Thank you.

Does Akers signing for Leeds open up Salford to make a move for Powell?

The only advantage there is that Salford has received a transfer fee. I would imagine Sam and Ackers are paid similar amounts.

Does loosing Smithies not make more of a shout to keep him. Can cover both 13 and 9

I’d be keeping Powell as 9 cover. O’Neil has a shot at LF, but no way he’ll get 13 shirt for now.

Hell no, he's slower than something really slow and that's slow

Farrell is a done deal, Radley was a no go

Wellens? Surely not!

Not a player rumour but it sounds like there is some potential for the WCC to be played in Las Vegas!

Best take a good run up when asking the missus about that one.

Now reported by The Mole that Smithies to Canberra is a done deal.

Must say it’s a blow to lose Smithies. He had captain written all over him but he owed us absolutely nothing, always played and gave everything running his blood to water in the process. He, along with KPP, will do very well in the NRL.

Hope so for both of them. As a Wiganer it is crap to lose them, but I wish them the best and hope it helps them develop as players. Both of them could be 1st choice forwards for England at the next world cup so in that regard it is excellent that they are challenging themselves in the toughest environment. We just need some English backs to go out there and smash it like our big lads have been doing

Why can’t we hold players to their contracts? KPP waited until the end of his contract so why can’t Morgan. Or more to the point, why did Wigan allow Morgan to break it? If I’m honest though I never got all the hype about him so not really too fussed.

The reason we haven’t dominated the comp is because we get poached by the NRL(and a couple to Union) far more than any other team.

Now money isn’t an issue at the club, the transfer fee is pretty irrelevant.

Morgan’s contract has been a bit of a mystery but we should have kept him til the end of it.

Our players get picked off every single year it seems, this year its two at least now.

In twelve months time it could be one or two more (Havard, Junior....etc). One of the reasons we have some squad disruption more than other teams?

Again, where is the chatter on Welsby & Dodd moving to the NRL. All gone quiet there at the moment, why such a difference?

Surprised Welsby is still in SL but Dodd is nowhere near good enough for the NRL atm

Alternatively do we get better players because they know they'll be able to progress to the NRL if they perform for us? If Wigan started playing hardball with players in this situation and I was a talented younger player I'd go to a rival instead.

I agree on Dodd based on this season's form. He is either playing within himself due to the injury or he's sticking to very rigid and structured instructions from the coaching staff. But he is capable of so much more. Pre-injury he was the best 7 in the competition and that was widely recognised. But this season he has been so poor.

Harry Smith has comfortably outplayed him for example but based on pure natural ability I think Dodd still has a higher ceiling than Smith. But potential is one thing and actually delivering the goods is another. Smith is quite clearly ahead of Dodd right now and the 2023 version of Dodd would get chewed up and spat out in the NRL.

You'd "think twice about signing for Wigan" because they could play hard ball with you going to the NRL? So by that logic, you'd potentially consider going to a side who aren't as good at developing young players & probably don't bring them through as well, just so you can break a contract in 8 or 9 years to go to the NRL? That's just absolutely backwards thinking.

Here's a novel idea, if you're a talented player and have aspirations to play in the NRL don't sign long term contracts with your current club. Instead of a 4 year one, sign a 2 year one and just leave at the end of it.

And before this becomes a bore fest of saying "who wouldn't change jobs for more money at a better company" I'll happily say that I wouldn't. If I'm in the middle of a big project, one with obvious upsides attached and have committed to it, then I'm seeing it out with my team.

Then let them go to a rival. We aren't and should never be used as a springboard to the NRL.

What is Dodd good at? I’m not acting the fool, I’m genuinely interested. He was so highly rated coming through but I look at his core skills and they’re all ok and no more. I think that Achilles injury has played a big part and taken some of that zip away. He reminded me a bit of Sean Long early on, with that scampering style of running but on the back of that injury, he’s had to fall back on his passing, kicking and organisational skills and he’s been found wanting from what I’ve seen. The beauty of Harry Smith is we know exactly what he’s good at and what he’s good at, is exactly what we need.

Prior to that injury on Good Friday, he was sublime. Constantly taking on the line, had a great short kicking game, range of passing, his pace off the mark and sidestep was outstanding. I think your Sean Long analogy is a good one. Our attack was superb, we were pasting some teams, (scored over 40 at HKR for example just a few weeks before his injury)

I know Rogues will probably back me up on this but at the time of him coming through he was described as the finest young talent coming through and by a distance.

The hype was huge and he was playing really well up until that Good Friday injury. I think the jury has probably hit him physically and mentally. He looks a bit short on confidence and I do think we’ll see him bounce back next season.

What Stu said haha.

Dodd pre injury was better in every single facet of the game than he is now. He offered so much more of a running threat, his kicking was varied and he was solid in defence.

He reminds me now of how Luke Walsh was after he broke his leg. He does the bare minimum and just goes through the motions.

I can’t decide if it’s a lack of confidence or our very basic game plan holding him back. Or maybe both.

But to answer your question, he had literally everything you’d want in a half back before his injury.

The problem with all this speculation is we do not know the details of his contract. He may very well not be breaking his contract.

We have no ideas what clauses are in there which both parties (Club & player) will have agreed on.

Very rarely is a 4 year deal not got a number of break clauses in them and performance/selection bonuses in there.

Given the obvious interest from the NRL I’m sure he will have had a release clause in there.

No point criticising the club with only half a story or an inaccurate perception of the facts.