Fair play, suppose theres only so much naff weather he can take no matter how good the pies are

If you think every time Sam didn't play for us last year was due to 'Injuries' then you're a bit naive.

Who has said whether Charnley being dropped was to do with the possibility of him leaving at the end of the year? Wane has dropped players for playing poorly in the past. Maybe he thought the 60 odd tries Sam either scored or set up last year justified his selection more so than dropping him for these so-called 'poor performances'.

Whether Charnley leaves at the end of the season or not, I genuinely believe he was dropped against Wakey becuase he wasn't up to his usual standards against the Roosters. Wane isn't afraid to throw a young kid in at the expense of someone with a bigger reputation. It was just the usual storm in a teacup rumour mill that spiralled out of control because of Wane's comments to the media and specifically using the word 'dropped'. Josh is back in the side on Sunday, if he has a blinder and scores a hatrick alls forgotten about.

Sadly in today's game 'I have no interest in leaving' actually means 'I'm leaving at the end of the season'.

I think the only contracts you can read anything into as far as getting a fee goes are the five year ones.

I could as easily say the club didn't want to give Taylor more than 2 years in case it didn't work out but if it did would have him for at least one more season.

The 2+1 option meaning the "+1" is to get a fee is a pretty poor reflection on the clubs views anyway as it means they expect to [ihave[/i to sell. Or are even counting on it.

BTW, we do give players the option as well sometimes. Last time we did that was with Lauaki. If we do that then we can't cash in as they can stay until they are free agents.

That's the second time in a row you've come on here taking that tone, last time you made yourself look a fool as well (unless Hardaker's running out for us this week)

Pot kettle black springs to mind

in recent years, and in my opinion since Joel Tomkins left for RU there seems to have been a trend of wigan players bumping up their credentials with the club then aspiring to do better elsewhere, we just seem to have been lucky with the batch of players we have had since joel left that we have managed to quite rightly win some silverware.
I doubt we will be anywhere near the trophies this year as other teams look to have improved massively, while we have had too much turnover of playing staff.
I honestly think that as soon as our better players look to earn themselves a better contract that the club says ok, earn one and someone else will offer you a better one than us!
the club seems to be more of a business than a club this year, in comparison to the last few years under IL.
concerned!

But be fair ... IL's tenure has coincided with the worst assault on our playing talent in the history of the game, not just from the RU but from our so-called friends in the NRL too.

I agree he needs to fight harder to keep them, but he's also loaded us with silverware, which is something Mo and Whelan failed to do during their period of control. it isn't just Wigan either. Burgess is the biggest loss to the game ever IMO, both because of his ability and his apparent security in Aus.

One thing I am wondering is about the agents' role in all this. Without doubt they are the recruiters-in-chief for RU, and will remain so until RL can start offering comparable paydays, but could Wigan's excessive losses be down to the defectors all sharing a particularly RU-friendly agent? Or is that a naive question?

Did we ever really replace the income from cigarette advertising? Money was on tap back in the heyday. Sad thing is there are just as many people who smoke now than back then, so it seems the only loser was rugby league. On the plus side- pubs smell better...

Quote ="Mash Butty"Did we ever really replace the income from cigarette advertising? Money was on tap back in the heyday. Sad thing is there are just as many people who smoke now than back then, so it seems the only loser was rugby league. On the plus side- pubs smell better...'" And the non-smokers and people who work in them aren't subject to the dangers of smoking related cancer. Just a small point... Just to clarify your other little factoid too: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... ntury.html

Quote ="Mash Butty"Did we ever really replace the income from cigarette advertising? Money was on tap back in the heyday. Sad thing is there are just as many people who smoke now than back then, so it seems the only loser was rugby league. On the plus side- pubs smell better...'" And the non-smokers and people who work in them aren't subject to the dangers of smoking related cancer. Just a small point... Just to clarify your other little factoid too: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... ntury.html

Quote ="Phuzzy"And the non-smokers and people who work in them aren't subject to the dangers of smoking related cancer. Just a small point... Just to clarify your other little factoid too: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... ntury.html'" If we knew what smokers had subsituted cigarettes with we could have used that for a sponsor, if we only had a crystal ball...however e cigs dont count theyre bloody weird I do like how the aussies use fried chicken adverts before a video ref decision, but they seem to know what they are doing

