With the departure`s of eastmond and the dummy spitter from saints two local boys who will they both be replaced by?Iknow eastmond replacement is already done in lance hohio and i bet a pound to a penny graham`s will be replaced with an aussie.They used to slate wigan for getting rid of local lads and getting over paid aussies in instead and they are doing the exact same thing now oh how the times have changed

Yeah, but there isn't much they can do about it, and this is the inevitability of the system we now have.

You can't lose two top players, and expect the fans to be happy if you slot two untried kids into their postions. Nor can you expect to maintain your level of challenge.

Expect the same here if (when?) the Tomkins boys get snapped up.

The poor man's sport that we've allowed to develop in the UK has given us a great set of evenly-matched games, but the price is that most, if not all, of our best home-grown talent could now leave before we get the benefit of it. Our only solution will be yet again to look for replacements among the NRL cast-offs.

the problem will get worse in 2 years time when the nrl bring in 2 expansion teams. this with the increased salary cap will mean even more of our players going to the nrl as the new teams need to fill 25/30 squad places each. also less castoffs will be heading over here.very difficult times ahead, i think

Would that not not mean more game time for British youngsters though? That can't be a bad thing.

I suggest there's a few clubs now producing excess youngsters who are now going on to make the SL grade at their 2nd clubs (for instance from Saints, Dean, Johnson, Emmit and Smith are all impressing at their new clubs).
Widnes are joing SL and have a decent youth system. I think we'll be better equipped to cope with a player drain than we have been in the past, but I don't expect a massive no of guys to be heading down under - Aussie arrogance wouldn't allow for it

It's not the numbers it's the top quality - your right Aussies would never come looking for your Smith's, Aspinwalls, Dean's etc but I imagine they would like to have James Roby, Sam Tomkins, Tom Briscoe types and they will have the money and lifestyles on offer to tempt them.

It is hardly fair to say Saints are "getting rid" of local lads.

Given salary cap limitations we offered Jammer one of the most lucrative deals in the clubs history and unfortunately for us he has decided he wants to prove himself in a better competition and experience a different culture etc. To say we are getting rid of him is complete drivel !

We too offered Kyle a very competitive salary by rugby league standards, and he chose to go to play rugby union. We wanted to keep him and again to say we "got rid of him" is drivel too.

I think the point the OP was trying to make was best illustrated last year when Wigan announced the signing of Finch, Lima and Hoffman.

What about all your young local academy players was the rage on Radio Manchester from many other clubs supporters (there's probably a thread on RL fans somewhere). Even when Wigan announced that four overseas players were being released, so there was a nett loss of on overseas player there was still moaning.

I don't blame Saints. Leeds did it with Webb replacing Mathers, Donald replacing Calderwood etc. If they don't think that they have youngsters ready to fill those spots they have to look at the best they can get. Remember what happened at Wigan when we let O'Connor, Lam, Cassidy, Smith etc go and we thought that we could replace them with our very good academy players.

It didn't work.

What a pile of drivel. Saints haven't got rid of Graham he has left to further his career in the NRL. Wigan got rid of their local youngsters as they were deemed not good enough and then got (IMO) inferior players.

Saints are in the market for, maybe, two props and we are apparently in for Chris Hill from Leigh, a good upcoming BRITISH prop.

I think you need to think more carefully before posting because the two instances you have stated cannot be compared.

What an utterly ridiculous post.

Saints wanted to keep both Eastmond and Graham and they've decided to go elsewhere,so it's hardly 'getting rid' of them, dumbo.

Chris Hill.
LMS.
Shenton.

You want to be careful, could get the reputation as a "buying" club like Wire.

It didn't stop that idiot Saddened (and others on the VT), from sticking the spear into Wigan when we lost Ashton & Thornley.

Which Wigan youngsters that they got rid of would get into Wigans team?
And in place of whom?

Please tell me that this doesn't mean brown and Robinson etc? We got rod because of cap constraints everyone knows that surely? You can only keep so many of your youngsters. If you have two 18 year olds and neither are ready for first team then you need someone else to come in so you get an Aussie short term to help development of those 18 year olds however when you're producing the punt wigan produce then you simply cannot keep them all and some must go and because you need that Aussie then he's on more therefore one of those two 18 year olds usually can't be afforded. Take ainscough as an example. He went because there was simply no room as we are producing that many young backs etc like charnley and marsh that so
something has got to give. We couldn't give ainscough the money he wanted so he had to go to Bradford or not play.

This is what happens when you produce so much young talent. People go on though as if we have signed some Aussie to let Sam go!

Also saints haven't got rid they've been poached however it would be mildly hypocritical if they did go on to replace them with Aussies instead.

tbh I see the argument on letting certain players go to retain others - all cap issues. Saints let Emmitt go last year and I think thats a mistake however it's a balancing act and you dont always know how some players will turn out (Emmitt improved vastly as the season went on but I suspect we'd already told him he was leaving).... but as you asked I'd say Robinson and Brown are better that you have at the moment and for a period of time (not now of course) Stephen Wild

I think the theme started during that 3 year patch were you were down at the botttom, saying you'd spent money on foreigners like Vialiki etc who did you no good at all, when players like Wild etc were starting to flourish elsewhere.

Talking of foreigners, do you think you're missing Riddell this year? When I saw you play last year, I always thought he was your main brain on the pitch.

To be fair, he left cause he went squealing to the press and let the club and his team-mates down.

Don't agree with that to be honest, better than a combination of Deacon/Finch/Leuluai?

Squeeling aside for a moment I'd take Robinson,Brown & Leuluai as a trio ..

Without a doubt, 99% of us are aware of this, just the odd lame brain who'd rather slay a particular individual for having a below par game.

dont make me laugh,neither of them had that attitude and attributes to make it at wigan,
and i know one of them personally,
and i think we have much better options than those two.
like uncle mo said on sl super men, the tallent dried up in the early 2000's and only just got going again

No your still the champs at that fella......

just popped along to the Stefan Ratchford thread my my my.....

lets buy Stefan Ratchford
No Lets aim Higher we need to be buying better than that
Lets buy Tom Briscoe
Lets Buy Rangi Chase
Lets buy a Top Class NRL replacement for George Carmont

Wire have been more of a buying club in the last few years than Wigan.

Yes but we dont go around crying to other fans because they have/are going to buy players. People are merely pointing out the fact that Saints are doing exactly what they criticised us for in the past

By offering James Graham the best deal the club has ever made to any player at the club? I don't remember us criticising you for that?