183 metres and 9 tackle busts yesterday. Top of the pile in both stats (either team) yesterday. www.superleague.co.uk/report/9966

183 metres and 9 tackle busts yesterday. Top of the pile in both stats (either team) yesterday. www.superleague.co.uk/report/9966

Bowen looked like his NRL self yesterday settled in sun on his back smile on his face. He's not a physical superman but he's the nearest player we have had to John Ferguson he can beat a player with ease and can play off the cuff which is something I like in a playmaker.

There's no need to prove a point when you come out with the ridiculous exaggeration you did, especially as it was mainly the same people on multiple threads. I'll stick with "numbskulls" rather than "most" or even a "fair amount".

Good, it's all the same in the end. It's much more productive to actually discuss the rugby though rather than pick at my phrasing.

It's possible to do both. If people make ridiculous exaggerations don't be surprised if it's pointed out.

You didn't really comment on the topic though did you, you just made a personal insult to those which have posted that Bowen is past it etc. which is worse than any exaggeration.

I've still no idea what you're beef is, you take the thread off topic and throw insults around doing so, all because you want to pick up on my phrasing. Nice moderating there.

There is no need to insult the people who were critical of Bowen after hardly any game time... They made themselves look stupid enough with their comments...

Good god this one have gone off tangent, don't see what the beef is there. Back on topic, do people think we'll get an extra year out if Bowen? He looks far too good to retire after just one season IMO, perhaps Hampshire at SO next year then to FB with Powell to SO the year after could be the way to go

I suppose the destination of Green next season will be one of the deciding factors...

It'd be nice to keep a settled side and see nobody walk through the door (apart from the odd squad player to make room) for a change. Give Bowen another year and Green a couple as well as long extensions for players like Taylor, Burgess, Williams etc but I feel we'll be dissapointed again.

I certainly expect to see Charnley leave, I think Bowen will just do the year and Green may well go also. After those I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody like Taylor go and try his hand in the NRL.

Hope I'm wrong.

You may well be right in all your suggestions... The ESL just can't compete in a financial fight, and holding players to contracts and/or having people sat in the stands will not help matters.. Looks like we just have to ride this torrid time for RL out

Bowen will probably want to go home after a year, the pull is too strong. It was interested to read about Pat travelling all over Europe during his stay here, maybe that might be a strong enough reason to attract some more NRL players over here. If you can't match the NRLs money, fight them on other terms...

It seems to be a vicious circle at present.

Wigan are an attractive club to the Aussies because we are very well known down there. It also helps if we win things. But then, when our profile goes up, so does the profile of our players, and the NRL comes calling.

Ultimately I think it's going to depend on us being tougher with players over contracts - only that way can we be sure of hanging onto them a decent length of them. But there are dangers there too. If Wigan gain a rep as a club who insist on making you honour your 4 and 5 year deals, agents will advise their players to only sign for 1 or 2 years.

Who knows, maybe that would be the best outcome. Then at least you know what you're getting and can plan accordingly.

I did say when Sam signed his longer deal that all parties concerned had probably already agreed on a time when he would be moving... The financial issue is out of the hands of the clubs to a great extent. We need the RFL to be getting more money into the game, or allowing clubs to do it themselves. You can't always pander to the lowest common denominator, that just causes stagnation. The RFL are not fit for purpose, shown by how they "micro managed" Bradfords accounts, and they still went titsup. Bowen is a class act, and the ESL will see less of his like for some time to come i fear.

He will back in the NRL next year for some one like the Bulldogs where they are struggling for a fullback. The only thing that may stop that from happening is his desire to be a one club player in Aus.

Surely he would have done that this year if he had wanted to carry on in the NRL? I reckon we'll be the last club he plays for whether its for one year or two

personally i think from the time he signed his contract with Wigan to now his market value has increased for different reasons, one being he is still a quality player and the other being some teams are seriously struggling for quality fullbacks. Like i said it was blind loyalty in my opinion why he is with Wigan, the way he got treated towards the end with some comments it might have blunted some of that loyalty.

I agree. He mentioned when he came here that he could have signed elsewhere in the NRL but he ideally wanted to stay at the cowboys. He made it sound like this was his second and only other option he was willing to take so I'd be surprised to see him go to another NRL team.

I think he'll do the year here and retire in to a coaching role somewhere in the NRL. He looks to be enjoying his time here now but I still sense he's a home bird who loves the sun on his back.

As my "insult" wasn't personal and was instead aimed at a number of people as a generality who made wild claims on player after a couple of games, I could pick you up on that as well, but we've seen how defensive you get when picked up after making things up. Pointing out you were wrong to claim "most" on here thought Bowen was an "over-the-hill has-been with dodgy knees" is not taking things off-topic - actually the complete opposite.

I've got no idea what your point was there, to be honest I don't really want to. I'm not going to obsess on point proving or winning an e-arguement, let it go. Let's just agree that Bowen is turning out to be a very good signing, he is far from ready for the scrapheap and as Wigan fans we should be happy with his form.

Watching Bowen play just adds weight to Dr Koukash's calls for a marquee player rule in my opinion.

The comp needs a few more players with star quality.

You started the thread, made something up about posters on here that wasn't true in relation to Bowen and I merely pointed that out. The end.

As most sensible posters have been proved (including you) it was wrong to write off a quality player after a couple of games as some did.

Fingers crossed it is.

I'm ready to go 100 pages just for that.

Me too, but it's Easter so let's all be friends. Maybe my half drunken first lost was a bit off, the memory of the 18 page thread from when he signed was a joke, and after looking back it was a minority who were recycling the same argument.

It's good to look back though and see that so far the posters who were happy with the signing have been proved right, and the doubters are nowhere to be seen.