Me and the old man were having a debate the other night and I wondered what the rest of you might think... If you could have your pick of the bunch (salary cap ignored) would you actually swap many of the current team? If so, for who?

Here was mine and me Dad's after about 45 mins of debate and argument!

1. Tomkins - No one
2. Charnley - No one
3. Goulding - Possibly Watkins but after discussion, would stick with Fuzzy
4. Carmont - Atkins (only this year, before hand Carmont all the way)
5. Richards - Hall
6. Finch - No one
7. Leuluai - Dureau, Brough (on the basis, we both feel Tommy isn't a 7)
8. Prescott - (even with, not better than) a handful of others
9. McIllorum - Leuluai / Roby (but would still want Mickey in the side)
10. Mossop (barring injury) No one
11. Hansen - No one
12. Hock - No one
13. O'Loughlin - No one

14. Jeff Lima - No one
15. Liam Farrell - Jamie Jones Buchanan (but only 50-50)
16. Epalahame Lauaki - Tony Puletua
17. Ben Flower - Larne Patrick

So came to the conclusion that we'd find it incredibly hard to give up any of our starting 13, only the bench we would change, but even then, perfectly happy with what we have. Apart from Lauaki who we both agree is another Feka with a worse temperament.

How would you line up???

I'd find it very difficult not to find a place for Benny Westwood. I'd also be interested to see how Tom Briscoe would go in a top team.

if westwood and hock played in the same team it would be chaos for any team trying to defend against them but also piggy backs penaltys all the way up the field.

Sad to see Pat getting the boot, but it does seem as if age and injuries have caught up with him this year.

I'm not sure about Hall. A strong finisher for sure, but I can't help but remember Charnley scooting past him twice a few weeks ago. Plus, would he have scored that last try that Briscoe scored?

I think I'd opt for Briscoe.

Tom Briscoe, Atkins and Hall would thrive in our team...

and Leuluai isnt in the top 3 halves in superleague

Pat Richards for Patrick Ah Van
Fielden for Griffin
Tommy for Sammut

that'll ding dang do for me

I'd swap everyone for Patrick Ah Van.

That opening post is one of the most blinkered,biased posts I've ever seen.

Firstly, this is not me having a pop just because its Wigan. So if anyone wants to try and start a pathetic "my dad's bigger than your dad" argument then you're wasting your time.

However, to sugest that Goulding and Prescott are in the top 2 of their respective positions in the entire Super League is nothing short of ridiculous.
I know we all love our own team and love our players, but what is the point in a topic like this if you are going to be so deluded???

Over the last 4 games i doubt that any centre has been as good as Goulding. Then again i take it you have not watched much of him over that time. Same for Prescott he is becoming a very good prop. But unlike virtually and SL side if any of our props form drops he will get dropped. We got better props missing out than some teams in SL have in their 17 week in week out.

4 games does not make a player one of the top 2 centres in the league. Atkins, Watkins, Hardaker, Yeaman, Welham, Wardle, Cudjoe, Millard would all be in front of Goulding.

Chris Flannery has played well for us the last 3 games, but I wouldn't be so biased as to name a theoretical ideal 17 with him in it. He probably wouldn't get in my first 10 teams that I could name.

Its a pointless thread if you are going to be so blinkered.

Welham wouldn't be infront of anyone for starters. He was awful against us the other day and was comfortably in Goulding's pocket. He was massively overhyped last season for scoring a few tries, despite being one of the worst defenders in the league and having glue-hands. On form out of that list I'd only have Atkins, Watkins and possibly Millard over Goulding. That's not being blinkered, Daz has genuinely been one of our top performers this season and there definitely haven't been 8 centres better than him in SL.

Ok we'll agree on somwehere betwwen 4 and 8 that are better then. Either way, I'm sure the honest Wigan fans amongst you wouldn't name him in a 'dream team.'

Whatever, where would you have Shenton on that list btw? You can't have superstars in every position and many Wigan fans were very dubious about Goulding being given the 3 shirt at the beginning of this season. He has so far proved his doubters wrong, he has been defending excellently on that right hand side (which was targetted as a weakness when we had Joel at centre), he's been making breaks and providing good assists, highlighted by the fact that his winger is top tryscorer, 5 above his nearest contenders.

Shenton would be well down the list, hence why I never even mentioned him. You see, I am capable of admitting that players for other clubs are better than certain ones in my own team



With regards to the comment about not having superstars in every position, surely the whole point of the thread is naming a team of superstars!? If the salary cap wasn't an issue, then ideally you would have the best players in the competition in every position. And that is my point, as improved as Goulding may be on previous years, to suggest you that he is one of the top 2 centres in Super Leage is silly and biased.

For god's sake, in this week of all weeks, shut it. This kind of measuring contest in the recent past has resulted in massive falls from grace (If Saints win the 07 Grand Final they will be proven to be better than the Wigan team 87-95) and Warrington 2011 (are they the best team ever?)

Bloody hell.... Must be the time of month for some on here today....!!!!

for me goulding this year has been as good as gleeson was in the year we won the grand final. There is a reason charnley is clear at the top of the try scoring list and there is also a reason why goulding has been getting over the line himself.

It has been very pleasing to see him take his chance in his primary position and not look back I only think he will get better and he's an asset in our team.

I genuinely think he's not fit to lace Gleeson's boots as a player. Gleeson was probably the best English centre of a generation and would have gone down a storm in Australia if he'd stayed there rather than coming home.

This... Gleeson was in a totally different class.

Good grief.

You have just got to be having a giraffe!!!

He's a metal giraffe......








so he's got a brass neck!










I'll get me coat....

OK, in a moment of incredulity at the OP, I may have gone a bit far with Whelam, Hardaker and Wardle. I would definitely have Cudjoe, Yeaman, Atkins, Watkins and Millard over Goulding though.

I have to agree with giraffe. It's all too easy to overrate your own players as you see them perform week in week out without anyone from the media hyping them up. They may turn in consistent performances and the odd blinder, but who's to say other players aren't doing that all around the league away from the spotlight.

I think we could all say 'I wouldn't swap 'xyz' for anyone' because you see the willingness to perform, the effort and pride in the jersey, but if you asked neutrals to pick a dream team (different thing) then not all would be from Wigan or any one club.

Having said that on current form, in my opinion I reckon we would have a fair smattering of players in the dream team - Tomkins, Hock, Finch, and barring injury Mossup for example?

Cant disagree with anything you've said there mate. Those 4 would definitely be in with a shout if I was naming a 17 from this year so far.

Nice to see someone can see where I'm coming from anyway. Perhaps you have put it slightly more diplomatically than I did earlier!