Billy McGinty springs to mind. Played out of his skin for Wire for four or five years, never gets near the GB squad but signs for Wiggin and gets the nod quicker than you can say Meat and tayter.

I'd love to see one of the Many Mick Monaghan threads from three years ago .... How many people wanted to drive him to the airport personally if it meant we were rid of him ?..

More recently There was the Richie Myler threads earlier this year too.

You read my mind, MKC. McGinty was a decent squad player for us at the time (spent a lot of it as a bench player, when there was only 2 subs per game), yet he spends 4 months with John Monie, and all of a sudden, he's a GB international. Even Jesus himself couldn't work miracles like that!

To be fair, McGinty had a pretty sudden improvement in his last year with us....90-91 I think, when we won the Regal Trophy...Before then, he was pretty much a bench warmer, who was well behind Mike Gregory, Gary Sanderson, etc, in the pecking order.

That improvement alerted Wigan, who were masters at relieving opposing clubs of their promising talent, and he continued his improvement in a dominant Wigan side, which obviously helped to gain him a GB call up.

McGinty was the main benificiary of Mike Gregory's injury woes, both with Wire and GB.

I would say Bridge is a very good centre and can become one of the best in the league over the next few seasons if he plays their consistently. Still undecided about Atkins, at times looks very good, at other times not interested.

For me though at the moment Carmont is the best centre in the league. It's not bias, that's just the way it is at the moment.

Also regarding the thread I would say... Paul Wood.

Michael McIlorum. When I first seen him a few years ago I thought he had potential at hooker. Not really kicked on for me and makes Clarke look like Cameron Smith. I think he may have bulked up a bit too much, as his physique looks more suited to second row now.

Didn't they sign him to effectively replace Goodway in their back row? They had Clarke and Betts at the time, as well as Platt, though he may have been at prop by then. Anyway, McGinty had two decent seasons at Wigan, and deserved to play for GB - was rather underrated at Wire, I always thought. The emergence of Farrell probably did for him at Wigan.

Richard Myler, thought he would set the world on fire at Wire but has been dump.

Ben Westwood, few years ago thought was dump, now is good but I would move him to prop.

these pies trolls on our board sure know their stuff when it comes to rugby league.

Westwood at prop?

Thats just my opinion.

I like my 2nd rowers to be in the Denis Betts/Lee Gilmour/Joel Tomkins mould where they are athletic not just big built. Jamie Peacock and Morley started off as second rowers too in recent years, I reckon Westwood would be great at prop.

I imagine people are (ironically) saying Wiganers are showing their knowledge of Rugby League, with regards to your earlier statement that Myler was dump.

fyi, Myler is having a great season, getting good reviews from the media, the club and fans alike, yet a Worrier thinks he's dump.......



as you say, this maybe your opinion....but it's wrong HTH

You don't think Westwood is athletic? the man who runs his his blood to water every game, the man who could probably play 2 games on the same day isn't athletic?

To be fair, the fellow has a point...He's wrong, but he has a point.

Westwood is the type of second row who you would categorise as a 'second row who could do a fine job at prop', rather than the 'second row who can play centre' type who he obviously prefers....(we had Mark Roberts, who was a classic example).

Where he is wrong, is that Westwood is arguably the best second row in the league, so why on earth would you consider moving him from that position?

Would that be the same Ben Westwood who we signed as a centre?

Mobility & being an athlete in the backrow at times is overrated, Bracek was mobile.

I like that when we're all fit, part of the reason I think Wigan & Warrington have been so successful is the ability to shuffle their packs in relation to opposition, we've a hard hitting loose in Harrison, a ball player in Grix, now we're sort of playing Cooper as a bit of a mix between the two (obviously more Harrison than Grix but he can play).

The very same one....But wasn't that the Ben Westwood who many fans would have paid his bus fare back to Wakefield, so good was he at centre.

I don't think Westwood was THAT bad as a centre

True, he was nowhere near international level at the time, but Moran and whoever the coach was at the time (Anderson/Flange-sic) saw potential.

Scored some good tries, as I remember

He wasn't bad, but he never looked like ever being a centre...Almost Ian Sibbit-like, big lad, plenty of enthusiasm, but little class.

Second row suits him down to the ground...Lots of involvement, plenty of hits.....As a centre, his lack of 'brain' would have been his downfall.

It was the 2004 season where Gaskell, Westwood, Wainwirght & Nathan Wood played the left edge and must have put each other into touch just over 1000 times that forced change.

He was strong at centre, just had no elusiveness and couldn't find his winger. For me, his line of running were poor which surprises me a tad, as a backrower now, I think he runs some very intellgent lines with & without the ball.

Westwood was a pretty good centre in what was a struggling side when he joined, I think any negativity is rather unwarranted.

He was actually signed on the recommendation of Nathan Wood who the club only originally approached.

Nail on the head, although I'm not wrong, I just offer a different opinion.



IMO most of the best props of the last few years have come from the 2nd row, think Wiki, Morley, Peacock. I honestly think at international level he could be very good at prop. He has all the right atttributes.

Horatio Yed - See Ditas Slot Meter. Every player in the league is athletic almost but I mean athletic and agile, thats how I think a 2nd rower should be, prime example bing Lee Gilmour, he for me epitomises the 2nd row position.

When I see Luauki, Lautiti, Solomona etc playing prop I just see them as a prop playing 2nd row.

Bridge is the best british centre. But I personally prefer Carmont, I think he's just pure quality. Definately Bridge over Joel Tomkins though!

Players I was wrong about.....

- Richie Mathers. Was genuinely excited when we signed him from Gold Coast. He was god awful for Wigan.

- Danny Brough. Didn't think he'd do anything when he went to Hudds, turns out he's actually a quality player (just with a screwed up face).

- Kyle Eastmond. I thought he was gonna end up a world beater.

Ben Westwood excels at RL when he doesn't have to think too much. Giving him things like a winger and a touchline to worry about was too much for the man.