seems fun!!!!!!!

[urlhttp://www.wiganwarriors.com/news_full.asp?newsid=5334[/url

Karl Pryce looked jiggered on that video clip of them training



I get the sense by the look of Phelps it really is tough work and they'll all have to just grin and bear it until the season starts. They should get the rewards in the games then and if they do they'll look back on this period with fond memories.

In these pre season interviews the phrases "hit the ground running" and "a better start that last year" or similar keep coming up.
A good start to the season is what everyone at the club is aiming for and the way they are going it may well be that's what will happen.
I certainly hope so!

All this heavy training could have more than just physical benefits to the team.
It will develop some team spirit in the squad IMO, when the training gets hard players will encourage eachother to push through it, hopefully this will transfer onto the pitch and we will see players looking out for eachother when it gets tough. That would be a massive improvement on its own.

On a side note lets not forget the captaincey issue.

This period will be an opportunity to see who are the leaders in the squad and who are the players setting a good example for the rest to follow when things get tough during training.

Clearly O'Loughlin will be firm favourite to be named captain once again next season but i think that it is wise to assess things first.

Good signs...........BUT.......it's not how you start, it's how you finish.


I will be as happy as anyone to see us start well, but the proof of the pudding will come in October 2010.

On a side note, I've been hearing that although training is hard, and for many of the players its the toughest pre-season they've had to date, they are enjoying it and are buzzing for the new season.

Except one player.

Mr Karl Pryce. Or as he's called at the club 'Pea Heart'.

I do hope that Pryce can finally get over his injury problems and start to challenge for a place in the starting 13 next season.

He showed a lot of potential whilst out on the wing for Bradford but has only shown glimpses of what he is capable of in a Wigan shirt under a coach that showed a lot of faith in him.

Its a massive year for him career wise as i cant see many other clubs wanting to touch him if he doesnt show up soon.

really think phelps is gonna have a big season this year, iv been impressed with him since we got him and he played his first gameagainst leeds, people say on this site that aussies dont show passion for this club, but he deffo does, i hope we can sign him up on a longer contract

I watched the dvd of the reserve final v Saints earlier this week. Some of Pryces footwork for a big man is unreal.

I really think if we can get him fit and to [ibelieve in himself [/iwe could have a world class player.

It's a big season for Pryce, because if he doesn't perform I think he's a gonner.

What about the WCC in 2005

mate hes , he doesnt want to know, hes the worst player to be in the squad, im not botherd about his footwork hes big enough to run through them, end of story this topic went on all the way through last season get rid, player on big wages

I would wait untill you have seen him play 3 games with him being fit before saying that.

honest to god what do people see in him i saw him in about 5 sub games last year and everytime bar 1 he went off injured, hes fooking , whats he done at bradford when he had 15 or 20 games in a row answer nothing, bad player in a then quite good side

The greatest player I have ever seen (Billy Boston) had a problem at Wigan and lost his confidence.

He was struggling to keep up with Joe Egan in training. Wigan persevered and he managed to run in a couple of 50 yarders after about four games of his slump.


The rest is history.

Now I'm not comparing Billy B and Pryce, but cut the man some slack. I know of someone who plays in the same team who really believes that if he gets a good pre season Pryce will come good.

I'd rather trust his judgement than yous.

so hes the best we can WAIT for, we bought a bad player hes now in his 3rd year how much time do you give him

reading old copies of Open Rugby, Brian Noble made an interesting point in the 80s about his time in Australia. Said that there was an expectation that the players look after their own fitness and most of training is spent on ball skills and tactics.

Now I know that was back then, and lots has changed, but it is unquestionable that it is both technical skills and fitness where the aussies have the upper hand. Watching the young Aussie teams play, either Australian schoolboys or AIS, it is clear that they have a massive physical head start on us from a young age. Clearly, by the time they reach NRL squads they are finely honed athletes.

What I am trying to say is that however fit the coach gets them, the real difference might be whether or not he can have an effect on ball handling and tackle techniques (not a criticism of Wigan, rather a reflection on the differences in the NRL/ Superleague).

It may well be that the real difference isn't a lighter Feka or a thinner Piggy, but rather a team that is able to differentiate itself from its opponents in Superleague by superior skills, better ball handling and therefore possession, and a noticable abilty to shift the ball from one side to the other without basic errors which we tend to commit in Superleague even at crucial moments in games which are harshy exposed when we pla internationals.

Read my post.

This is his last chance.
The surgeons screwed up and he missed two years (1 with Gloucester and one with Wigan)

He also missed quite a bit of last years pre-season.

He's still only 23.

We didn't buy a bad player, get hold of a dvd of his performance in the WCC, but we took a risk.
Why did Gloucester buy him?

Did you go to the reserves Grand Final? Initially he was against Gary Wheeler who Saints fans want in the first team. Pryce ran over him, through him and round him.

Just so you understand, as you seem to have a problem deciphering what I posted.

IMO a fit, confident Karl Pryce would be great asset to Wigan and
England /GB. He has a YEAR to prove his worth.

Thats the problem i have with him. He just doesn't seem tough enough to play professional rugby league and I really can't see him ever having the heart or bottle to make it as big as he should.

At the end of the day the lad is 6ft 5, 18 stones and is rapid but without the balls to carry it off and take the knocks it's all going to go to waste.

I hope he realises before it's too late.........too late could be the end of this season.

I've watched him from being 16 and he's murdered us (Wigan) at junior levels.

He went into the Bradford first team and did well.

What went wrong?

It's either fitness and confidence or "bottle".
One thing for sure as you said he (and we) will find out this coming season.

What would really have peed me off though was for Wigan to have released him at the end of 2009 and another club to have got him fit and confident and then see him come back and destroy us again.

if you have any of those said games on dvd please send them me, iv watched wigan week in week out for years and hes done nothing against us

Exactly right. We tend to focus on how Riddell will take to the new regime

but K price has a chance to be the player we did not thing we had salary cap space for.

If people (myself included) are prepared to see how Riddell goes despite being basically cack in 2009 then lets give Pryce a go as well.

Dave

This reminds me of what i used to say about Eorl Crabtree. He is a man mountain but never seem to use that bulk of his to run through opponents. Look now! I watched K Pryce at the pre season v Warrington last year and he was on fire (against an inexperienced team I know) and showed glimses then. Time is running out but I hope he makes the grade.

Good luck Karl.

He seems to be our most hated player amongst supporters, hopefully he'll come out and show them up this season, he certainly has the talent.

I agree with you on this Brian.

It was interesting to hear IL at the last fans forum - "we'll release Pryce, he'll go to Warrington and they'll turn him into a world beater".

He alluded to the fact that Pryce needed the right coaching and conditioning - I have faith that we now have this in place under Maguire and his team....let's just see what happens over the coming months.