I was thinking the same but after a decade of commuting to Bradford from Wigan, Deacon strikes me as somebody who likes to be close to home.

More importantly, I think he'd jump at a chance to be involved with Wigan. I remember Bradford doing player profiles and questionaires in programmes earlier this decade and Deacon has mentioned on more than one occasion that he'd like to be at Wigan if he wasn't at Bradford.

[urlhttp://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/4742095.Deacon_ends_glittering_Bulls_career/[/url

Apologies if repeated elsewhere.

Deacon confirmed on official site

Welcome back Deacs.

Quote ="wigan_knight"Deacon confirmed on official site'" www.wiganwarriors.com/news_full.asp?newsid=5296

Quote ="wigan_knight"Deacon confirmed on official site'" www.wiganwarriors.com/news_full.asp?newsid=5296

First team assistant and first team player for 2010

So he's only carrying on as a player for a year then?

Looks like they could be doing a lot of split, specialist coaching sessions with Mcguire for the 3/4, Wane the forwards and Deacon the halves.

Sounds like a decent deal for all concerned.

I'm happy with this.

It's interesting that he's only got a 1 year playing contract. There are an awful lot of players off contract at the end of 2010 and we'll have the leway to overhaul the squad totally if McGuire feels thats whats needed.

Clearly he's mainly been aquired for a coaching role. I may be imagining this but, on announcing Maguire, didn't Ian Lenagan mention something about developing an Anfield-type 'boot room', a sort of nursery for young, upcoming coaches?

IIRC It was a poster on here rather than McGuire who said that, still it's looking that way.

Great news I think.

Will provide experience in the halves and good quality cover and competiion for places.

I was in Deac's class at school. He was a straight A student who was good at everything. So i think him going into a coaching role is a good move for him and he will be pretty successful.

I remember Paul coming on as a sub for Oldham Bears at Central Park. He went to full back, caught a high bomb and simon haughton absolutely smashed him!! I think he was about 16 at the time and tiny.

Still hope we get a forward!

The playing role just gives us added depth. If the hooker's aren't playing well/injured Deacs can come in at half and move Tommy to dummy half. Just options really. Obviously mainly for the coaching role, which can only be good for us.

Do we need one?

Welcome on board Deacs.

Good move, gives us a bit more deapth which we needed for the long season ahead without holding anyone else back. Bonus that he's a local lad too!



Win, win for me!

We can improve on what we have but I don't see how we can fit one in until the end of 2010.

Under tomorrows date

Good luck Paul and thanks for your great commitment to the club.

Great deal for both clubs in my opinion and once again demonstrates the good working relationship between Bradford and Wigan.

Good signing but I wonder how they work the contract out in terms of the salary cap? - I think it just shows that Lenagan is doing his best to try new ideas out and get the most he can from the non-capped coaching staff.

Either that are demonstrates how daft we are at keep taking Bradfords deadwood on



On a serious note these moves today suit everybody. The Wigan club have an Australian coach in charge who's been guided by the best and are looking at him now passing on that experience to young 'Wigan' coaches like Wane, Rads and Deacon.

It's shrewd stuff for me.

Noticed that too - they've changed it now.

I always thought Wigan was stuck in the 1950's not ahead of everyone else.

A very positive move made by the club.

We now have excellent cover for the halfbacks in case of injury/international games, don't forget that Leuluai and Tomkins could both be on international duty during the season so Deacon will be a very useful player for those dates. Not to mention that if Riddell or McIlorum aren't playing up to scratch we can move Leuluai to nine and let Deacon partner Tomkins. It just keep everyone on their toes and really enforces the theory that no-ones position is safe.

It also mentions in that article that Deacon will have specialist duties as a kicking coach and halfback coach, which is fantastic news for all our halfbacks. To have an experienced and professional player whose main attribute is his kicking game and ability to organise a team coaching Leuluai and Tomkins (whose weaknesses are Deacon's strenghts) is fantastic news.

I am not sure what his coaching potential is like, but Mike MaGuire has said this:

“Paul is a great student of the game and is very tactically aware having been the main pivot for both Bradford and Great Britain during his career. I am really looking forward to working with him both as a playing member of the squad and in helping him to develop his Coaching career.”

It does look encouraging. I very much like the look of Mike MaGuire, Shaun Wane and Paul Deacon coaching Wigan in 2011, that along with the amount of players coming out of contract I am not sure which season I most looking forward to - next season or 2011!

Mike MaGuire - Head Coach
Shaun Wane - Lead Assistant Coach
Paul Deacon - Assistant Coach, halfback coach & kicking coach
Kris Radlinski - Reserves Coach
John Pendlebury - Academy Coach
Mark Bitcon - Head of Strength and Conditioning
Mike Forshaw Turner - Strength and Conditioning Coach
Mick Turner - Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.

All looks very good to me.

He's got all the facial bumps of a veteran but he still looks like the age of an academy player!

We're an extra prop forward short of making me giddy with excitment ahead of the new season