhaps if they’re not going to get game time maybe it’s time ease them out the door.

So grim times or a brave new dawn regarding players coming in,well a date in Manchester in October as ever is the bench mark Wigan are held to,I think this season is going to be a lot harder given the quality that left and really hasn’t been replaced (that said can Bateman be replaced I doubt it),so we shall see.

Dammit, that's the trouble with being champions. Things can only get worse, not better...

Given the scale of financial losses the club has made this past few years it is unsurprising that IL has decided to cut costs. No doubt it will cover the playing staff, backroom and admin

Playing wise we've lost Bateman, Tomkins x 2, Sutton & Bretherton. Greenwood has succeeded Bateman but could anyone replace him? Greenwood does appear a very good signing. Sam T has been followed by Hardaker, success or not we don't know. Joel hasn't been replaced. Sutton has Bullock following him but I thought Ryan had been passed in the pecking order by Navarrete who established himself as a starting prop.

We do seem to have managed the succession of departing players very well and though Sammut wouldn't be anyone's number one target he's not a replacement but an additional half back to strengthen that part of the squad. Lam obviously sees something in him that we don't but that's hardly surprising. Lam does know a thing or three about what it takes to play half back.

I still think we've got a very good squad for 2019 and IL's remarks to Pearson may have been on the reserved side. I think we'll be competing for trophies and will win one or more despite the cost cutting.

so if its sammut and george in the middle .tommy at 9 were does that leave powell ? he was always first one down on wanes team sheet

With interchanges down from 10 to 8 then we a 9 who can do 80 mins, Sam P does that Tommy can't do that he has to be spelled.
Sammut doesn't fit into the first 17 to me.

This obsession with 90 minutes hookers have you every thought it was wane who spelled them and they TL might be able to do 80?

Wiganer Ted wrote:Given the scale of financial losses the club has made this past few years it is unsurprising that IL has decided to cut costs. No doubt it will cover the playing staff, backroom and admin

Playing wise we've lost Bateman, Tomkins x 2, Sutton & Bretherton. Greenwood has succeeded Bateman but could anyone replace him? Greenwood does appear a very good signing. Sam T has been followed by Hardaker, success or not we don't know. Joel hasn't been replaced. Sutton has Bullock following him but I thought Ryan had been passed in the pecking order by Navarrete who established himself as a starting prop.

We do seem to have managed the succession of departing players very well and though Sammut wouldn't be anyone's number one target he's not a replacement but an additional half back to strengthen that part of the squad. Lam obviously sees something in him that we don't but that's hardly surprising. Lam does know a thing or three about what it takes to play half back.

I still think we've got a very good squad for 2019 and IL's remarks to Pearson may have been on the reserved side. I think we'll be competing for trophies and will win one or more despite the crost cutting.

A well thought out post, Ted. It's easy to get into the "who replaces who?" discussion without reckoning on improvement in some players:

On the face of it, Bullock replaces Sutty, so our props are arguably worse. But, if we compare Navarrete now with Navarrete this time last year, he's come on in leaps and bounds. So year-on-year, I'd say Navarrete replaces Sutty in the pecking order, and Bullock replaces Nav.

Looking at half back, I think George is a better player now. We're arguably also better of for wingers, centres than in December 2017.

I'm not saying all's perfect, but just started pointing out that there are different ways of looking at things.

morley pie eater wrote: Meds asked a question..."What happens if.."
I think that's perfectly valid.

Why is it valid? He was asking what if something went wrong. Well what if nothing goes wrong? How about what if they get injured stepping off the plane?

There is no point asking "what if they don't fit in" or whatever. Presumably the clubs sign overseas players because before they actually sign them, they have decided they will fit in and will improve the team. Sometimes things don't work out but you only ever know that with hindsight. Warrington found this out with Roberts but its not stopped them signing Austin and nor should it.

So when I see people suggesting things might not work out for whatever reason with an overseas signing my head hits the desk. Often such posts are made to justify the club making a signing like Summut when other clubs are signing proven NRL players but apparently that isn't what Meds meant.

Wigan don't seem to have much of a scouting network. I think the last proven NRL player we signed directly was FPN. We have on the other hand signed several overseas players from other UK clubs such as Lauaki, Tuaiti, Isa and Green.

So my concern is we are not even in the mix for players like Austin and instead have become reduced to signing Sammut because this time we were not able to find any better half backs we can nick off other SL clubs.

Wiganer Ted wrote:Given the scale of financial losses the club has made this past few years it is unsurprising that IL has decided to cut costs. No doubt it will cover the playing staff, backroom and admin

Playing wise we've lost Bateman, Tomkins x 2, Sutton & Bretherton. Greenwood has succeeded Bateman but could anyone replace him? Greenwood does appear a very good signing. Sam T has been followed by Hardaker, success or not we don't know. Joel hasn't been replaced. Sutton has Bullock following him but I thought Ryan had been passed in the pecking order by Navarrete who established himself as a starting prop.

We do seem to have managed the succession of departing players very well and though Sammut wouldn't be anyone's number one target he's not a replacement but an additional half back to strengthen that part of the squad. Lam obviously sees something in him that we don't but that's hardly surprising. Lam does know a thing or three about what it takes to play half back.

I still think we've got a very good squad for 2019 and IL's remarks to Pearson may have been on the reserved side. I think we'll be competing for trophies and will win one or more despite the cost cutting.

Bateman has not been succeeded by Greenwood. They were both part of the GF winning side along with Faz. We have lost the best of those three back rowers and he has not been replaced.

As to it being inevitable due to the losses that it is unsurprising that IL has decided to cut costs, hang on a minute let's take a step back here. Are you actually arguing that it is OK because Wigan have lost money under IL the squad (and backroom staff) faces cutbacks?