I just wanted to be the first to say it.



Every time an ex player signs for someone else, we get the "this will come back to haunt us" brigade out.

Prob go out on loan to cas?Hes in a similar position to Hampshire,who for me I'd rather see play regular at another superleague team then just a handful of times for Wigan.

When Hodgson leaves Wire, Briers will go at the same time, end of 2014.
Wouldn't surprise me to see O'Brien at 7 instead of Myler.
GOB is a better player and a quality goal kicker. Myler could move on!

Hodgson has already been released and briers is going around again next season.

if anyone goes from wire my guess would by myler he just hasn't developed as he should.

1. russell

6. ratchford

7. O'brien

looks like a good spine to me unfortunately or could at least develop in to a good .

I thought Myler had his best season before he got injured.My guess would be Ratchford to go to Salford for big money,leaving a halfback pairing of O'Brien and Myler when Briers leaves.

has Myler had a consistent season at warrington yet? he goes through phases in my opinion.

Hey, don't forget the "he was crap anyway" brigade. They seldom miss an opportunity either.

This will come back to haunt us.
He was crap anyway.
Happy clappers.
Negativity abounds.

Does that cover all bases?

He's been a good player for us, its just he isn't a half back in the classic mode of being able to take a game by the scruff of its neck.... Thus, when we need something special in a close game (i.e the recent Grand final), he tends to be pretty anonymous.

Personally, I like him but he's never going to be a Briers or Sean Long half back, who leads the side around the park - He's always going to be the Leon Pryce secondary half back, who does the odd great moment, but goes missing when the going gets tough.

Is he coming back a better player or is he just coming back? I remember him as a well balanced runner with good acceleration but very naïve. We have them in bucket loads but few really kick on.

Whenever we play Warrington I don't single out Myler as one of their big threats,and I think when he has a decent game on Sky Stevo and Eddie rave about him but I think he was having his best season to date before his injury.Be interesting to see if he steps into more of a playmaker role once Briers leaves.

I'm afraid not. Why has there been no announcement from the club? We should be told.

I also forgot the breakfast cereal obsessives, but the BMI curious seem to have gone quiet.

Great year last year, best 7 in the comp by some way when healthy.

Myler - 12 tries & 24 assists

Smith - 3 tries & 10 assists


nuff said.

You have to love a deluded Wire fan.

Myler would give anything to have a season half as good as Smiths. A Lance Todd trophy winner and a double cup winner at that. He's been key to the success at Wigan and Myler has been key to the trophy less season at Wire. Did he even play in the GF?

Oh well thats sorted it then!

Please please Lenegan, lets swap Smith for Myler!

To be fair, it wouldn't make much difference - Neither are going to go down in the history books as great scrum halves.

Probably says it all about the standard of the British game that people are bickering over the merits of two limited number 7's like these two.

The only positive I'll say about both, is that they both serve a purpose in the set up of their sides.... However, neither are exactly irreplaceable.

Rumours of Ratchford going back to Salford are silly, if he'd grown up a Salford fan like Morley it would be believable but he grew up a Wigan fan, unless Wigan put a bid in for him then he won't leave Warrington.

2015 Warrington line up may well be

1.Russell
2.Penny
3.Ratchford
4.Atkins
5.Monaghan
6.O'Brien
7.Myler

I'm a Wire fan, but even I get embarrassed at how deluded some of our fans are, that they believe that Kevin Penny is going to be reincarnated as some top level winger.... Where do you get this idea from??

He left the first time has a completely shot winger and after a couple of failed attempts elsewhere, he has ended up at almost amateur level..... If Tony Smith does manage to reinvent Penny has a Super League level winger, then I'll truly believe he is the messiah...

To be fair he was playing on a broken ankle. He did well to stay on the pitch, he should have been in the ambulance with Joel Monaghan on his way to hospital!!!

anyway - back to the OP. as Matty didnt play anything other than grade rugby, do we think he will come back a better player ? I am sure he will come back a more mature person, but has he developed as a RL player ? I guess only time will tell.
Given the promise that Hampshire, Williams, Burgess and Tierney showed last year, and the progress that Gelling (finally) and Thornley made, I doubt that Russell would have come back to Wigan, even if we had offered him a contract.
Like Tuson, he will be looking for game time, and that is something we cannot guarantee.

Firstly i dont think you can compare Matty Russell to Ainscough in any way shape or form the reason speaks for itself. Secondly to answer your question i think Tony SMith would be nuts not to throw him in the first team after the performance for Scotland the other night, bouncing off 4 huge forwards including foo foo moi moi to accelerate and go under the posts then getting the winning try. He's been doing this all his playing career from being a kid so it was no fluke and i for one am very dissapointed that we didn't re-sign him for next year and it seems as though we just let him go to Warrington unchallenged, mark my words or watch this space in 2 years time we will be watching sam tomkins mk2 playing for Warrington.

Russell has exactly the same problems that Ainscough had. Positioning and dealing with kicks. I have no doubts that he is a talented player with ball in hand as anyone who watched him at academy level will testify, but there must be concern over the defensive part of his game. As I've already said it'll be interesting where and when Smith plays him, he's not noted as a coach who gives young players much game time.