I cannot believe how gullible we are as fans.

We lose 2 top class internationals, sign an ageing bloke from another sport, announce the best player in super league will leave shortly and recruit one of the most detested saints players in the modern era and our chairman is a genius!

Was it Harry met Sally were someone said "I'll have what she's on"

According to the Guardian article "Wigan considered a move for two more unfulfilled union talents, Gavin Henson and Danny Cipriani, but the chairman was told by his coaches that Powell was a far better bet."



Hells Teeth - can you imagine the outcry at either of those wasters ending up in a Wigan shirt? It frankly worries me if IL considered either of them, especially Henson. Thought we'd gone well past the days of ageing Aussie league players taking up cap space, never mind ageing union players who couldn't be @rsed putting in the effort at their own game. Thank goodness the rest of the staff put him straight.

All in all, it's a bad situation for the game, and IL could be seen as attempting to polish a turd here, but overall he's done a lot more right than wrong over the last few years, so I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. Could be proved wrong, but I honestly think by the time 2 years are up we may well not need Mossop back, and certainly won't see Hock in cherry and white again.

whats the benefit in being so pessimistic? people have outlined more reasoned and positive views on events.

WOW, After the season we have had so far and the concerns most of us had before it started, How can anyone grumble about these announcements?

We thought it would be a struggle to get into the op 4 but so far we are romping it. All the young lads have been exceptional and Blake Green is just outstanding, As is Matty Smith.

Will we miss Moss? Well we haven't done all season. Will we miss Hock and his bad attitude? Hell NO.

Will we benefit from Sean Long's big game experience? All the Grand Finals and Challenge Cup's he has won, Yeah i am sure all our young lad's wouldn't like to get that part of his brain in thier game.





Powell is a big, rough and ready front man who is fit as a fiddle. Writing him off already some people, You are jokers. Andy Coley anyone???

Faz is great news for obvious reasons and we all know that Sam is going so now is the time to get that FB ready to slot straight in and we have plenty of good options.

Some of you need to give yourselves a shake

Wigan fans in "panic! We're all doomed" shocker.

IL hasn't made too many bad decisions since he took over has he? Just trust people with more RL knowledge than everyone on here and relax.

To me there's a big positive aspect to be taken out of this, money. It's not our money but it means that should a UK player reach the top of the game there's another life style and cash step up.

OK we move big names to Australia and few will come back the other way due to the exchange rates. However we get more British tallent in the game and cream of the crop that chose to go gain valuable NRL experience, improving the national game.

It's an interesting one isn't it. I always think its down to our profile and reputation and that we pay for our successes of the past. We have guys like Farrell and Ford in union and Dean Bell over in the NRL who were part of that success and naturally look to Wigan for ideas and talent.

Leeds have only recently been successful and don't have that influence in Union or the NRL that Wigan do. In 10-15 years time Sinfield and the like may be working in Union or the NRL and spreading the gospel about the Leeds club.

Saying all that I'd still expect Ryan Hall and Kallum Watkins to give it a go soon enough.

People have been predicting disaster in this fashion ever since IL took over the club.

There were even some who were skeptical about Michael Maguire - 'an untried Aussie assistant' and all that crap. When he turned out to be superb, they remained churlish, refusing to give IL credit for all the due diligence he did and insisting that he'd just 'got lucky'. Since Maguire, the same people have had a field day. Wane's not good enough. We don't want Harris. We're losing all these quality players. We're doomed, I tell ye, doomed.

Okay ... but when is all this bad stuff actually going to happen? Because there is no sign of it yet.

This short memory syndrome is becoming a real problem with some people. As recently as 7 years ago we were between coaches, fighting relegation, bringing no juniors through, we had an owner who was more interested in football and even though we were able to sign big-name Aussies, we were signing crap ones - David Vaeiliki anyone?

I don't suppose IL would classify himself as a genius, but good grief, he's an improvement on that era.

FWIW, I'm not happy about the appointment of Sean Long, mainly because of his off-field antics. But now that he's here, we might as well see what happens. If there are any I-told-you-sos somewhere down the line, all well and good. At least the doom-sayers will have got something right.

