WiganWarriorsFans.com

With time on my hands and nothing better to do I've just gone onto the Club website and added up the age of the team which played last night.
Even with the two 'old men', Richards and SOL our average age of the 17 on the field was only 23.5. I would suggest that with a bit more maturity we could have the foundation of a good side here in another couple of years and then for several years.
Knocking out the 'oldies' the age drops to 22.6 with the backs at 21.8 and the forwards at 23.1.
Knocking out the Aussies the overall age drops to 22.9 with the backs now down to 21.2.
I'm going to stop now before I frighten myself anymore.

Good, interesting post Ian, hopefully will stand us in good shape for the future!

Funnily enough, we were working that out on the way home & came up with 23.

We were using memory for the players ages & some suggestions

ian.birchall wrote:With time on my hands and nothing better to do I've just gone onto the Club website and added up the age of the team which played last night.
Even with the two 'old men', Richards and SOL our average age of the 17 on the field was only 23.5. I would suggest that with a bit more maturity we could have the foundation of a good side here in another couple of years and then for several years.

And in the meantime?

I prefer Jam today, not Jam tomorrow.

It should be a cause for concern that we have such an inexperienced side. Compared to how we managed player turnover in the past what happened to give us the side we have now was a cock up.

We are no longer in the past and time some accepted that since 1996, things have change and club's are no longer in the position to attract star players from Union and the NRL.

The thing I’d like to know Ian is : “ Do you work out these little problems as a sort of mental exercise, in order to distract yourself from thinking about that young girl in a bikini ?”

The stats don't lie, but they don't tell you everything you need to know either. The player that was missing from the 38-0 win one week and the narrow 18-14 loss the next is 23. The player that took his place in the 17 is 25. The team that lost to Leeds was (marginally) older than the team that beat Catalans.

Whelley Warrior wrote:We are no longer in the past and time some accepted that since 1996, things have change and club's are no longer in the position to attract star players from Union and the NRL.

That is no excuse given other sides have managed player turnover better in the modern era than Wigan did for this season.

DaveO wrote:

ian.birchall wrote:With time on my hands and nothing better to do I've just gone onto the Club website and added up the age of the team which played last night.
Even with the two 'old men', Richards and SOL our average age of the 17 on the field was only 23.5. I would suggest that with a bit more maturity we could have the foundation of a good side here in another couple of years and then for several years.

And in the meantime?

I prefer Jam today, not Jam tomorrow.

It should be a cause for concern that we have such an inexperienced side. Compared to how we managed player turnover in the past what happened to give us the side we have now was a cock up.

I don't understand why you consider the squad situation a cause for concern?

I think the squad has been better managed and is a better shape than it has been in a long time. Wigan have managed to replace both half backs without any major concerns, Smith and Green have settled in very well.

Carmont is hard to replace but there is plenty of competition for the centre spot.

Losing Hock and the injuries to the forwards has stretched the squad but the younger players have done well and Farrell has defiantly stepped up to become one of the best second rows in Super League.

It is harder to sign players from the NRL at the moment. Warrington, Leeds and now Salford compete to sign the best players from within Super League so its not a straight forward as buy your way to the title any more....and even that has been shown not to work, anyone remember 2006?

Who else would you want to see at Wigan or how else would you want the squad to be managed?

Carmont is hard to replace but there is plenty of competition for the centre spot.

How do you work out that there is pleanty of competition for the centre spot?

Our two first choice centres are goulding and thornley? yet one of these played on the wing on friday with a back rower playing in the centres.