I've not read through the last 15 pages but could this mean that Tommy is a lot worse off than originally expected? And anyone know what the fee was just out of interest?

Yes - really hope he will play for Wigan again but who knows now.

Makes it sweeter knowing he picked us before you clowns. You know what they say, 'never go back' seems a good phase. Anyway who has heard of Eastmond since he went to Rah-Rah? Nothing. Just shows how good he was

A transfer fee of around £35,000 has been mentioned.

....and the (not always warranted) sterotype of the clueless, pig****-thick knuckle-dragging pie-eater is reinforced again... I guess it's just a phrase you're going through?

Anyone with half a brain would have kept Pryce, Eastmond and Wheeler instead of him 2 years ago (and that fact isn't diminished at all by what has happened to the careers of the 4 of them since). Matty is a decent player, nothing more, nothing less. In the windswept barren wastes of the current British RL talent pool though decent is about as good as it gets, and that makes him a very good signing for you - certainly there's no way you could have gotten anyone any better without spending around 10 times as much cash.

I doubt Saints were seriously interested in bringing him back though as Gaskell has the potential to be a much better player in a year or two (and couldn't play in the same team as Matty for me), Lomax has to play somewhere, Wheeler still has an outside chance of fulfilling his promise and the square peg of Hohaia needs hammering into the round holes of our team somewhere. We frankly just don't have room for him in our current lineup. And the fact that our squad is being loaded up for next year to just smash opposition up the middle without ever bothering with any of that tedious outside passing and backplay stuff makes him even more redundant. Even if we did want him back and put a bid in, your lot needs him a darn sight more than we do and so were always going to outbid us.

Anyway, I reckon he'll look very good and do a decent job in a mostly dominating team, so well done and all that.

In the same paragraph you say this person is pigs**t thick you said its a "phrase" he's going through.

I think you meant phase...

And you did want him back coz you tried to cancel the Salford transfer 2 years ago remember.

There was no transfer. Smith's contract at Saints came to an end in 2010. He was on loan at Salford at the time. We called him back for the playoffs and GF due to being somewhat short-staffed in the halves. He had already signed a deal with Salford by then, which he was free to do as he was off contract.

Neeeeeeeeee...... OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (That's the point whizzing over your head by the way...)







Oh dear me.... You couldn't make it up...

Tell you what: I'll do you a favour. Go back and read his post and my reply again, and bask in the glory of my superior wit and intelligence. It'll be a nice little treat for you. I dare say you don't get many of them





I somehow doubt it - maybe he'dve come in handy as cover until Eastmond took his wallet and sodded off, but there's no way he could have had a place in our first choice lineup plans 2 years ago.

Anyway, ignoring the past (although I know how much you Wiganers love the past

), we could definitely do with him now and next season for me as we're desperately in need of someone who can organise and kick a damn rugby ball, but Gaskell has potentially a much bigger upside to what Smith offers so I'm happy enough to see how he goes over the next season or two instead.

I see what you did

I was quite pleased with it I must admit

Haha my mistake didn't see his error. Well played ha.

Still im sure you tried to buy out the Salford deal at the time but he turned it down because you'd shipped him out on loan all year and he enjoyed it there. Not to mention the fact that you'd picked Eastmond over him even though everyone knew he was off to union even then. Had he done any of the disrespecting fan gestures at that point?

Union was a rumour at that point and other than being injured Eastmond hadn't started his tricks. Smith was recalled from loan basically because he was still a Saints player and we needed him for those games. As mentioned at the time he wouldnt have got into the 17 if everyone was fit so it was best for both parties to part company

The big Saints mistake was letting Smith go and keeping Scott Moore. Smith would have done a far better job and could have covered hooker and half back, similar to what Tommy L did at Wigan.

Have I missed something?

Rumour has it he won't don the cherry and white ever again.

Just rumours mind.

Would be a massive shame if true (if only for us fans to see him leave wearing the shirt one last time and give him a good send off).

He's been an integral part in the change of fortunes for this club!

There's bound to be rumours about Leuluai and they'll stick around until he's back on the field. I think he will come back but you just never know.

All we can do is trust the coaching staff and hope for the best.

funny how this whole notion that 'rugby league is rubbish at the minute' is being peddled by saints fans when their team is in no danger of winning anything. would they still be like this if they were top of the league and in a cc semi?

if their basis for this argument is that our national side is crap, then how is that different than the past 20 years?

their team might be crap but this wigan side would beat any of their sides from the last 5/6 years.

COULD NOT AGREE MORE...

Hell might have frozen over, but I agree. An extra decent boot can help a team too, Scott Moore is dreadful.

The last time the GB national team seriously came close to beating the Aussies in a major tournament was when one team were totally dominating the league: Wigan (who provided about half of that international side). But of course, according to many of the people you are talking about, that era of Wigan dominance was very bad for the game.

It seems to me that as a barometer of the British game's health, the state of the GB/England team can either be underlined or ignored depending on which agenda is being promoted.

What I would agree with, however, is that if one team dominates for a long time, it can get boring. Thus I don't see it as a major crisis that Saints have slipped down a couple of pegs, as they have had plenty of time in the sun. These grandstanding St Helens nonentities on TotalRL who are 'not watching anymore because the game overall is unwatchably bad' could do with learning a little humility.

No.... The basis for the argument that the league is crap is that... well frankly, the league is crap...

A simple question: you look at your current squad and ask yourself how many of them would be good enough to have played for Wigan 10/15/20 years ago. (And that's from one of the stronger squads in the league right now). How many current GB players would have been good enough to get in a GB squad from 10/15/20 years ago?

Exactly.

If you want to know how weak the league is: Matty Smith is the best available half the biggest club in the league could find to build their team around for the next few seasons, Richie Myler is probably the other best young half in the country right now, and we have to make do with some raw kid and a clapped-out old antipodean fullback/hooker pulling the strings and are still stronger at #6 and #7 than most other clubs in SL.

Now look me in the eye and tell me the league in general and the quality of British players in particular are as strong as they've ever been. I dare you.

Chill out bruv its only an internet forum

I think the quality of Wigan as a team is far better than for many years.

Their attack is not only structured but also expansive and in Sam they have one of the finest individuals who would be a superstar in any team including the Hanley/Gregory/Edwards/Offiah era. They have a very good defensive structure too.

The main issue with the overall quality of SL of recent years is that we are playing with 2 two many teams, but then there have always been crap teams in any era of SL.

I think this wigan team could easily hold it's own against any of the better teams in the SL era.

doesn't help that there isn't enough money in SL compared to NRL and Yawnion, top players now have other options if they so wish to chose.