When I first heard this I though it was someone pulling my leg.

The more I read and hear about this and the current situation at the Raiders and now Lam mentioning it publicly I actually think it is highly likely to happen.

Amazing how some things, possibly, work out.

Here here..... I'll drink to that!

My initial thought was I'd love Williams back as I think he's a great player (not sure that he's as influential as Hastings) and a Williams & Smith partnership sounds fantastic.

On reflection I'm not entirely certain if overall that it would be a great aquisition particularly if it meant we couldn't also significantly improve the front row. Also what do we do with Field??
A difficult one for IL and KR. Will get blasted if he ended up with say Wire but if their hands are tied from a finance perspective and it's Williams or a new prop a very difficult choice.

I think the squad is a little out of balance at the moment so IL and KR have some difficult decisions to make over the next couple of years. With the odd exception they generally get it right and I'd like to think they will get it right again particularly for the historic 2022 season.

Must admit I did wonder about Field. If Williams were to come back I can’t see a future here for him which is a great shame as we’ve barely seen him play. There are some real tough choices ahead.

There are but still it's better to have difficult choices but still have choices rather than just sign whoever is available irrespective of their qualities.

IL is no mug and I'm quite sure that next year's squad will have better balance across the varying positions for a big push to land at least one of the 2 major trophies available.
As well as a prop we are also light in the threequarters which needs to be addressed particularly so if Gildart also departs.

If we were to resign Williams I think that we will hear about it sooner rather than later.

Field may be unlucky due to the timing. We can’t pass up the opportunity to get Williams back for possibly the rest of his career on the basis that it’ll hold back an unproven Aussie, who is here to try and make a name for himself over a couple of seasons before heading back to Oz as a starter.

I think French will follow Hastings out the door anyway and with Gildart likely to leave, I think that’ll possibly see chances for Field at fullback, as well as at stand off because Hardaker may be needed to cover those centre spots on occasion (and we’ll need to sign at least one).

Taking an opportunity to get Williams back is a no brainer for me.

William's is a no brainer really. IF he returns then, you'd like to think that he stays for 5+ years. Field is a gamble in that he might be great and he might equally be shocking. Either way he won't be here longer than 2 or 3 seasons max (he's roughly said the same himself).

French is the difficult one imo. I didn't realise that he has an extra one year option (which might be in his favour). I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think he'd get a gig at FB in the NRL. A quick tot up and there's probably 13 NRL sides out of 16 that either have better FB's than French, or long term prospects in situ. There's not many options to go as a starter and he'll be on good money here too.

I think the option is in the favour of French. It’s the weird situation we now find ourselves in that the worse he plays, the more chance we have of keeping him. The better he plays, the more he puts himself in the shop window. They’ll not be rushing out to offer him a deal based on last Thursday but I expect if we move him to fullback and he starts performing, an opening in the NRL would crop up at some point.

He’s very understated French off the field, so he’s difficult to read. He doesn’t do a lot of talking to the press or posting on social media, so for all I know he might sign up for another few years. It would be handy if he did because as much as it may not be his favourite position, the club might be in desperate need of Hardaker playing centre in 2021, with Gildart likely to leave.

What if the finances say Williams or a prop?
Don't get me wrong I'm a big Williams fan but what if its him or a top nrl prop with French and Field remaining?
I'm just suggesting it may not be a slam dunk.

I'd take Williams.

I don't believe this "top prop" that we need is actually available. Looking at who's available, there's no one that either jumps out or fits the bill. The "big names" are probably Aaron Woods, Napa and Tolman. There's also Corey Jensen and Max King (I believe we've previously been linked with both).

William's + a good prop would improve us.

As much as we really need an experienced yardage prop if it is a choice between Williams and a prop without a shadow of a doubt I’d take Williams.

If there’s an opportunity to bring him home on a long term deal we have to try and take it. Hastings is going so there is a half spot open, yes we have field but he is untested and likely to go home in a year or to. It would hopefully give us long term stability in the halves.

Next year Partington, Byrne, Harvard, Shorrocks etc will be a year older and have more experience. We’d be ok up front.

There will be natural progression of those props and I don’t think you need to spend the earth to find a couple of decent ones from down under.

I just think if we can get a spine locked down for a number of years in Hardaker, Williams, Smith, Powell and Bateman then you have a long term advantage over your rivals. If we look at Saints spine, Coote is nearly ready for retirement, as is Roby, Lomax is older than any of our potential 5, Fages is always rumoured to be leaving and I could see Knowles wanting a crack at the NRL within 2 or 3 years.

As everyone else has said, Williams. NRL props tend to come over here already burned out anyway.

Warrington are favourites according to the Canberra Times apparently. I don’t think they have any evidence of that from what I read and it seems like they jumped on the back of the comments of Wire being interested from the NRL show on Aussie tv.

Wigan said they have first refusal on Williams if he comes back - does anyone know what this actually means in practice?

That's probably just the usual asumption. Decent level half going to Super League, wire usually sign them.

Granted in this case he isn't over 35 and past it.

You want to steer clear of Napa (past it) and Tolman (an average workhorse). Woods is still decent.

never has been

I'm hoping it means that we still hold his UK registration, with an agreement that if we match any other offer, he would come to us?

Is it like the Iestyn Harris situation where Wire would need to pay us a transfer fee if they wanted him?

More like John Bateman, presumably? Love to see George back.

I don’t think this first refusal thing is anymore than a handshake between the player and Rads tbh but could be wrong.

I’m confident he’ll come back here but we’ll see.

Always makes ground and has a decent offload. He'd go ok if he was committed.

Let's face it nobody better is likely to come over here!

Lazy Aussie media I reckon. They probably aren’t aware of where he’s from and who his former club is. Do they even know the difference between Wigan and Warrington?

Warrington will be on the top of their tongue as Widdop has been ringing every NRL club each year trying to get back.

If he comes back I’ll be surprised it’s not with us.

No way would a professional sports club like Wigan do important business via nothing more than a...... oh, never mind.