ESL ESL - Wigan - News, Views and Crews !
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Since I wrote the above, Tommy's form (and the rest of the team's) has dropped off considerably. We are now on our longest run without a league win since 1904!! 
OK, we've had (another) horrendous season with injuries, and the troops are returning now, like Sam Tomkins, who has been pretty good, and John Bateman, but still desperately disappointing, and we are not far off a relegation battle. If we lose to Widnes next weekend we are in big trouble.
OK, we've had (another) horrendous season with injuries, and the troops are returning now, like Sam Tomkins, who has been pretty good, and John Bateman, but still desperately disappointing, and we are not far off a relegation battle. If we lose to Widnes next weekend we are in big trouble.
Rep footy not so significant for us, but injuries have decimated us. And we would have been even worse off, if one of our teenage rookie wingers hadn't turned out to be one of the leading try-scorers in the comp. I never cease to be amazed at the quality of the talent that is produced within a few square miles of here, and of course the credit to the club for bringing them through. I suppose such thoughts have to sustain you through a disappointing season.
Well after a nail-biting win against our Wembley conquerors Hull on their own patch, we are still on track for an unlikely shot at the GF. All we have to do is beat Castleford at home, who seemed to have resisted temptation to take their foot of the gas by tanking Leeds this weekend, and then beat Wakefield too.
You do wonder sometimes about "tanking" - who you'd prefer to play. We didn't call it that in my day - it was gamesmanship. We actually did it one time - couldn't change our spot in the top group - played till half time to see how we could go - then eased up.
Dan Sarginson has agreed a two-year deal to return to Wigan Warriors after a single campaign in the NRL with Gold Coast Titans.
To the mass unenthusiasm of Wigan fans, as you can probably imagine. Plus, like every returnee we take back, it seems, he's crocked anyway. The club appear to be on a downward spiral and it's hard to be optimistic.
Despite the above downward spiral, one piece of good news; the talk is that current Wigan waste-of-space Frank-Paul Nu'uausala is heading back to Oz.
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/5152774/rosellas-boosted-by-star-pick-up/
Everyone here is hoping this is true, we didn't think anyone wanted him! However, reading between the lines of the above, still a nasty feeling the club may continue to pay some of his wages as he's still under contract.
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/5152774/rosellas-boosted-by-star-pick-up/
Everyone here is hoping this is true, we didn't think anyone wanted him! However, reading between the lines of the above, still a nasty feeling the club may continue to pay some of his wages as he's still under contract.
Don't know if this has filtered down to Oz yet, but all the talk here is that Sam Tomkins will sign for Catalans, imminent (we played them at the weekend).
He has been playing very well lately, but a handful of good games this season is scant recompense for the way the club has brought him back and installed on, by English standards, very high wages (thought to be the biggest in SL) by the club. This from a bloke who spent most of last season on crutches from a non-footy related injury (horse-play in a nightclub, most say), where again the club chose to stand by him.
Worse, the talk is that cokehead bad boy Hardaker is lined up as his replacement. And in my view he isn't all that anyway. He looked well below standard in his time at Penrith. But the problem these days is that, if you lose a top player, you cannot replace him with a good Aussie or Kiwi (because of the massive salary cap gap), and the relatively few English players of real quality are being held onto by their clubs. Except Wigan, who can't seem to hang onto theirs.
He has been playing very well lately, but a handful of good games this season is scant recompense for the way the club has brought him back and installed on, by English standards, very high wages (thought to be the biggest in SL) by the club. This from a bloke who spent most of last season on crutches from a non-footy related injury (horse-play in a nightclub, most say), where again the club chose to stand by him.
Worse, the talk is that cokehead bad boy Hardaker is lined up as his replacement.
And in my view he isn't all that anyway. He looked well below standard in his time at Penrith. But the problem these days is that, if you lose a top player, you cannot replace him with a good Aussie or Kiwi (because of the massive salary cap gap), and the relatively few English players of real quality are being held onto by their clubs. Except Wigan, who can't seem to hang onto theirs.
He's moved to a bottom-of-the-league club once before and regretted it...
Oh, and by the way, on Nu'uausala: does never-played-a-first-grade-game project Hamlin from Souths look better VFM?
After a couple of games, most Wigan fans think, yes, definitely! And probably on much lower wages!
Oh, and by the way, on Nu'uausala: does never-played-a-first-grade-game project Hamlin from Souths look better VFM?
After a couple of games, most Wigan fans think, yes, definitely! And probably on much lower wages!
Frank-Paul Nu'uausala has apparently been whingeing to the Sydney press about how awfully Wigan treated him. Following his wife's bleating (and wild and very unpleasant accusations) the other day on Instagram. It's summarised well by a poster on the Wigan forum who said
"They've both had a paddy because they wanted everything and a bag to put it in. Clearly used us as a plan B when he couldn't get a better deal in the NRL and obviously thought he could just walk away from any contract. He was a flat track bully on the pitch and went missing in hard games and it's echoed with his attitude here."
The club did every thing they could to make him welcome, there was a big fuss and publicity drive when he signed; yet he did very little on the pitch to justify his rep.
As I've remarked before, if SL was as soft as some Aussie fans claim, then big NRL props like Nu'uausala or Sam Moa ought to cut through defences like a knife through butter. Funny how they don't, isn't it?
"They've both had a paddy because they wanted everything and a bag to put it in. Clearly used us as a plan B when he couldn't get a better deal in the NRL and obviously thought he could just walk away from any contract. He was a flat track bully on the pitch and went missing in hard games and it's echoed with his attitude here."
The club did every thing they could to make him welcome, there was a big fuss and publicity drive when he signed; yet he did very little on the pitch to justify his rep.
As I've remarked before, if SL was as soft as some Aussie fans claim, then big NRL props like Nu'uausala or Sam Moa ought to cut through defences like a knife through butter. Funny how they don't, isn't it?
Shock news over the weekend that coach Shaun Wane is resigning at the end of the season. Comes as a big surprise to me, especially on the back of our convincing win over Warrington at the Magic Weekend (worth catching if you can see it). Criticised by many, but I will be sorry to see him him go, and he leaves big boots to fill.