Quote ="Phuzzy"And the non-smokers and people who work in them aren't subject to the dangers of smoking related cancer. Just a small point... Just to clarify your other little factoid too: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... ntury.html'" If we knew what smokers had subsituted cigarettes with we could have used that for a sponsor, if we only had a crystal ball...however e cigs dont count theyre bloody weird I do like how the aussies use fried chicken adverts before a video ref decision, but they seem to know what they are doing

Pretty quiet again tonight I thought, yes its early in the season but just doesn't seem to be involved enough recently.

Thoughts?

I think part of it is down to Tomkins and his space creation

he is still working on being fit, the guy hasn't had a preseason.

He's completely starved of the ball since tomkins left. Sam often drew men across the field drawing in the opposition centre creating a two on one for Daz and then onto josh.
Daz was picking up assists for simply drawing the winger and setting josh free.
Without Sam daz's lack of ability isn't good enough to set josh off. He's a poor attacking centre. I don't care what anyone says.
Bowens style of passing early from second reciever would be ideal if we played with strike centres. He gives them early ball to do their thing; Goulding is not a strike centre.

Solutions.

1) play Hampshire. He plays like Sam. Runs across the line dragging players out of position creating 2 on 1s
2) play sarge with Bowen. Sarge would thrive off early ball.
3) coach Bowen to draw men and not pass early when attacking down Dazs side.

Josh last season was the top try scorer. Get him the ball and he'll score. He's not the issue.

I thought it was his best game tbh. He got through tonnes of work taking the ball out of our half and really gave the forwards a rest. He still looks short of full fitness but it's coming.

But he's not scoring tries.
Don't know where the evidence is to say he's not fit.

i thought the majority of last nights' game was played through the middle and we targeted their right hand side a lot after spotting their inefficiencies early on, despite this charnley played as well as could be expected IMO and put in his fair share - a lot better than the last few games.

If its down to bowen, how come burgess is becoming a revelation? I do suspect charnley is unfit, but burgess isnt suffering from poor ball. Thornley and goulding are comparable and sarginson has rarely looked to pass but none of this has halfed burgess.

He has a strike centre. Read my post

I would argue thornleys labelling as a strike centre. He did well last week but deprived joe burgess of the ball. last weeks performance may show he is a strike centre but in that match his delivery to burgess was poor, And so he scored the tries. I dont rate him as a strike centre, his delivery to his winger on the left is normally fine, but his decision making under pressure suffers. Maybe our opinions differ but would you say its thornleys strike ability that gives burgess space? If not, how is he making space that eludes charnley?

The evidence has been watching him at Cas limping about the place blowing out of his backside and he wasn't far off that again last week. His try record isn't quite there yet but he got two in the WCC, one at Cas and then had one turned down last week against HKR that could have gone either way. He didn't score last night but then it was a 12-4 game with three try's so the odds were always stacked against.

The supply to him will get there IMO. I thought Bowen was much more influential last night and found both wingers at times with cut out passes. He had Burgess away twice, got Charnley down the line in the second half and threw the intercept that on another works out as intended.

If Charnley plays for the next three weeks I'd back him and those around him to get his tally right up.

He's recovering from a hernia op. I don't think he'll be fully fit until April / May

Charnley, and Goulding inside him, didnt get a pass of the ball in open play all night against Warrington. This has pretty much been the case all season so far, whoever has played centre and wing down that side. We know what they can do when they get the ball and it has been shown enough the last few seasons.

The problem for me is that our entire attack from left to right is not as it was, we dont even attack that way the same as we have in previous season. There are too many in the line and no decoys, Bowen looks reluctant and hesitant to pass from left to right as he does on the left and Bateman often gets in the way and doesnt seem to know the play and if he does get the ball doesnt pass. They are 2 new players coming to terms with different attacking structures so it is all understandable and it will come good. Compare and contrast this too the left where we have Farrell who runs exactly the same lines and where Bowen is obviously much more comfortable attavking and passing. It will come but will take time.