For me Joel can only show his potential at Loose, he isn't a workhorse second rower like Mossop and co.

I think your right about this. He runs good lines, has pace and has good ball handling skills for a big fella.

Before last season I would have said shift him to 13 and Lockers into the 2nd row. However as we all know Lockers was outstanding last year, so there will be no opportunities (bar injury) for him there.

I would like to see him have a run in the centres. For me he has all the attributes required, not to mention his size. This would also allow Mossop to have a good run in the team and IMO is a better option than sticking Bailey in there.

I think a lot of people were gutted when Joel was left out of the CC semi final. Could he of been the difference? We got battered with size.

I don't think even with Joel playing we would of won that semi-final. Wire just had far more desire, enthusiasm and ultimately skill for us that day.

So IMO having Joel, although would of been a boost, wouldn't of made the difference between winning and losing.

You do mean the starting 13 ?

I hope that's right!

[size=59As long as it's better than WN1[/size

Agreed



I had to laugh a few weeks ago - I was at the new Liverpool shopping centre (Liverpool One) and noticed the name and address of the new Everton shop in that centre:

Everton Two
Liverpool One

Didn't happen yesterday though

Heard about that when it opened.



Latics shop just looks like a tacky crimbo shop imo. Was not best pleased.

I think he means Mossop after me saying how good he was at Saints a week before the semi only for him to not make the semi final 17.

I see that Leigh have signed Gareth Melling from us.

A loss or not?

[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/8382187.stm[/url

I actually meant Mossop

what am I on about

No not a loss at all . younger less experienced player were getting the nod before him . they all can not make it at wigan

Any relation to Chris Melling?

I don't think so.
Gareth had fallen behind Josh Charnley in the pecking order. I hope he does well at Leigh, but in all honesty I don't ever see him being a Superleague standard player.

Fair assesment as many players actually already in super league are not super league standard. I would love to see any player leaving Wigan make it at a smaller club. I have a feeling more and more players coming through our set up will be up to standard though.

Harsh but ultimately fair assessment. Good luck to him at Leigh.

I can't remember the exact statistic (oh yes, more statistics

), I think its something like for every 10 players, only one will make it into the first team for SL clubs?

As I said, I'm not quite sure on the legitimacy of that statistic, but it goes to show, to make it at Wigan (and other SL clubs for that matter), you need to be an excellent prospect.

Best of luck to the lad.

Anyone know how Nicky Stanton is going on? Looked a promising player - useful goal kicker - but struggled to make it with Mark Calderwood, Liam Colbon, Pat Richards and then Cameron Phelps in the side.

I believe he had a bit of a fall out with Shaun Wane (not advisable) and finished up at Leigh. Didn't he get injured whilst playing for Leigh in one of their televised games?

My info - don't know how reliable it is - is that he was advised to leave Wigan by certain parties, as his talent wasn't being recognised.

I've heard almost nothing of him since.

Ah the old 'his parties advising him about is talent think it's far bigger than it actually is'?

It's difficult to quantify how much talent Stanton really has now - even those who've watched him in the last year or so, will only have seen him playing against non-SL opposition.

Given the massive change in the Wigan ethos of the last few months (I think it's clear to all that the days of youngsters not getting their chance, are over), I reckon he jumped ship early. If it's true that someone advised him to do that, he wants to give them a kick in the pants.

On the other hand, Wigan might just have released him because they didn't rate him - in which case, I suppose, we thus far must respect their decision.

I really hope we see an end to the 'johnny big time' syndrome that some of our young players over the past 10 years seem to have had. Didn't Kev Brown go through a bit of a spell where he thought he was 'the man' around town when he first broke onto the scene?

I think it's all about having the right senior players and coaching/support staff around at the club to try and keep kids as grounded as possible, something which Man United have been so successful at. There'll always be the odd exception however, just look at Bobby Goulding - came through at a time where we had a tremendous experienced first team, and it still all went to his head and he thought he was god's gift who should be guaranteed a spot in the first team.

Throughout my time working with the Juniors one criticism has always been leveled at the Wigan club for the way they are brought through and that was that they got it too easy, they got the best juniors in the system are hyped up and are given the best facilities, kit etc and treated too well, they lose the desire and the will to earn everything they get.

I hope and think the the new system will ensure that this is a thing of the past.