We signed him on a 2 year contract so he's here next year aswell. He's had no injury worries, he's just not got picked because he's been crap. All hype and full of potential but he's never hit it. He was a panic signing as we couldn't sign anyone else, we got knocked back by 3 props and he was pretty much the only prop available.
Wasn't impressed at all when we announced his signing as he was the very bottom of the list of players we were linked too.
You never know though Greg Inglis could be the type of player Latu will look at and learn from with proffessionalism etc and may kick him up the butt and finally gett his in gear.......but i very much doubt it.

At 28, cant see Latu wanting to be picking up stuff off IG to enhance his career or positivity. He he doesn’t/hasn’t a want to know now, he’ll never will.
He’s been selected in a playing squad with getting some time on a field 9 times in 3 years. I think that speaks volumes.

Looks like we've been shafted there out of desperation because there is a shortage of decent props. Leeds signing Crosby on a 3 year deal was a signal of that.

I wonder why there's a shortage of good props coming through junior systems. We've been hearing for years that youth coaches ignore ball playing talent because they are obsessed with size and athleticism, you'd have thought if that were the case at least we'd be churning out some Stuart Fielden-style battering ram props.

I would love to have Paul Wood and Carvell back in this current side.

That's a very good point Sally, and yeah throw Paul Wood and Carvell on our bench and we'd be looking VERY threatening

And oh for a pack from Morley, Monaghan, Carvell, Harrison, L.Anderson, Westwood, Hill, Clark, Cooper.

How did we fail?

We didn't really fail. We came up against a great Leeds team still in its era of long dominance, played them in 3 finals and won 2, lost 1. In 2013 we had bad luck in a final when we lost 2 key players to injury and had to totally reorganise the back line. If Ratchford and Monaghan hadn't got injured, its pretty likely we'd have won that game and the whole way that era was viewed would be very different. The team was good enough and well coached enough to win a Grand Final it just had freak bad luck on the day.

If that team from 2009 to 2013 had come round 5-10 years later, it would have cashed in on the lack of other good teams, could well have seen 3 or 4 Grand Final wins. Imagine adding Inglis to them.

Thanks Sally, I’m aware of all those factors, but that pack!

I think that Paul Wood is missing from that formidable pack selection!

All this misty eyed nostalgia over some bang average players

. Morley spent his best years in Australia, Monaghan and Clark are in the world class bracket, Carvell, Harrison, L.Anderson, Westwood, Hill and Cooper are all just run of the mill/good Super League players.

On the balance of things Warrington should be on two or three Grand Final wins by now. You've been in that Saints/Leeds/Wigan category overall and with you and only you spending big at the moment there is a level of inevitability about it. Only the mental hurdle of winning the first one is stopping you now. It'll be interesting to see if it's Price that does it or whether a new coach is the final missing piece.

Unfortunately no matter how great we think our squad has been, we’ve always been at least a prop under done.
The pattern is repeated season on season. Splashing money on high profile backs and constantly overlooking the golden rule... forwards win games, backs decide by how much.

How are we the only club spending big? There are a few teams who will have spent up to the salary cap limit so i'm not sure what you mean by spending big matey?

Carvell, Harrison, L.Anderson, Westwood, Hill and Cooper are all a cut above 'bang average' SL players. At least four of them played international rugby for their countries. Morley was still a major force in 2009-13, too having previously been one of the world's best.

It may well be factually incorrect. But there aren't many clubs using all the allowances and you seem to be. I don't recall Saints or Wigan making any use of the Union exemption for example. You also have 3 players that must be in the top 5 earners in Super League in Austin, Widdop and Inglis, with the other two being SBW and Leutele from Toronto.

Are the actual total player salaries published anywhere?

How would you assess our current squad that people think is breaking the salary cap because of all the world class stars we have.

How many are in the world class bracket and how many are in the Westwood, Hill run of the mill standard.

