https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... s-20765995 The article mentions that in addition to Hastings and Gildart (officially confirmed as leaving) along with Bullock (rumoured to have signed for Wire) listed below are 7 players out of contract with the club at the end of the season: Bevan French (potential 1 year option in players favour) Dom Manfredi Jake Bibby Tommy Sam Powell Willie Isa Tony Clubb Obviously it's unlikely that we will be seeing all 7 leave (making it a mass exodus of 10 in total), but I think a few will leave/retire. At best I think 5 will be offered new deals (French, Manfredi, Bibby, Powell and Isa). I think Tommy will retire and Clubb will be released. Whats people's thoughts on where we could end up for next year? By the way I'd like to think the club are looking at a few new quality signings as well.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... s-20765995 The article mentions that in addition to Hastings and Gildart (officially confirmed as leaving) along with Bullock (rumoured to have signed for Wire) listed below are 7 players out of contract with the club at the end of the season: Bevan French (potential 1 year option in players favour) Dom Manfredi Jake Bibby Tommy Sam Powell Willie Isa Tony Clubb Obviously it's unlikely that we will be seeing all 7 leave (making it a mass exodus of 10 in total), but I think a few will leave/retire. At best I think 5 will be offered new deals (French, Manfredi, Bibby, Powell and Isa). I think Tommy will retire and Clubb will be released. Whats people's thoughts on where we could end up for next year? By the way I'd like to think the club are looking at a few new quality signings as well.

Bevan French (potential 1 year option in players favour) - I think he'll take the year due to his injury maybe temporarily putting off NRL interest
Dom Manfredi - will leave IMO
Jake Bibby - Surely on for a new contract
Tommy - retire
Sam Powell - New contract surely
Willie Isa - will leave IMO
Tony Clubb - Gone

Is Clark not off contract?

We HAVE to keep Clubb

Love to keep-French

Should keep-Bibby, Powell and Isa

Undecided-Manfredi

Let go- Leuluai to the coaching staff and Clubby to Greggs.

Won’t be popular but I’d love to see us bring in another hooker. Powell can never be faulted for effort and tackles like a Trojan but he offers very little in attack. The odd try from acting half isn’t enough for me. Manfredi is 50/50 too. If we could attract Tom Johnston that would be ideal but I accept it’s highly unlikely. Bibby will be offered a new deal but as I’ve said before, I see him as a good utility cover player and not good enough as a first choice centre. That’s not detracting from his excellent start to this season covering the wing spot.
Isa worth another season for back row cover.
Clubb and Leuluai to retire. Hastings and Gildart going and we still have a marquee spot. We definitely have potential to really improve in key areas, starting at prop, half back and centres. Hooker if we have cap space.

Yes because Tom Johnstone's injury record is spot on.

Players recover. Look at Lee Mossop who I think has developed into an excellent prop and there was nobody with a worse injury record. You can add Johnny Lomax to that too.

So why wouldn't Dom recover?

Nobody will splash out a transfer fee on Johnstone at the minute given his concussion issues. It’s such a shame that he’s struggling but you can’t lay out money when the lad could go the same way at Stevie Ward (I really hope that doesn’t happen). That’s before you even factor in his history of serious knee troubles.

I’d keep Manfredi if possible and would be frustrated if he goes and a quality replacement isn’t brought in. The obvious option would be to try and get Tom Davies back but how realistic that would be is hard to say.

Agree

I agree mate but his injury record may be the reason we wouldn’t need to break the bank for him. He may have ambitions to win things and that’s very unlikely at Wakey.
I’m praying like mad that Dom can stay fit and justify another contract, if anybody deserves a good run of luck it’s him.

He’s a cracking player Johnstone when fully fit and playing but so is Manfredi. I just don’t see us not renewing a guy with a history of injury problems to then replace him with a guy with a history of injury problems and who now has some real issues with concussions. Even if a potential asking price went down, I still think Johnstone would cost more in wages than Manfredi and then you’re spending more money to sign a player with probably more injury risks and who isn’t any better than Manfredi when both are at their best (both players top level is extremely high).

