And you are quite clearly a cock with a hatred for our club HTH

As has been said this reserve grader may turn out to be the signing of the season and he may help with the development of our own talent.

Its 4 months since AW died. Not 4 months since others have left. The club did many things after AW died, to suggest this could not include looking for players is drivel. There is Moore - indefinate - and scully back in a couple of weeks. So your squad is so weak at the loss of Moore that your only option is to sign a NRL reserve grader. So be it.

I have never commented on FWs talent or otherwise. My focus has been on a long established SL club resorting to reserve graders.

The need of so many wakey fans to tell other posters what they feel is amusing.

Michael Korkidas, NRL reserve grader, signed for Huddersfield, a team with a wealthy backer, superb infrastructure, an (apparently) excellent youth academy and no injury crisis. Now that is a disgrace! With your sentiments about the signing of Winterstien, you will only show yourself up to be a hypocrite if you disagree.

Not entirely sure but you could try taking a look at Wigan who have a good youth development policy and are still running with a squad of 10 overseas players.
Amos Roberts
George Carmont
Pat Richards
Tim Smith
Thomas Leuluai
Mark Riddell
Iafeta Palea'asina
Phil Bailey
Cameron Phelps
Harrison Hansen?

Given this is a club with more money than most clubs how do they justify it? But you don't seem bothered about slagging them off, just us.

You obviously have difficulty thinking. You cannot understand the differnce between signing a reserve grade player and signing a player who was a reserve grade player many years ago who has since played many 1st grade games



What you are unable to understand is that korki had several years 1st grade SL experience when we signed him. Every player starts in the reserve grades. The issue is should long established SL clubs resort to topping up their squad with Oz reserve grade players. Some people think it is poor and a backward step. It would seem many Wakey fans want to support it. If the Giants had 10 years continuous SL presence and they signed a Roosters reserve grader I would be appalled.

That does seem too many.

Now tell us which of these 9 players (Hansen grew up in the UK) had only 5 NRL games when he was signed.

While you are at it you may wish to note how many of then have:

International caps
SOO appearances
Finals /GFs experience
Been Oz young player of the year
etc

A Wigan forward not getting picked may see that feka/Bailey are tier 1 international players with many NRLgames. Also the game as a whole knows these guys are proven.

So because you think they are proven NRL players it makes it OK for a club like Wigan who have been in SL since its inception, have never had any financial worries and never realistically had to firefight to avoid relegation to replace up and coming British youngsters with antipodeans.

Look at the players these signings are holding back, although you probably think it's OK for Wigan to do this so you can get some more of their cast-offs to make your own side look like it is promoting British talent.

My point being that Wigan are (and always have been) in a much stronger position than us to provide young British talent with a place in a SL team and they don't do it. Yet you only want to slag us off. Look around, there are worse clubs than Wakey.

Oh give up with the campy Dr Evil talk, your fooling no one. You're just a sad ar*e who gets there kicks playing what they see as oh so funny mind games.

I suggest you get out and get laid, who or what with is of no concern to me.

Michael Korkidas, NRL reserve grader, subsequently has got worse as he has played the last five years in a 'second tier’ comp’

Do you believe that Korkidas would be a first grade player if he was back in the NRL? I am of the opinion that he would not be, therefore he is still NRL reserve grade quality…. and an import to boot, Deary me Giants, the birth place of RL, all that money and investment from a wealthy backer, a number of productive years in SL since promotion under their belt, an excellent youth academy and still signing a NRL reserve grade quality import, how disgraceful.

who is pretending, the facts speak for themselves

Am I. Oh dear

yes, Hull shouldnt be signing players the quality of Moa, they should be looking at a higher quality,

however Hull themselves mitigate the the criticism by having only 5 other overseas players rather than 10

thats fine, but why not release/sell one of the other 10 you have to balance the books as it were?

But he is still cack

He is.



But thanks Hudds for taking him off our hands.

Try not to put words in my mouth. i never said anything like your first para.

I agree that many oveseas players may hold back youngsters. Do you have the integrity to condemn your own club for going this.And for doing it with a reserve grader. on wigan 'cast offs' I see Gleeson is going well for you. I am delighted he is getting 1st team rugby.

I have not 'slagged' off wakey in this thread. I have said that taking on a reserve grade NRL guy is poor. Hardly slagging off - not where i come from.

i have criticised them plenty, and Brian noble, it is pathetic and they should be embarrassed

Wigan have some real quality young players who simply arent getting a shot because of the overseas players, why they need phelps and roberts when they have young british players like Ainscough, and Goulding i have no idea,

the only think i would defend them on is Hanson can't under any logical step be counted as an overseas player, he was born, schooled, and trained here, he came through the british RL system and hasnt lived elsewhere,

If that is the best you can come up with you are spent. 10 years in SL and you knee jerk and sign a reserve grade player. wow you guys have really progressed.

he is, absolutely,

but he also has the same pedigree as Frank Winterstein, 8 first grade appearances in Aus and a couple of Schoolboy caps

No worries. if korki goes only 25% as well as Scotty Moore we will be well pleased with him as a back up prop.

OK, you never said it was OK for Wigan, but you don't appear to be slagging them off for their policy which has not been brought about by the same desperate situation as Wakey have got. They have much more choice and a much bigger pull with youngsters or British based players but they still recruit from down under.

I don't personally think that we are holding youngsters back at Wakey. I am disappointed we have had to go to the NRL for a player but until anyone has seen him play how can you say he has nothing to offer in terms of making an impact or helping other players develop.

you may not be, but clearly your not making enough of an effor to find them

Hull have a much larger catchment area, have been in SL longer than Wakefield, Have the KC stadium which offers much greater facilities than Belle Vue and when they signed Moa they were still expecting Crocker so at the time this decision was made they had six overseas players.

I'm not going to criticise Hull as they, like Wakefield, have a good youth development programme. Whats important here is that the clubs are moving in the right direction overall.

Wakefields youth programme is unrecognisable from the one they ran 5 years ago, it's more professional, wider reaching, has greater diversity, employs more and better qualified staff and perhaps most importantly it caters well for those who don't make the grade as well as those that do.

Like Trinity most clubs will need to bolster their team/squad with overseas signings of varied experience and quality all subject to the circumstances prevailing at the time.

What's important is that each and every clubs youth programme is heading in the right direction. One day we might start exporting our talent in greater numbers than we import overseas talent.

6 is still much less than 11,

and Wakefield dont need you to make excuses and patronise them, they are an SL club like the others, and can have the same high standards demanded of them,



where is the evidence wakefield are 'getting there'? where is the evidence that Wakefields youth development programme is now good enough, and will allow wakefield to sustain themselves and make a real contribution to the league?



most clubs? how many other clubs are looking at bringing over their 11th overseas player for the season?