Tomkins, Tomkins, Tuson, Goudling & Crosby, are there any other players that never reached full potential because of injury? Some have faired better than others, maybe Sam got there but I thought he had much more to give. They have all fallen down the face of the curve, did we play them too much?

The odd coincidence seems to be that many of them left the game and came back - well - crap.

I don't know what the explanation is, but the evidence is pretty damning.

Sam, Joel, Iain Thornley and Lee Mossop are the main offenders at Wigan, but it goes well beyond us. Just off the top of my head, Karl Pryce, Lee Smith, Henry Paul and Iestyn Harris all left the British game and, in relatively short periods, managed to to forget everything they'd ever learned about playing rugby. Even Sam Burgess, after the briefest of stints, is struggling to regain his former status.

Now, you can't just explain that by saying they spent too long in the overpaid Disney World that is RU. Some of them went to the promised land that is the NRL and still came back rubbish. And that's not new either. Both Andy Platt and Denis Betts allegedly disappointed Down Under, and made no impact at all when they came home again.

There's no doubt that some have suffered injuries, but injuries are not unusual in RL - lots of players get hurt and bounce back in due course.

I've no clue what the explanation is behind these defectors' inability to rediscover the form that once made them famous. Anyone knows the answer to that, perhaps they can send it on a postcard to Wigan RL - they must be as bamboozled as we are (more so, given that they're signing the cheques).

Neither are good enough to play for Wigan. Do we have better players in the same positions? Of course. Offload them and make cap space for players good enough.

Never known such a 'love-in' by some on here for who is an under-par player (Hampshire).

It was about potential. Those who watched Hampshire through the academy age groups and playing for England saw a player who looked like a future superstar, so people had high hopes. I think people were just waiting for him to make a name for himself in Super League and it never really happened. In his last year/year and a half in the academy he was quickly surpassed by Williams and didn't really impress to the same extent in his first team opportunities.

There's always a chance that he'll fulfil his potential and is just a later bloomer than Williams but it's no surprise that he's left.

To be fair, he wouldn't be the first schoolboy sensation who never made it, but I don't think his decision-making has helped his cause one bit.

I agree that he won't be a loss for us, but I don't agree about his heart and effort. He put his body on the line week after week.

It's just one of them things which is a pretty regular occurrence. Young lad looks like a future world beater at academy level, then fails to produce anything at senior. Wigan tried him predominately in 2 different positions (both of which he was average to below par) same again at Castleford who even gain him the opportunity to play on the wing, (which also didn't work)

We have Williams who is developing very well and now considered an international. Tommy an international with NRL experience and Shorrocks who looks already a better player than Rocky.

So is he good enough for Wigan? Sadly not. Will be one day? We can't deal in hypotheticals. Only reality.

Two words: Chris Hesketh.

Also Stuart Wright, Eddie Cunningham, Sean Long, etc.

But there's no guarantee these promising youngsters will become major talents later on.

Look at the excitement surrounding Shaun Ainscough, Nicky Stanton, Iain Thornley and the like. And we've not exactly missed them.

It's always a gamble, but Rocky has made it less so in his case, becasue if nothing else Wigan know they are losing a source of discontent from the squad.

It's a shame about Rocky as some good judges on here really rated him. Personally, I never understood the hype so I am not surprised he has gone. I would reckon that Shaun Wane and Darryl Powell are probably pretty good judges when it comes to choosing what is best for their teams and they didn't fancy him at Stand Off.

I hope he has a good season at Leigh and proves us wrong. I do feel that if he had insisted on staying last season he may have got some of Shorrocks game time. I'm not convinced by Shorrocks just yet, so Rocky's lack of patience hasn't done him any favours. It must be difficult seeing his erstwhile partner in Williams doing so well, all the same.

From what I've seen Shorrocks is twice the player Hampshire is.

For the next three months Shorrocks needs to kick, kick and kick again to make himself indispensable.

The only game he played the full 80 was the infamous home loss to Widnes when Smith was out. Shorrocks looked completely out of his depth.

The whole team did that night.

Shorrocks looks more dangerous with ball in hand, Hampshire looks too small for me. Hampshire may stand out in the juniors but if he's too small he'll never make it at SL level. I'd say the same for Tierney and Gildart too, both good juniors but very small players.

Hampshire and Gildart are bigger than Shorrocks.

It doesn't surprise me with Gildart but it does with Hampshire, he looks like a 14 year old playing against grown men.

Just had a look online, Shorrocks is at least an inch taller and 3kg lighter, I'm sure he'll make up that 3kg in the off season.

Why do play-makers need to be that big? Cronk, Barba, Milford etc etc aren't exactly big guys.

And "at SL level" as well as if SL has a history of good, but big half backs?

Sport is littered with kids who look world beaters who dont make it,its a sad fact of sport you really are as good as your last game,Hampshire for whatever reason never pushed on from there quite what the move to Cas was going to acheive i dont know,he simply wasnt good enough to get into their halves other than via injuries,it seems even when players where injured he didnt fit in if he could learn off Powell a coach i really rate he was never going to learn and a parting of the ways would happen when he arrived back at Wigan.

Not to mention Darren Lockyer (84kg), Slater (89kg), and of course Tomkins (79kg).

Its a good job some of you never managed to see Tommy Gentles hiding behind a snowball when he signed for Wigan in the fifties. also another very tiny GB scrum half was Jeff Stevenson at Leeds.
He was only 5ft-5" and well under 10st.

Hampshire could be listed on the Wigan website as being 7ft and 30stone, it doesn't matter what he actually is he looks small on the pitch. He may have identical height/weight ratio to Williams but Williams looks bigger, he's also stronger and better defensively.

Anyway, the way people go on about him it's as if he's the next Brett Kenny, for every Sean Long that we lose we lose 100 Shaun Ainscoughs.

He's gone to Leigh now so good luck to the midget