French - Keep - Outstanding fullback and we can't afford to lose another pacey threat with Gildart going.
Manfredi - It's a 50/50. If we can't bring in anyone better on the wing, or sign a centre better than Thornley, then it seems pointless to let him leave. If we could sign Davies back or a decent centre to allow Bibby to play wing then maybe it's time to move him on. There are some variables with this decision.
Leuluai - Solid defender but what attacking threat has he shown so far this year? Playing him ahead of Smith seems overly negative. Time for him to move into his coaching role full time.
Powell - Love him or hate him I'm not sure the current recruitment options are much better. He has a particular style of play and I think we'd benefit from having another more direct option at 9 (possibly something meant for Hastings before Field and Leuluai got injured). Most teams play with an interchange 9 and we're the only team without a recognised 9 in reserve, so I think we need to keep Powell and also look at how we might add a bit more at 9. Bourouh and O'Neill might have something to offer after a year of Championship rugby.
Isa - I've seen a few suggest we should keep him but where does he play? Faz and Bateman are both 80 minute back rowers. If Isa was on the bench then he'd almost certainly be keeping one of our young forwards out of the side and those youngsters tend to be the ones playing well. Just seems like now is the time to move on, unless we have a real recruitment crisis and struggle to bring in any more forwards.
Clubb - For the love of god don't make the same mistake again.
That suggests that their future is resolved one way or another. I suspect we have re-signed Bibby and Powell. Isn’t Isa’s other half off to America?
What surprises me is French. I would have thought the deadline for him to activate (or not) the one year clause would have been earlier than this.'"
She’s playing in the USA now. I put 2 and 2 together with the move and this new American League and wondered if Isa would go over but that league looks unlikely (as the guys over there talk a good game but rarely deliver) and I noticed Isa on social media share a post his partner had put on where she was saying they’d spent one of their birthdays apart but would have plenty in the future and added ‘even if it’s when we retire’. It sounded like there were no immediate plans for him to go over and I expect we’ll sign him up.
Those three guys for me are much needed here. I’m sick of reading the stick Powell is getting on the other board. He’s not hit the heights of last season but the whole side is struggling. He’s gone from people saying he should be the next captain to him being billed as a player who has never been good enough for Wigan. The lad leaves every single bit of energy out on the field for us and deserves far more respect.
Quote="Trainman"Bibby, Powell and Isa are not on this list
That suggests that their future is resolved one way or another. I suspect we have re-signed Bibby and Powell. Isn’t Isa’s other half off to America?
What surprises me is French. I would have thought the deadline for him to activate (or not) the one year clause would have been earlier than this.'"
She’s playing in the USA now. I put 2 and 2 together with the move and this new American League and wondered if Isa would go over but that league looks unlikely (as the guys over there talk a good game but rarely deliver) and I noticed Isa on social media share a post his partner had put on where she was saying they’d spent one of their birthdays apart but would have plenty in the future and added ‘even if it’s when we retire’. It sounded like there were no immediate plans for him to go over and I expect we’ll sign him up.
Those three guys for me are much needed here. I’m sick of reading the stick Powell is getting on the other board. He’s not hit the heights of last season but the whole side is struggling. He’s gone from people saying he should be the next captain to him being billed as a player who has never been good enough for Wigan. The lad leaves every single bit of energy out on the field for us and deserves far more respect.
Quote="NSW"Sam Powell is one of our best players.'"
I like Powell but we are not playing to his strengths. The team is full of decent players that would get a gig in many other teams but just not in the same team at the same time.
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