If the Manfredi decision is a financial one, I expect Bibby will be on the right wing next season. If it’s a case of having an option to sign a player in his place, than I’d expect a move for a Tom Davies or an NRL winger ahead of Johnstone.

I think the next few months is a really important time for our squad development. If we get it right, with some real talent, the club can really put bums on seats and compete at the highest level again for years to come. However, I fear if we get it wrong then we’ll go on a downward spiral again that could take a very long time to recover from.

We've got too much leadership going/gone to let Powell go as well IMO. We need some level of continuity

I think we are already on it and have been for 3 seasons. We haven't improved in any area in that time.

Yep, can see your point. Despite that we still got within 5 seconds of a GF win and we have a real opportunity to step up.

Don't think i have ever been as frustrated being a Wigan fan. The league has been there for the taking for the last couple of years and we haven't won it with all that talent at the coach's' disposal. It's all a massive failure and a gigantic one if we fail again this year.

I find this strange as I’m sure we have not been favourites to win the title for a few years.

Now I know favourites don’t always win titles but the wording in this makes it sound like we were clear favourites when we haven’t been.

Keep French for as long as possible

Keep Powell

Offer Manfredi another 1 year “prove it deal” if he takes a longer deal elsewhere so be it.

Let Isa go - been a warrior but 32 now, behind Faz and Bateman. I liked to see Smithies more at back row too.

Bibby I’m not blow away by but in a salary cap sport he maybe be worth a new deal.

Clubb should have gone in 2019.

Tommy - retire, Grown up watching him and what a player but it’s Smiths time.

French - Keep - Outstanding fullback and we can't afford to lose another pacey threat with Gildart going.

Manfredi - It's a 50/50. If we can't bring in anyone better on the wing, or sign a centre better than Thornley, then it seems pointless to let him leave. If we could sign Davies back or a decent centre to allow Bibby to play wing then maybe it's time to move him on. There are some variables with this decision.

Leuluai - Solid defender but what attacking threat has he shown so far this year? Playing him ahead of Smith seems overly negative. Time for him to move into his coaching role full time.

Powell - Love him or hate him I'm not sure the current recruitment options are much better. He has a particular style of play and I think we'd benefit from having another more direct option at 9 (possibly something meant for Hastings before Field and Leuluai got injured). Most teams play with an interchange 9 and we're the only team without a recognised 9 in reserve, so I think we need to keep Powell and also look at how we might add a bit more at 9. Bourouh and O'Neill might have something to offer after a year of Championship rugby.

Isa - I've seen a few suggest we should keep him but where does he play? Faz and Bateman are both 80 minute back rowers. If Isa was on the bench then he'd almost certainly be keeping one of our young forwards out of the side and those youngsters tend to be the ones playing well. Just seems like now is the time to move on, unless we have a real recruitment crisis and struggle to bring in any more forwards.

Clubb - For the love of god don't make the same mistake again.

Never say never for us but its looking likely that Saints could complete the treble this season and do it without playing particularly well either (so far this season). Very frustrating as without a few key injuries and with an astute prop signing to replace George Burgess it could very well have been us.

I think that O'Neil is probably next in line to cover at hooker. He seems to have leapfrogged Amir Borough with his recent performances for Widnes in a struggling team. I would expect to see him getting game time next season.

Signed on a 3 year deal.....so another season to go after this one!

A friend of mine is a big Widnes fan and season ticket holder. I asked him about O'Neills performances there, he was full of praise or him.

This actually gives me hope.

Let's not forget that 4 years ago or so, Saints were a good side but not like the one we see today. They moved on from a flashy FB to one that can create and work the ball, saw a massive development from Thompson & made a couple of "here and now" signings like Taia and Naiqama.

Oh they also moved on from a crap coach who happened to be a club legend.

Now I'm not saying that we'll see that up turn, but there are similarities with the situation we find ourselves in today.