I saw Chris Hicks and one of the Melbourne forwards at Saints game the week the WCC was on. I could see us signing him, what with the utter ness of our backs.

I like Hicks, he has done a good job and scored some crucial tries for us, but I won't be upset if he leaves at the end of the year.

There's always a temptation to keep players for "just one more year" and teams end up with an aging squad who dwindle together. The most successful turn over the squad gradually with (my guess) 3-4 new players in the first twenty each year and 3 or 4 leaving...

The Widnes squad of the early 90s were awesome...world champions but grew old together, costs spiralled and the team disintegrated. The Wigan team of the 90s kept changing personel and kept things going longer. Bradford kept the same team for 4 successful years..but their props and wingers grew old together and they've never recovered. And I'm no football fan but look at the way that Man U have renewed themselves each year....

Theres a balance to be had...
I suspect Tony Smith will look at value for money, versatility, availability of other options and whether players will be better/worse/the same next year. In all these he has more info than the simple fan...he knows the players pay packets, their technical strengths and weaknesses, their injury record, their training performance etc etc...

So Chris Hicks for next year....not sure myself but Tony Smith will make the right decision...

(on a similar note..Paul Johnson left last year..IMHO Warrington were right to relese him.he has not played since for Wakefield...various muscle strains and "dizzy spells" have kept him out)

johnners got belted in their first game did he not?

Paul Johnson =

"not the gumdrop buttons!"

If he did, he's been unlucky. I just read that he'd been out preseason wth various injuries. I tend to think he's just been playing and taking knock after knock and his body said "enough" a few years back

I think his body said that before he joined us. Always like Johnno but time to call it a Doris.

I think he was only on the pitch for a couple of minutes.

Hicks, again, decent player but the sort of spot we should be offering to a British player imo

Go on then, for arguments sake, who would you like to see pull on his jersey?

If we insist on keeping Mathers then Riley

You not a Mathers fan then? If Mathers has spunked the highball leading to a try, like Riley did against Bradford, he would have been lynched. Riley does it and no mention. It's strange*


*Wires71 is aware Mathers makes howlers now and again but likes him all the same.

yes just think if we hadn't signed Hicks, Riley could have benefited from first team experience and who knows he might be a prolific SL winger by now

No I'm not particularly a Mathers fan.
I don't think he's going to get any better than he is now, which imo isn't in the top 8 fullbacks in the league. Riley at 22 has the potential to be much much better than Mathers' level of performance.
Hicks has been a good signing but I fail to see what a 34 year old winger will bring over a young kid with potential

the reason riley doesn't get slated as he doesn't do it as often as mathers and he makes up for it in the rest of the match. i like mathers as he s very vocal and i think atm he is the better fullback but riley will is the better potentially

Am all for Hicks leaving the club,he has served the club well but its time to move on.

Why?

Because a years SL experience will do someone about 22 much better than the possible one year you'd gain from Chris Hicks.
Over the years the top teams have known when to let players go, Wigan let Farrell go at the right time, I bet it's seen that Saints have with Long too and so on.

Just think its time to give some new and fresh a chance, imo i would like it to be Penny who gets the chance.Am not saying Penny is better than Hicks.But i would rather have a 21 22 year old playing and learning his trade,than a 33 year old on his last legs and taking up more of the salary cap space.Dont get me wrong i have enjoyed watching Hicks score trys in a Wire shirt but all good things come to a end.Some people go on about giving the youngsters a chance so for me Hicks leaving is the perfect oppitunity.

Your are using the 'best to let them leave one year early, that one year too late'? Fair enough.

i think Chris can leave with his Challenge Cup winners medal & Wembley try (and hopefully a couple more) in the knowledge that he will never be forgotton and was loved by the Wire faithful

His defining moment will be at Widnes.

How to make thousands of peoples dreams a reality in one carry. GO.

For me the question is not about age its about fitness. Age doesn't affect all players the same way. Some players are very good natural athletes and are still quick, fit and don't miss many games going well into their thirties, eg Jonathan Davies when he was at Wire, Ellery Hanley at Leeds when he was breaking all those records for try scoring in the forwards, Paul Sterling was the fastest player in SL at age 36! Then on the other hand guys who have had injuries take their toll, like Daryl Cardiss and Toa Kohe-Love, were at 27/28 just shadows of the players they were at 22/23. Hicks IMO is an athlete, so he might be able to go on. If he still looks fit enough then I'd support him going round another year, if not then wish him all the best because he's been a good Wire.

The only thing I would say to that is that the longer he's been here, the more games he's starting to miss. I'm pretty sure the first season he was an ever present. Then last year he picked up his share of injuries, and of course his start to this season has been plagued by injury. I guess the rest of this season will give us a decent indicator moving forward.