Saints and Wigan haven't used the union exemption, simply because they haven't signed a union player since that rule came in. In fact, Burrell has been the only notable union convert (bar that "whopper" forward that Wigan bought... wasn't that him involved in a golf buggy incident) since union went professional (iirc).
Oh, and I don't recall Wire breaking salary cap allowances, unlike two certain teams [size=50wink[/size

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I don't think they are published anywhere as a mans wage is private, i genuinely don't think Inglis will be on a MASSIVE wage. BMM is on a big wage but not Marquee level and i think that will be a near enough swap. You also have the fact Inglis wants to play again after taking a break physically and mentally. Theres the attraction of playing in a new comp, in a difderent part of the world, where he has the chance to travel around (barring Covid) so there's alot to offer other than just a mega wage.
Bryson Goodwin and Jason clark travelled/travels all over Europe as it's close and not something Aussie players can do really. I genuinely don't think he's come over for a pay day as if he had put his hand up to play in the NRL next year he would get a bigger wage than over here.

Wigan did sign Gareth Thomas just after he came out of the closet. Whatever happened to the film that they were going to make?

In regards to the NRL or the best teams in Super League, not particularly highly as the standards have dropped dramatically. But when you compare them to the current SL sides, you're doing very well to have all the players you do for the money you are paying. GI, if he's even a fraction of his former self will be the best in SL next season, D Clark is world class. Ratchford, Charnley, Austin, Widdop, Hill, Cooper, Hughes, BMM, Philbin, Lineham, Currie, J Clark for me all fall into that category of good/very good Super League players and likely to be on big money, but not world class individually. A lot of trash still kicking about though with the likes of Akauolo, Mamo, Patton, Gelling, Burrell etc. Ashton a potential superstar and NRL bound if he develops.

I think this season would have ended up with Saints top and Warrington second had a normal season ensued, with the caveat that our coach may well be a dud and we might have been having a terrible season by now. In terms of the quality of players I'd still put Saints over Warrington (We walked Super League last season) but with the gap slashed due to Holbrook leaving, with Wigan and Cas making up the top four. You could well have beaten us at OT.

Next season if you just add Inglis and replace BMM with an equivalent or better you could well swap places with us. We've got 5 forwards out of contract, so a lot will depend on what is available and whether any of them stay. Rumours of LMS to London, Ashworth to Cas, Peyroux to the NRL, Amor to Wakefield and Taia retiring. I'm not sure if it'll be a difficult time to persuade players to move clubs given the uncertainty the virus has created, or whether there will be clubs looking to cut wages and a wave of players resisting that and looking to move.

So the forwards mentioned earlier are nothing to write home about and you raise the fact that next season you will possibly lose LMS never more than adequate albeit a world class wind up merchant, Ashworth (who?), Amor (1.5 decent seasons) Peyroux (slagged off by your own fans for most of his time with you).
Thompson obviously will be a big loss and Roby clearly in decline and will need to be replaced at great expense if at all. Judging by the early part of the season Woolfe may be casting his eye over WWE for future recruits. Your continuing concern over the Wire remains touching though.

Surely you must know where they are published as you have told us the top 5?

I think Saddened's assessment of the current squad is pretty accurate, although he underrates the TS era players.
You can also see from the way he says we might beat them at OT, that Saints are a bit nervous after the 2018 playoff semi and 2019 CC final, of getting turned over by us in a big game.

LMS is massively underrated. Brilliant for us over the last few years and we'll miss him. Ashworth hasn't quite proven himself, but is one of those who might come back to bite us as he has the size and power and just lacks consistency. Amor is the kind of prop every successful side has. Rarely gets injured, never complains if he's dropped, but just does the dirty stuff really consistently and probably on peanuts too. Peyroux has been arguably the best back rower in Super League since the day Holbrook arrived. Taia's contribution is massive too, another huge chunk of work for someone else to do when he leaves. Personally I'd keep them all, I don't see us replacing any of them with better players.

I was on about the totals per club, not individual salaries. I bet I'm not far off with that top five, possibly Burgess at Wigan might be in there. Someone do some digging, the sport needs a good Excel based scandal.

I thought you new the figures, given you keep harping on about how were the most expensively put together side ever in SL, and breaking the salary cap in all your posts since GI's signing was announced. Either give it rest, or put more effort into your trolling in future.