Yep, one area I guess we could learn from Leeds in - they haven't lost anyone decent to outside the competition really.

Henson? He would struggle to get into St Pats.

I've agreed with the majority of the clubs decisions since IL took over but they're not infallible you know. How boring would the forums be if we all just blindly applauded every decision on the basis that our club management made it?

Just a thought, and I'm not trying to have a go at IL or Wane because they're both doing an outstanding job, if their judgement was completely infallible, would we have signed Hock, Lauaki and Gelling? Wane seemed to very quickly fall out with all three over attitude problems, and two of the three showed clear warnings signs of that before we signed them.

I really hope this proves to be the change Long needs but 30odd years of him being a complete halfwit, despite being given opportunities others could only dream of, says otherwise.

Leeds' (and Warringtons') key players are too old to interest the Aussies. The rest (Hall and Watkins aside who despite his hard words will give Hetherington some grief in the near future) are good players but do a job that could be replicated by many others. We are the victims of our own developmental success and the perception in the outside world that Wigan are still THE club in RL.

Is it now established fact that Gelling and Lauaki have been sidelined because of attitude issues?

News to me, but I'm interested to know.

Gelling has been slated twice by Wane in the papers and didnt even get a game v Leigh. Lauaki is hearsay fair enough but it certainly does seem to be a very strong rumour

So what about this then:

"But most has no foundation and I can confirm Leeds Rhinos will not be selling any of our players to NRL clubs."

It's a straightforward and clear statement. We on the other hand have just sold two to the NRL. Granted Hock was finished here anyway so as O said earlier getting money for an unwanted player is hardly a failure but never the less there is a completely different attitude at Leeds than there is at Wigan.

Hethrington is obviously powerless to stop out of contract players going but it seems he won't be cashing in beforehand.

Lauaki and gelling attitude problems?? You know this for a fact do you? Or did you "hear it from a good source". Both have been out injured. Lauaki is still injured.

You speak of long as if he's a complete lunatic, most things in his book are just standard stupid things that most young lads do.

I guess we'll find out in due course.

There is also a rumour, which is actually a bit more than a rumour, that they're both injured.

The key word here could be "selling".

So given the choice, Hetherington would rather a player see out his contract then leave on a free at the end, rather than collect a potential six-figure sum mid-way through???

Sounds like a load of hot air to me rather than sound business sense.

Gelling is injured, not dropped after Wane slated him in the papers following the Wakefield game for "Not concentrating, and won't be playing for us until I see him concentrating"? News to me, but I'm interested to know.

Over the last few years, we've lost Harris, Lee Smith, Chev Walker, Jordan Tansey, Richie Mathers, even Danny Buderus and Dave Dohery to the NRL or RU, but we replaced them. The likes of Burrow and McGuire were approached by NRL clubs in their youth but chose to stay with Leeds, but the financial situation is much different now so who knows what might have been had they come through the ranks 10 years later.

So Wane was irritated that Gelling wasn't concentrating during a match. Where is the reference to him having a Hock-style attitude problem?

He may have one. I'm not saying he doesn't. But all this proves is that neither you nor I know for sure. So my original question is answered - it is not an established fact.

That’s pretty much the difference isn’t it. Leeds have lost players to RU and the NRL just usually at the end of their contract rather than mid-contract, or they have been antipodean players to start with. Whether you think it is better to see out their contracts or cash in a year or two early is probably personal preference.

It’s a little bit misleading to say other clubs aren’t losing players to the NRL or RU, Leeds have previously seen Morley, Ellis go to the NRL, Eastwood and Buderus get their heads turned to go back, and what were at the time highly rated youngsters in Mathers and Tansey. They have seen Harris, Smith and Walker go to RU, Saints have recently lost Eastmond and Fa’asavalu to RU and Graham to the NRL.

But whilst Wigan are losing player to the NRL and sometimes RU, they aren’t losing massively more than other clubs. Lets be realistic, Mossop is a decent young forward but he probably isn’t going to get to the levels of your Peacocks, Morely’s or Grahams, and Hock is a head case being chased out of the club rather than an integral part of a side which Wigan were clinging on to with their fingertips.

Buderus & Eastwood were both under contract and released without gaining a fee weren't they?