Id have gone Inglis and Thurston with Tommy to 9 for this season and then Smith next year

Maybe Cronk instead. He'll be familiar the Melbourne/Wigan way of attacking the knees, chicken wings, ninja tackles, cannon balls, etc...

Don't forget Isaac Luke.

Wigan deliberately set out to injure/cripple/maim for 2 years, so he'd fit in effortlessly.

Its a wonder any team can field a fit 17 after our uncontrolled violence over the last 2 years.

Expecting a big year from Watkins (jf he can stay injury free). Looks to have the potential to be the big, fast powerful centre England have been crying out for years. Obviously still a bit raw on the defensive side but that's one area that can be sorted pretty quickly. A Watkins/Charnley partnership as a future England right hand side looks exciting.

Re the poster who said that Wigan can't win anything with locals... Leeds have done it 5 times with a team full of academy players and no real world class Aussies.

put Hock in the centres, he can break tackles and loves to pass, which is more than can be said about Goulding

Why must he feel like the worlds against him?

The Wigan team that beat Leeds at Wembley had nine players that came through their academy.
Both teams had five overseas players.

Yeah, but we're on about World Class overseas players and youth. I suppose Buderus could be classed but he was getting on and only played in 1 grand final for us. The poster seemed to think its impossible to win anything without overseas help. I disagree. The 3 teams that impressed me the most last year were Saints, Hudds and Cas and they did it using young kids. On Saturday Leeds will have 10 or 11 academy guys playing and we only have 4 overseas players, 2 of which are in their final year.

The Wigan team that beat Leeds at Wembley was younger than the Leeds one. The youngest player on the pitch was Josh Charnley. The majority of the Leeds academy produced players in that game are over or approaching 30 years of age, and the Leeds academy teams of the last three or four years have been dire.

FFS Rouges.

My original post wasn't meant to start a bitch fest about who had the best academy teams. I posted it to show YOUR fan that you don't need to buy in world class overseas players to win silverware on a regular basis. And who said anything about age? They are still Leeds academy products are they not?

Seriously, you're one of the biggest s on here and you give the rest off the Wigan fans a bad name.

LOL.....

Sounds very good I agree. Is wing Charnley's natural position? I remember him looking very good for Hull KR at times in the centres (especially against us) but since he's got into your first team I'm not aware that he's played there much. Just wondering if long term Wigan would be looking to move him inside?

Some people think it would be a good idea....

Yes it is. He has played the vast majority of his rugby on the wing and only very rarely played centre in the academy.

Had it been my decision to make, Charnley would have had the number 3 shirt this season. He's wasted on the wing IMO.

I think Charnley at centre is worth a try. If it doesnt work out, so be it. At least we will know. On Saturday we are going into a game with the most average centre partnership I have ever known at Wigan (unless Hughes turns out to be gold dust) Goulding is a decent solid player but he is not good enough for a champion team (at cente) and any wingman outside of him will be wasted.

Looks like I've got another fan.

Worse than Steve Davies and John Butler ? (or are you not that old).