Clarke and higham will fight it out for the bench hooker spot, 5 fighting for 4 places.

Sure i read somewhere they were considering Clarke at LF, not sure how that'd work though!

True Salford wouldn't let both leave in the same season but you never know about the future, if Ratchford wants to win something then he'll have to leave Salford at some point plus he's a Wigan lad I believe so that might count.

Wire are obviously going on some what of a spending spree, yet if you look at are squad list the number of player we will have leaving at the end of 2010 will mean we may be in a similar position to wire in 12 months time with plenty of money to spend.

I haven't a clue how we will line up next season, its a nice problem for Tony Smith to have.

With a much better base of young local players already though. After next year the team will be built around:

Paul Prescott
Mike McIllorum
Ben Davies - hopefully
Lee Mossop
Joel Tomkins
Harrison Hansen
Sean O'Loughlin
Liam Farrell
Sam Tomkins

For many years to come hopefully. Possibly with Hock to come back we could potentiallly be looking at 9 academy produced first teamers.

I agree and I think theres possibly another 3 or 4 lads from the reserves/academy that you could add to that list.

Not to mention Eamon O'carroll, Darrell Goulding, Karl Pryce, Shaun Ainscough, Chris Tuson and Ian Thornley.

We could have one hell of a team if most of our young players reach potential with a mix of overseas players and Coley type players, we will be in a great position to be on top of the game for a few years.

Its what some on here keep saying, but not many are listening.... How much space will this lot give us under the cap? and how many will we need to bring in from outside?. Also could make us a club that needs to sell good players for good money...

Ultimately not much. While they are establishing themselves in the side they won't command a big wage obviously but if some of them reach the potential people think they have Wigan will have to pay the going rate to keep them. In fact they may not be able to keep all of them and stay under the cap which is of course what the cap is all about, spreading the talent across the teams with no club being able to hog all the best players.

Dave

As long as we keep the right players then I don't care.

If we are smart with the cap with so many young players we should easily be one of the top 3 teams.

That's why were I Lenegan or the owner of any of the big clubs whom produce players I would petition the RFL to get kids removed from the cap of the club that produced them, rewarding clubs that produce them.

Damn right...

The idea that SL clubs exclude U21s from the salary cap has been around years. Trouble is over SL time the biggest winners would have been Wigan and Leeds. The other clubs would never ever vote for that.
Maybe even the Hetheringtons wouldn't vote for it.
However now the "home trained rule" is in force and clubs are obliged to provide players for their 25 man squad attitudes may change.
The NRL don't include their reserve grade in the SC so why do we?
If we are to compete with the Roos then we should exclude our reserve garde from the SC.
Let's not expect our SL chairmen to catch on that quickly!

I am not sure if that is the way to do it but we do need a way of rewarding team who bring through young players.

One point in the table for every player who plays in a season which puts us 3rd

So has he been offered a longer one? or not offered one at all?

I hope it's the second one tbh. I'm happy with how Hansen, Tomkins and Lockers are going and Mossop is playing very well also. It's a shame Flanagan won't be here next year because he's been superb but Liam Farrell looks more then capable of making the step up to me.

We also have the option of putting Coley in there if needs be and a couple of other young lads so we'll not go short if Bailey goes.

To offer Bailey anything more than a 1 year deal would be a poor move, it would indicate to me his injury has cost his place in the Wigan team next year.

We must use his money to bring in a Prop.

Agreed. Though Bailey is apparently a likeable guy, and is well regarded around the club, I still feel he's a journeyman type player. Given that he's also now injured, I think we need to be more ambitious.

IFL must have a few signings up his sleeve if true about bailey, with hock, tim smith gone, we need to make atleast one signing for next season.

I was just about eding towards giving him a years deal until his injury. That injury should have cost him any chance of staying at the club imo. It's harsh to let a guy like Bailey go on the back of an injury like that because he seems well respected and really does give the club his all but he's simply no better then the 4 or 5 other option we have and they all have the advantage of being British and Cheaper then Bailey.

Time to move on.

www.wigantoday.net/warriors/Carm ... 5623210.jp Carmont likely to stay, according to IL. fingers crossed.

www.wigantoday.net/warriors/Carm ... 5623210.jp Carmont likely to stay, according to IL. fingers crossed.

Great stuff

All things considered, he's been a very successful signing for us. Got a good attitude as well, and everyone seems to like him. I definitely would keep him.

There was a rumour on here a few days ago about a young bradford prop coming wigan next season. i cant remember his name

But Stevo says a young bradford forward could be following Burgess out of bradford for a club in lancashire. maybe it could happen

Matt James if I remember rightly.

Matt James

That would a pointless signing if ever I've seen one