Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:04 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

There can’t have been a club as big as Wigan, who have gone as long without a recognised top level goal kicker for so long before. We’re going in to our ninth season now since Pat Richards left and we haven’t had a kicker in that time who has been a regular first choice at another club before (other than spells by default) or even one who did it on a regular basis for our academy (Up until Harry Smith last season).

I’m not sure it’s been a particularly big issue for us tbh but it’s been an unbelievably long period. I read Catalans are close to deals for Napa, Pearce and Taukeiaho earlier. I’d love to have their financial backer and sadly they look to have beaten us to Wires accountant. I could be wrong but if Zane Tetevano is on marquee money at Leeds, you’d think it’s safe to assume Pearce and Taukeiaho would be at Catalans but presumably Sam Tomkins also is and then guys like Whare and Kasiano can’t be on buttons. I’m not sure how these clubs are doing it but all power to them. To think we’ve had prop issues and needed a reliable goal kicker for years and haven’t even been in the rumours columns for Taukeiaho is a shame. He’d have solved a couple of issues for us.

There has been talk in the past that Catalans pay crap wages to their French players as they know they have them bent over the barrel if they don’t fancy moving to the North of England, that might change a little with Tolouse in the Superleague.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:13 am  

NSW wrote:

Encouraging quotes about French, I know people will want him back in Wigan this side of Christmas but I’m mainly bothered about him coming back at all.

Bevan French is still recovering from injury, but Peet insisted he is in safe hands. "We're as hands-on as we can be with Bevan," Peet said. "We're having daily Zoom chats with him and we're being supported by some experts over there who we trust.

"It's important to make sure we support him as well as he can and when he gets here he will be fit and raring to go, we've no doubt about that."

Pre season starts Monday, Jai Field fully fit. Ellis is arriving this week and Mago in 2 weeks (as his season finished later than Ellis).

Very positive all around, esp with the new signings coming early.

Let's just hope the "medics we trust" aren't the ones who did the medical for Burgess.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:16 am  

CobraCraig wrote:

There has been talk in the past that Catalans pay crap wages to their French players as they know they have them bent over the barrel if they don’t fancy moving to the North of England, that might change a little with Tolouse in the Superleague.

Let’s hope so. I’m a big fan of us having the French clubs in the league but they really need to start producing more homegrown players for the national side. I’d love to think having two in will help facilitate that and make sure the financial incentives are good enough to tempt better players to stick with Rugby League. The bigger goal has to be that we get a much stronger French National side. A future of big games against the French would help make up the shortfall from final appearances Catalans make (or Toulouse in the future), where the crowds are 15-20k down on the usual levels.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:19 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Very positive all around, esp with the new signings coming early.

Let's just hope the "medics we trust" aren't the ones who did the medical for Burgess.

It’s positive in that it suggests he’s definitely coming back but you do sense it’ll be another delayed arrival and that’s not ideal. Let’s just hope it works out better this time. As Rogues mentions, the reserves fixtures should help and hopefully a bit more luck on the injury front elsewhere will mean we don’t feel the need to rush things.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:23 am  

What do people think about a move for Tyrone May? I've not seen that much of the lad (even tho he's played 50+ games). HB, who can cover a few positions in both the forwards & backs.

By the looks of it, he got into some trouble a few years back & recently brought it all back into the public eye with an post after the GF.

He might benefit for a year or two out of the NRL bubble, kinda like Hastings did.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:25 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

It’s positive in that it suggests he’s definitely coming back but you do sense it’ll be another delayed arrival and that’s not ideal. Let’s just hope it works out better this time. As Rogues mentions, the reserves fixtures should help and hopefully a bit more luck on the injury front elsewhere will mean we don’t feel the need to rush things.

Yeah very true.

One of my biggest worries for next year tho is this - whilst I understand it's a marathon and not a sprint, Peet will be up against it from a section of our fan base. I really want him to be successful and a good start will massively help that. French is a key player for us and critical to how well our season goes.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:33 am  

French is a key player as above and as current things stand having him unfit at the start of the season for a number of games would put us on the back foot from the off, very much deja vous of 2021.

Jai Field would need to start the season flying but he's very much an unknown, now whilst the the club state he's "fully fit" I can't help but have him in the 'Luke Davico' bracket, hope not like.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:38 am  

sergeant pepper wrote:

Yeah very true.

One of my biggest worries for next year tho is this - whilst I understand it's a marathon and not a sprint, Wider will be up against it from a section of our fan base. I really want him to be successful and a good start will massively help that. French is a key player for us and critical to how well our season goes.

Our fans will criticise literally anyone, but if they blame him next season then we have bigger issues than I thought

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:51 am  

Egg Chasing wrote:

Our fans will criticise literally anyone, but if they blame him next season then we have bigger issues than I thought

Haha I was miles away with that one sorry.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:56 am  

CobraCraig wrote:

For me he was solid, decent defence and really good goal kicker which we desperately need. I don’t see Thornley or Bibby as big upgrades on him and that’s without factoring in his kicking. That’s said it’s hardly a disaster he’s gone as he will never be a top centre but in a salary cap sport he’s someone I could see slotting in and doing well in a successful superleague side.

I’m sure he will have asked for a release rather than the other way round.

He will be guaranteed game time at Toulouse which I’m sure we couldn’t give him similar assurances and he has always said he needs to be playing at his age.

I’m guessing he may have been part of the plans but to be fair to him the club agreed to the move. I just hope the space freed up from the move is reinvested into the squad.