Brough played for Cas in the Championship. Amour was released by Wigan and ended up at Whitehaven. Flower played for Crusaders in Super League and in Championship before Wigan. Hill was released by one of the Lancashire sides academy before ending up at Leigh.

The point is opportunities. Without opportunity you will not see it happen, therefore it is easy to say there is no others.

Brierley was at Leigh before Cas, Hill debuted at 16 for Leigh in SL and I think was in our Scholarship as was Brierley and Makinson at Saints before it was closed

You are correct about opportunity, plus some players develop later physically

There is a good chance if you look back on the majority of lower league players they have links to a SL Academy at some point in their early career.

Given that most players with real talent and the right attitude seem to make it somehow I would suggest those that don't get the opportunity don't get it for a good reason i.e. they weren't going to make it anyway.

Far more tales of those who were the next superstar that failed to deliver on early promise than the other way round.

You can't back up your assertion about his so called errors.

The reason Wigan players get in the team now is a similar answer to Leeds players getting in over the last ten years surely?

The best teams get most players in because they usually have the best players. The reason Tomkins or Mossop don't play for Cas is that better teams want them. No disrespect intended to Cas fans but Tomkins wouldn't have left Saracens for anyone but Wigan.

But Wigan weren't the best Team, Saints were... Not a single Saints player in the England Squad.

I didn't say they were. I used the plural. Wigan are ONE of the best teams and have been for the past five years. Do you disagree or were you just trying to remind me of the GF?



Roby and Lomax would have been chosen had they been available of course.

Mossop is a poor man's Ian Kirke.

On the errors another poster has also pointed that out - perhaps it is you that is in denial?

The point I am trying to make is - if Leeds are going to compete with the likes of Wigan they need players that are at least as good. Wigan - quite clearly for whatever reason - don't want Mossop. Leeds would then be signing a player considered not good enough by one of its most serious competitors.

If Leeds don't sign him Mossop will end up at a Castleford or Widnes - he doesn't appear very inclined to return to Australia - so his options could be quite limited

Wigan very much do want Mossop.

However they have Flower, Crosby, Clubb, Pettybourne, Tautai, Dudson and a couple of youngsters in Sutton and Greenwood. What happens to Taylor may decide if they can fit Mossop into the cap, as most of those mentioned are not high earners. Mossop would comfortably earn more than all of those (because he's better than all of them except Flower who will be missing for obvious reasons).

Leeds already compete with Wigan and always have. I'm as bit mystified by that comment.

I thought Dudson was on his way to Oz, did that fall through?

There were rumours about Dudson going to Salford and to the Eels. Also a rumour about Sutton going to Oz. A million rumours around Taylor going to Hull or Huddersfield on loan. So it may be that Mossop can come back and fill in for one or more of them.

Dudson is still young for a prop but needs to improve his poor discipline and play more like he did against Leeds at Magic and less like he does most of the time. I think a lot of Wigan fans have given up on him.

And I thought Flower was on his way to UFC?

On that subject though, with him being banned for the first couple of months of the season and no deal about Taylor announced yet is it possible that Wigan will try keep Taylor as cover for that period and then loan him out once Flower is available?

I thought Mossop wasn't so impressive in his final season in SL, and if he's struggling with injury then this could be a big risk - similarly with L. Burgess. That said, NRL experience and coaching should be a big asset provided the players have the right work ethic and desire to win things with Leeds. I'd rather not bag players before they've put on the shirt though. You'd assume that GH and BMD have access to more information than mere fans when making these kind of recruitment decisions, even though the seemingly knee-jerk exits of Bailey and Kirke suggest otherwise.

just an idea

?we launch the new kit tomorrow at the trinity centre. wouldn't it be good publicity to see a new signing to walk out wearing the new kit. would get the new kit seen in all magazines papers etc

I am either way on Mossop, don't think he is anywhere near as bad as you are making out, but don't think he is a great signing. What I do think is that he is a massive improvement on Bailey and Kirke though, and that for me is first and foremost, always looking to strengthen your position.

What I am absolutely certain on is that it is absolute rubbish to say Wigan didn't want him. Why did they put a clause in for first refusal if that was the case? the point is they can not accommodate him now due to other dealings, and that is the only reason for not taking up that clause.

He might be better than Kirke/Bailey but is he really the quality of player we should be getting? IMO not good enough.

They knew he was available before they entered into the deal for Patrick - if they wanted him so much they would not have gone for Patrick.

The first refusal clause is about getting a fee for him when he does come back and they palm him off to another club - I bet if Sam Tomkins came available they would find a way of accommodating him!!

@JamesWhaling: .@SheffieldEagles boss Mark Aston just told me: "We tried to sign Fuifui Moimoi but I think @leedsrhinos have beaten us to him." #exclusive

MoiMoi? That the level that Leeds are fishing in at the moment?

Snort.

Work has been ongoing on the Patrick to Wigan deal for well over a year though. He nearly joined before the start of last season

That seems an awful lot of work for a one year loan deal?

I hope he was winding him up as seriously, I'd prefer Bailey or Kirke to the 2013 and 2014 version of Fui Fui Moi Moi and that's saying something.

That is to become permanent

would not surprise me in the slightest.On a 4 year deal too no doubt.

Mossop sounds like a marque signing in contrast

Should've signed him yeeeeears ago. Too late now, be like swapping dead wood for dead wood.