Thought this may be of interest to some - particularly any ex fisher pupils.

[urlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/feb/24/wigan-andy-farrell-england-wales?fb=native[/url

Very good read that

Read it the other day. Just goes to show Wigan are rugby.

Makes you quite proud to be from Wigan reading that article.

I should read it quickly before the thread get's locked and it get's moved to, and lost within Piespace...............

Population of 81,000....where is that figure from?, the population is approx 300,000 across ALW

As this one is actually about Wigan Rugby League, you'd be wrong.

Again.

There are around 300,000 people in the Wigan council area. The town of Wigan has around 80,000 people.

Great article and it makes me proud to be a Rugby League man so I can't imagine how proud you Wiganers feel.

Not proud as such, more disappointed that these people are no longer in our game and are playing the other code.

Yeah, it sticks in the craw a little bit that Union is gaining the benefit of Edwards and Farrell's vast combined talent and experience rather than Rugby League. But something tells me that neither of those guys will be missed by anyone at Red Hall. After all, we've got great international coaching staff like James Lowes and Steve McNamara.

The last one shouldn't have been locked. Don't do it again pls.

No worries Boss. It won't happen again Gaffer. Sorry.

I went to St John Fisher and the influence of Mr Mcleod can not be underestimated RL was everything at the school. There is no mention of Craig White another local lad who has worked with Edwards and some of the top RU teams. Stridgeon was involved in the "ball swapping" incident in the RU WC.

I also attended Saint John Fisher school and I am not too comfortable with accrediting too much to McLeod. The feeder schools into Fisher gave the school a virtual monopoly - Saint Patricks, Saint Marys, Saint Johns, Sacred Heart and some from Saint Williams too. All coming from what was then a really competitive Junior Schools competition. There is actually a case regarding John Fisher as to how many players didn't make it because of too much rugby rather than the opposite. Without going into detail, McLeod was not a particularly popular teacher and certainly in my view not someone to put on a pedestal regarding the production of great rugby league players. I attended during the 70s. We didn't lose in the Wigan and District Schools in all the 5 years I was there and fared well in the Lancashire Shield losing to a team from Leigh. Of all that group of players, Ged Byrne was the only one to make in the professional game. The players from the school who have in more recent times made the grade (post Edwards) have also benefited from the local club scene in Wigan which to me is the real gold mine for rugby players in Wigan.

You would have been the year above me at J Fisher if you are the same age as Ged Byrne, the year I was in had more luck in winning the National Comp. Only Mike Gregory went on to make it as pro but we did have Fran Clough who played RU for England. I think we were all encouraged to participate in sports and McLeod was for me a popular teacher. I think it all depends on your own experiences. It is a positive for the town that a school can have so many top players going through its doors. I do think that the draw of the school as a RL hot bed has led to youngsters being pushed there by parents. St Pats has the same draw with kids being ferried in by parents as they believe they need to be there to get noticed.

They were wrong about the Galloways chunky steak pies I think the minced steak are far superior

A surprisingly good read, but still slightly condescending towards Wigan and Rugby League in places. I'd expect that from the Guardian, though.

Why SHOULDN'T Wigan provide several players to Rugby Union? Wigan is BY FAR the most prolific producer of rugby talent in the country, and the only reason there aren't more Wiganers playing union for the national side, is probably snobbery.

I see an earlier entry stating that Mr McLeod wasn’t popular and that he shouldn’t be accredited for the success of rugby league at John Fisher....It would appear this post is the anomaly in the thread. Mr McLeod was known and respected by colleagues and all good committed school boy sportsmen and his dedication to the game and coaching of the students was absolutely exceptional.
I guess in life people will always see the negative side if that’s the vibe that envelopes them.

Pity some put thirty pieces of silver before their love of Rugby League and the town of Wigan.

The players like Radlinski and the others who turned down offers from Union are the ones who get my respect!

A very strange first post - to dig up a thread from over 8 years ago.

really? he was paid by the RFL from club Great Britain not to go as did others, so to say he didnt chase the money is garbage as did Cunningham, when other clubs asked for the same help the year later it was denied

[urlhttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/oct/09/rugbyleague.mattscott[/url

Rather strange this mate

But the fact remains that Radlinski and others, did not go in spite of turning down what was more than likely more money in offers from Union than what they got from the RFL who when they saw what was happening then offered the money as a incentive to protect the strength of the Great Britain International team and also the game at the top level.

The sad thing is that most of those at the time who were so quick to defect to Union were from the Wigan club which questions their loyalty to the club, game and indeed our town of Wigan.

p.s. Have you seen any message on the club website about staying safe in the present virus crisis from the likes of Edwards, Ford, Lydon etc.