Hat to break it to you but Finch is not that good. I suspect he'll be more of a Tim Smith than Trent Barrett.

BTW I do hope you release more overseas players than you sign. All clubs - including my own - need to rely less on overseas players. I still see no need for Leeds to have signed Delaney for instance. You can't quote the signings of 16 year olds as evidence of reliance on youth though. Every club does similar every year. The proof is whether any of them make it to first team.

Goulding, Hansen, Lockers, Ainscough, McIllorum, Tuscon, Farrell, Prescott, O'Carroll, Davies, Joel Tomkins and Sam Tomkins all came through the Wigan junior set up and have all played 1st team for us this season and 10 out of that 12 are regulars in the 1st 17. Proof enough?

Dave

He's no Cooper Cronk or JT, but he's a great experienced player with the qualities we're missing at halfback (and yes I've seen plenty of Finch play before you ask). As for youngsters coming through and making it into the first team, from the wire game on Friday Wigan had the following players who had come through our academy in the 17:

6. Sam Tomkins
12. Joel Tomkins
13. Lockers
14. Paul Prescott
24. Darrell Goulding
11. Harrison Hansen
25. Liam Farrell
29. Chris Tuson
23. Lee Mossop

With 15. Michael McIlorum and 21. Eamon O'Carroll out injured as Academy products who would have played, 26. Ben Davies, 22. Shaun Ainscough & 27. Stefan Marsh all having come through the academy and played in SL for us

Not bad going in my book at bringing our youth through, and that's excluding all the current SL players at other teams who've come through the Wigan academy.

Stop being rational, we all know we do nothing but bring in overrated imports at the expense of young players and break the SC regularly to do this...

You cant seriously suggest Finch is closer to the standard of Tim Smith. I doubt any Wigan fan will take any note and nor should they, he may not be a great player but he sure will do a job for us and give us some much needed organisation. He did well after his move from Parra last year for the Storm.

Don't worry, BW, the fact that he's a 'Rhino' speaks volumes about his agenda. The fact that he trots out cliches about Wigan not having home-grown players in their first team, despite the reams and reams of evidence to the contrary, says all we need to know about his knowledge.

There's nothing we can do about these people. They're just out there.

[urlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/rugby-league/wigans-local-heroes-may-pay-price-of-aussie-raid-2030378.html[/url

What a joke of an story, I cant believe someone will get paid for this



Considering Mossop is on a 5 year contract, I reckon he will be here for the future

That's Dave Hadfield: no surprises about the number of wrong assumptions in that article.

I like the way many people are talking about these 3 overseas players coming in but fail to mention the current overseas players that will be leaving, which is likely to be at least 3 so not much different then this year then.

You could write two headlines for that story. The negative one it has in the paper but if you wrote one like "Aussie rep players signed to compliment Wigan production line of talent" I don't think you would have to change a word of the article itself.

It's a positive story framed by a negative headline and that says a lot about the mindset of the headline writer. I'd expect better from a paper like the Independent but it's as poor a tabloid headline as you would expect to see in the News of the World.

Still you are not going to get many opposing fans reading positive stories about Wigan are you?

Dave

Hadfield in having a go at Wigan shocker.

For those like him, who don't do logic:

In:
Hoffman
Finch
Lima

Out:
Piggy
Deacon (moves FT to coaching)
and given Lenegan said we have a spare quota space -
Feka
Bailey
Phelps

So as a minimum it looks like 3 in and 5 out at moment, that's before those out of contract likely Pryce etc are considered.

Therefore it looks like we'll have even more of the youngsters getting a squad place and therefore a chance, not less.

Maybe we could just make Andys post a sticky at the top of the page, so any opposition fans can read it before they are going to post. It would definately tidy up the forum a bit

The fracking idiot can't even get the coach's name right - McGuire

And he conveniently forgets the number of imported (and less-talented) players that we are releasing.

We will have either the same or maybe even LESS imported players next year.

That article is a joke, pure and simple.

And shame on you, LovesToSpooge, for making me (and possibly others) waste a portion of our lives in reading it.

I had to read it, so should everyone else. Why else do you think I only gave a link and didn't comment on it. I didn't want to give the game away

He also somehow managed to quote IL and misquote "Joe Heaton" instead of Joe Mellor

Is Dave Hadfield the rather overweight, bearded guy who occasionally appears on the Super League show (when they can't get Kevin Sinfield or Rob Burrow!!)? Gives the impression of being quite intelligent ( it's the Independent, after all, not the WEP!), but he does seem to perspire quite a lot!

Of more interest, does Loves to Spooge read the Independent?!

Only the website. I don't buy papers anymore. Not when I realized I can get up to the minute news for free on't tinternet.

I'm still mift I won't be able to read The Times newspaper website for free.

Sorry about going OT everyone.

I remember hearing him talk on GMR now and then, during match coverage. To say he didn't sound keen on Wigan winning would be the understatement of the year.

Which is strange because I thought he was from Wigan!

Wouldn't know.

I don't see what all the fuss is about, you've brought in some good players that are imports but letting some imports go, whats the problem?

I could understand if joel tomkins and sam tomkins had to make way for finch and hoffman as you would be replacing good young english players for aussies.

Every club in super league would love to have a squad of only english but the ain't enough good english players to go around.

On the subject of the players you've brought in, hoffman is a very good player that will be top player in super league, Lima isn't great but better than what you've go and finch aint a great NRL player but IMO will go ok over here.

All in all you should improve next season.

Thanks for your honest, unbiased and rational appraisal of Wigan's new signings - it makes a change from some of the rants we get on here from opposition fans!

I am always honest and say it as i see it.

If i thought the three storm players was poop then i'd say it but i think they will improve your squad for next year.

Edited to say what you really wanted to.