Imo Phelps has shown enough for me to warrant another 12 months at least. Ok he isnt the finished article at full back but he does give us more options in attack. He chimes well into the line and he takes the ball in well.
When you look at imports like Riddell and then look at a young player like Phelps, for me he should get one of the quota spaces.
He has shown that he wants to play for us and with help off Rads i can see his game coming on well. What do you people think?

I fully agree. Don ya tin hat though, it wont be long...

Personally think he deserves a new contract also. That isn't a knee-jerk from tonights match but he's played well in the full-back role all season. He hasn't been great when playing at Centre though.

I think it depends on who we are planning on bringing in. But he is still young it would be great to see him become a better player at Wigan.

I agree also this isnt just a knee jerk from tonight neither. He has played well at FB since Murrayfield and has been pretty consistent ever since. No finished article but plenty of option sfor him to gain.

Bit of a weird contradiction from me here;

He shouldn’t have got a new contract last season as he wasn’t playing well and his money could have been used to better effect and I still feel we’d be in a better position this season if we would have got a prop instead;

BUT

His current form means that he’s earned himself a new deal as he’s become an integral part in this Wigan team and is coming up with some big plays like the offload tonight or the link up play against Salford.

Keep it up Phelps

I agree. What will happen though is we will let him go to another club. He will take us apart and become a great player. Then when he's past it we will buy him back for too much money.

Its a tough call, depends on who we are looking to bring in. Played well tonight at times but also is far from top quality that i would like from a quota player, made some good plays but also came up with some poor ones although the good outweighed the poor today.

i'd give him the number 1 shirt. fullback is his position.

I think phelps has been one of most consistent players this year.. he gets on well with the tomkins brothers, prescott and ainscough,

I think he deffinately deserves a new contract for his versatility... I just wonder if we could have a player of Greenshelds esc... who is truely world class... the question is what are we willing to accept in terms of a player who is very good or should we look to get a world class player in that position such as anthony minichello, billy slater etc.. etc yes I like phelps but how much does a world class full back add to a team? Is the full back position such an influential one in the game nowadays that we should be looking to get a world class player in this position?? or should world class players wages be spent in the front row or the half backs?

But he's one of the few players who have progressed in what has been a difficult season.

Think back to the Saints game and how shaky he was when he first started playing at 1 and how much more assured he looks now.

His positional play is getting better as is his link up play and kick returns.

If he progresses at the rate he currently is by the end of the season it would stupid not to keep him in the squad and the continuity it would give us.

Sign him up. All players take time to learn their trade, and to play with different players and systems. He'll only get better.

I like phelps but how much does a world class full back add to a team? Is the full back position such an influential one in the game nowadays that we should be looking to get a world class player in this position?? or should world class players wages be spent in the front row or the half backs?'"

been saying it for a while. Phelps is improving all the time. We look a better much team with him at full back. He should stay IMO.

My worry is he lacks real athleticism that i like from an oiutside back. I never see him as a top player and if resigning him means we are unable to bring in quality from overseas in other positions then for me he can go, if however we are unable to bring in a quality player then i agree he is worth another year.

Definitely. We need to improve in other areas more urgently than we do in the FB position.

Phelps has a good positional sense and offers us an extra dimension in attack from the full back position, should definitely get a new deal.

I'd give him the first part of a return ticket to Aus with Hunt taking his quota place and return ticket, but that doesnt mean he wouldnt be a good solid player for a middle of the table team.

Yep.

No disputing that Hunt isnt world class but look at the money he is commanding. Japanese rah rah is offering a million dollars for him. My point is that we need to strenghten the forwards urgently before full back.

He is a none federation trained player and the number of those we can have drops to 6 next year. So if IL wants to sign 2 new overseas players he needs to lose two from the roster. Phelps is one of the players out of contract who is none federation trained which makes him a prime candidate for the chop.

So it depends if you think he is good enough to hold a none-federation trained spot over and above the players IL has been looking at.

We do have other options for full back such as Roberts and Richards and while you may argue neither are as good as Phelps at certain aspects of the full backs job they have contracts for next year and so it is how retaining or releasing Phelps fits into the overall scheme of things.

Dave

Another dreamer. Hunt is looking for the bulk of any teams salary cap just for his own wages.

Phelps was nothing short of excellent tonight. I would say a new contract is in his own hands to some degree. If he can continue to improve at the rate he is doing (and of course dependant on quota spots/who we're looking to bring in) he could make the fullback position his own. Then his utility value and back up kicking are a bonus. Over to you Cameron....

This reminds me of Richards and what happened when he was give a little time to prove his worth. IMO Give him another 12 mths and go from there, he better that mathers!!!! (mind you so's my nan and she died in 2003).

Going off subject Micky Mac was imense tonight!!!

Very good point, something I hadn't looked at myself.

Who else is OOC at the end of the season who is non-federation trained?

I agree, the forwards are the biggest problem in the team at the moment but we should still be in the mix for a player like Hunt, the RU bodies often offer wages to players that dont really turn out to be the great amounts quoted in the press. Of course we couldnt compete with a crazy Jap wage but we should at least be in the mix.