Evening, Widnes are after Ben and im just wondering what your thoughts are on him from people who watch the reserves? if he's anything like Ben Kavanagh then ill be made up.

If it's a loan deal it's great for both clubs. He's better than Kavanagh, a much better attitude.

I assume on loan because from what I've seen of the guy he certainly has the potential to be a first teamer.

Dont think it's a loan i think it's a full 3 year deal from what i have heard. Kavanagh has moved up a couple of gears this year, now runs with real aggression and is a monster of lad. Widnes are trying to build a young tough squad ready for Super League in a couple of years.

Hope you manage it.

How Widnes aren't in the top flight of rugby league when it goes on a franchise system is beyond me.

As for Davies i'd be suprised if Wigan were willing to let him go fulltime when theres always going to be the option of loaning him out on a year by year basis as done with the likes of Moore at Saints.

If the club are listening to the fans on here who are calling for two new props to be signed, the writing will always be on the wall for the likes of Ben Davies.

I wish we could keep him, but with Fielden, Feka, Coley, Prescott, O'Carroll, A.N. Other (and maybe a second A.N.Other) where on earth does he fit in? Even one new front row signing makes his future at Wigan look highly doubtful.

Why? What makes you think Fielden, Feka and Coley will be at the club after next season?

Davies is a product for the future and props do only tend to come through later on so there is no rush at all to get him in the first team. If he goes to Widnes it will be a loan deal maybe for 12 months and Wigan will want to take another look at him at the start of the 2011 season.

We now have a problem with this. I agree that props do tend to come on later and that is right. If you look at the youngsters who were predicted to be fantastic such as Sam Burgess - he was played from the age of 18, at the age of 20 had to have shoulder surgery. Young Gareth Frodsham at Saints the same thing has had to have 2 opererations over the last few months. However, with the rumblings of proposed changes to the reserves again next year changing to U20s. What will happen to these promising young forwards who need time to mature and come through. They will either be lost to the clubs or forced to play before they are ready. I really can't understand why they have to change the system again. They did this a few years ago and it didn't work then so why go back

I hope you're right - but that's not what the initial poster said. He was talking about a 3-year deal.

Let's not kid ourselves - we are stocking up on promising young props. But something is going to give if we buy two new props, regardless of Coley, Fielden and Feka. Even a rotation of Prescott, O'Carroll, AN Other and AN Other means that there'll be no place for Davies.

He's a pro and wants to make a living out of this game. As such, he probably won't share your view that there's no rush to bring him into the first team. He may be content to sit out another season after this one, but how many more after that?

This is the dangerous line we walk when we call constantly for new 'top class' signings to be made. Personally, I think the club is doing a good job re-seeding the team with British-born youngsters. And though I'd agree that occasionally it's desirable for a world class star to be brought in, we need to face the reality that it will mean someone else missing out - and the way things are going, that will most likely be an exciting but still-young kid who'll be impatient for first team action.

Unfortunately this has always been the case;

Long
Goulding
Briscoe...

But at the time of their departure our existing and experienced options were much better and still had years in them.

Ditch Fielden and Feka, Keep Coley, bring on Prescott and O'Carroll, bring in AN other and keep Davies as the fifth prop being brought in slowly. Simples.

Ditch Fielden and Feka?

How do you go about that without paying up what remains of their contracts and then busting the salary cap?

Which is one of the main reasons I think that we're hesitating to make the fistful of signings that some folk are calling for.

Both up end of next season aren't they? In any case, it'd be worth paying them off and bring through the kids we are already paying.

End of next season, what do we do till then?

We'll do what we did with Kevin Brown. Make them play too many games too early, expect way too much of them and boo them until they have no confidence left and ship them off to Huddersfield.

Next question...

What about bringing them through steadily at a pace that suits the club, the players and doesn't push them too early whilst results at the club don't get affected too much?????

Oh Sorry, coach can't do that, he would face calls of the sack!

He deserves some first team rugby either with Wigan or the Championship side, he's been a stand out performer for Wigan reserves all throughout the season. I can't believe we didn't take him on loan when we had the chance!

He's a very good player and seems to have a good attidute so I'm sure if not with Wigan he'll succeed in the game but I think it would be a mistake if Wigan were to let him go on a contract elsewhere.

One season wouldn't harm him in the reserves. In fact I'd go so far as to say, wean him in 1 - 5 games next season and 5 - 15 the one after. In which case we'd still have space for Fielden and Feka.

Alternatively, pay off both of those.

Paying them off doesn't free up room to make a new signing or improve the wages of a young player to first team standard. Paying a player off counts on the salary cap.

Ben Davies to Widnes? Any truth behind this that nayone can shed some light on, can't see it happening myself.

Could definitely see it being on loan

Loan Davies out for a year, hopefully. It would make a mockery of everything IL spouted last night. We are supposed to bringing through young talent, yet we could be thinking of letting young players like Flannagan and Davies go.

I asked IL last night at the FF about loaning players out and how it would work under the new dual registration rules. How many could you loan out was there a time period etc.
IL said the restrictions are on the recipient club in that they can only have four loan players and max of three from any one club.
What IL did say was that under the new dual reg rules a player could play one week for Wigan, his home club, then the next week for his loan club.
There would not be a 28 day period as now where the loaned player cannot return to his home club. He explained that's why Liam Farrell hadn't been loaned out due to the 28 day rule.
If Ben Davies is going to Widnes then it will be under the new rules, which are now or soon to be in force.
In view of IL's emphatic attitude that it's Wigan produced players which our future is to be based upon I can't see Davies going on a permanent deal to Widnes.
A loan deal there will do him a lot of good and be in Wigan's interest long term.

Whatever deal, a year loan or permanent to widnes i be happy.We can not pay lots at widnes due to salary cap.To get a franchise we need a few youngsters as we cant get the quality aussies like yourselves.All we can do is try to be competitive and hope next time around we join the big teams like yourselves.Hope you beat warrington this weekend and i thank wigan for giving us some good players.