https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/sp ... lves-move/ It all seems a very strange situation

https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/sp ... lves-move/ It all seems a very strange situation

The Scholarship system is only schoolboy rugby, on a completely amateur basis.

T

The town of Wigan and the club that is Wigan produce a lot of fine players, and of course many of those players grow up in the town and then go on to the club at some level. But I must admit that the way anyone who fits into either category gets marked as a 'Wigan product' winds me up a lot.

Currie is from within the Wigan catchment area but is not a 'Wigan product' at all. He was coached in the Warrington system.

Wigan (club) also take young lads from outside Wigan and give them great coaching. McIlorum from Leeds, Nicholson from Halifax, etc.

I read this earlier as well. Huddersfield did want King but they wanted him on a permanent deal and we said no! Wardle will be going back to Huddersfield, I think that's a mistake and we should have gone for the swap personally. King is a good player who I rate and like but Wardle seems to suit us a lot better.

With Wrench missing the 1st half of next season, we will need to sign another centre from somewhere.

It should be Wardle, I'd be a lot happier with ratchford at centre than in the halves though. I'd rather us sign another right centre as well to be honest but I doubt cap would allow that.

Sounds like we've really bolloxed this up

Depends who we can get in, I must admit I’ve not been too impressed with Wardle’s positional play, seems to regularly jump the line or be caught out of position from the highlights I’ve seen. He’s been good going forward though.

Could of course be a bit of posturing, at the end of the day they have a player who isn’t too keen on being there and I’m sure we’d be willing to pay a fee if required.

Maybe King to Wigan was a much better deal for us financially.

This is Huddersfield just playing 'hard ball'.
Jake spat his dummy out big time at not being selected for the Challenge Cup Final. So any (unlikely) return to Huddersfield would need a major climb down, by both parties. Watson is not well known for doing such, so a stalemate may exist there for some time.
Equally King has been a massive disappointment really and coupled with his (rumoured) 3k per week contract he would have distorted the salary cap too much also. Wigan's accountant being much more 'creative' sees no problem!

As it stands the only possible reading is that we've let one international centre go out to a rival and that the international centre we did want isn't coming/staying. So we have no left centre.

Up to the club to disabuse us of that reading really.

The requisite transfer fee to secure Wardle`s signature would bring him to Warrington.

Doubt Huddersfield will release him from his contract for nothing.

Have you read Powell's response?

The Wire head coach said: “He is what he is, isn’t he? He’s blasting off about all sorts of stuff at the moment. If that’s what it is, then it is what it is. I honestly don’t know that but we’ll see.”

Think he needs a HIA

We seem determined to sign another halfback from the NRL, but if we do, that is the last quota spot used-up.

Any centre that we sign would then have to be British (Please NOT Gildart!!! ), and with Wrench coming back hopefully to play centre in mid-season, it probably won`t be a high profile signing.

Naive to not have agreed in principle the terms of any long term release, if that is what the plan was for both parties. And I can’t see Wigan stumping up more by way of contributions to King’s salary than Huddersfield, but that is me speculating.

Strange turn of events though, I would have expected to be lumbered with both, now have neither.

Josh Simm.

We have some serious shopping to do in the backs. Have we got any serious money left to solve the problem?

Time to trust Jack Darbyshire or Jake Thewlis until Wrench is available, they are both specialist centres.

Not seen much of them but wouldn't it be great. The jump is massive of course. I have watched a few reserve games & they look like kids in compared to Super League.

Yes they are both current Academy players so will only be 18 year olds.

I don`t want us to sign another Minikin type player, both Darbyshire and Jake Thewlis are better than him now.

If we sign another halfback from the NRL, then we could play Ratchford at centre until Wrench is available, but as I have previously posted Ratchford is very slow now.

Maybe he would be the ideal centre for Ashton, and he could just pass to Ashton to exploit his speed at every opportunity?

Looks like we've either made a complete balls up of this or we have our eyes on another centre. Or we have actually signed a Halfback and Ratchford will be in the centres with Minikin or Thewlis on the wing. I would MASSIVELY prefer Thewlis than Minikin though.

The thing we dont want to do is panic buy.
If the right type of player comes available on the tight terms then fine. But we shouldn't pay over the odds for a panic signing. When you look at wigan at the start of this season they had Gildart just left but had Hardaker at FB ( I recall a game between Wigan And Hull FC and there was a lot of Hype on sky as to who was the best full back - Hardaker or Connor) then field and French returned from injury and compassionate leave and Hardaker moved to centre and then shipped out. Wigan didnt panic buy. Willy Isa or Bateman have played centre. Batchelor has played centre for Saints whilst Percival and Hopoate have been sidelined.

We have cover in Ratch, Minikin, Currie and possibly Longstaff if he returns.

The price for centres will be at a premium. Leeds have lost sutcliffe and have the perpetually injured Newman. Bibby is leaving Wigan to be replaced by King but they are still a centre short.
It is no surprise that Harrison is being tried out at second row since Wrench picked up his injury. I would not be surprised to see Holmes at left second row and Currie at left centre at the start of next season. Harrison or Nicholson at right second row alongside Matautia.

Think Ben Currie could do a decent job at centre as he is still a good footballer with good hands and is faster than both Ratchford and Matautia. He just lacks aggression in the tackle for a forward and he is too much of a luxury to play there now. Would also like to see Joe Philbin play in the second row where he played in the Academy throughout and was a regular try scorer. His options at prop are limited now but he could be destructive further wide subject to good service from the half backs.

Goodness knows what’s happened with this one.
I’m thinking wardle has already signed for wigan for 2024 and wigan have therefore got king in as a stopgap for a year. That however has messed up plans hudds and wire may have had for wardle and so that’s messed up any further agreement.
King hasn’t really pulled up any trees since he arrived- he looked massively out of shape to begin with so it took a while just to get his fitness up to the rest of the squad. Then he’s shifted sides playing left then right centre. Im not too bothered we haven’t signed him longer term, but I can see how he may be a different player at wigan.
Looks like wardle is going to have to come back and stop his whining and just get on with it. He’s already missing out on playoff rugby, and a regular spot in a top three side because he couldn’t be patient.

It must be nice to say that. Huddersfield have had a cracking season.

I'd like to see Holmes back on the left, i've said it before but he's been one of my favourite second rowers for years. And i hope he gets back to his best next year as he'd be awesome for us. I wouldn't complain with Currie at left centre at all with Holmes and Ashton either side of him