Are we sleepwalking into some selection problems in the backs when the season starts? We know Liam Marshall is out and Oliver Gildart won't make the Salford friendly with a leg injury (no word on how serious). If Bevan doesn't make it back in time to be ready for Game 1 we'd presumably play Zak at fullback. So we're left with Jake Bibby and Dom Manfredi on the wings (not a great position to be relying so heavily on Dom's fitness!) but no other options for centre that I can see other than moving a couple of our many backrowers out wide. Bateman and Isa at centre with Farrell, Smithies and Partington in the backrow?

Not ideal - I was a little surprised we let Chris Hankinson go out on loan given our lack of depth in the threequarters.

Jai Field also a doubt for the season start with a back injury but good options at halfback with Leuluai, Smith and Hastings coming back to training this week,

I think the squad is short of wing/centre cover in the short term but we should be able to cope once French is back on board and Field is fit.

It’s really tough for the club to get the squad balance right in fairness to them. We could’ve kept Hankinson and he may well have been sat on his hands for another 12 months. There could be an opportunity for Hanley or Halsall on Sunday (maybe both) and in the early weeks of the season. It’s always good to see a youngster in a strong side, so as long as the injuries don’t pile up we should be fine.

Agree with the other posters on here. There's a concern that it could go all t1ts up there as there's plenty of question marks. Can Manfredi stay fit? How will Marshall go? Where will Bibby go if there's a winger and centre down.

That being said, I can kinda see what the club's trying to do and it's a risk worth taking. If something does happensto a Dom, Marshall or other 3/4 then it appears like there's room to bring in someone in.

If be surprised if one of French or Field doesn’t make the Leigh game.

If they do there is no issue.

If neither do and Gilldart is missing too I expect we would go

1. Hardaker
2. Halsall/Hanley
3. Bibby
4. Bateman
5. Manfredi

That’s still a fairly capable back line even if all 3 miss out but I’d personally be shocked if all 3 missed round 1.

I'd have thought Peace-Paul might be in the running to play centre if we are without French and Field for the opener. There is the option of Hanley or Halsall coming in but I'd feel more confident in Pearce-Paul from what I've seen so far. I'm just thinking he's more physically equipped to take on grown men and it might be a way to ease him into Super League rugby rather than chucking him straight in at second row.

Hanley I would be concerned about based on his outing against Saints. Some time in the Championship would do him good if any of them will give him regular game time. Bateman is too important to our pack and his winger might as well not be on the pitch when he plays centre, incredibly frustrating during the World Cup when he played there.

I agree with that move, should be up to the physical challenge and do a job similar to J Tomkins, Gilmour, Wild

No idea whether he's a potential centre but he's also injured at the moment.

He played there a fair bit before signing for us I believe. Didn't realise he's injured, lovely

I can’t understand the reasoning behind moving a lad who has never played centre in Paul to centre over 2 lads who have played centre one in a SL Grand Final and the other on the international stage.

More over Halsall & Hanley need to play. They are 19/20 now.

Pearce Paul would still be involved if the above happened he would just be playing off the bench covering his natural position on secondrow with Isa and Faz starting.

There seems to be a lot of clamour to force an opening in the team for Pearce Paul of very little substance.

He looks a great prospect no doubt but I think it would be remiss to start moving him into the outside backs before he gets a more regular taste of first team rugby in his natural position.

Going off that Saints game last year, if any of the young lads gets a shot at centre it may well be James McDonnell. I know he’s a back rower in the academy but it was he who started that Saints game in the centre and he made plenty of ground and didn’t let anyone down. I’ve never been overly impressed with Halsall when I’ve watched him and he looks too lightweight at the minute to play anywhere bar maybe as a fill in winger. He’s plenty of time to develop but he’ll need to IMO.

If we like it or not though, come that Leigh game if we’re still short of Gildart, Field, French etc then I think we’ll see Willie Isa in the centres. I think Bateman has gone past that stage of filling in at centre. I actually thing he’s a good option there but he’s too big a player in the pack.

McDonnell looks to be the next in line on paper - England academy international in 2018 and top try scorer in the academy in 2019. Plus he's 21, Halsall still 19.

If we moved Bateman as a stop gap option that would still leave us with Isa, Faz, Pearce Paul and Smithies to cover secondrow/the 13 “middle” style loose.

Isa has always struggled when moved to centre and I don’t see that changing as he clocks up the years.

It wouldn’t be ideal to move Bateman to centre but given we know he can hold his own there and still have some real quality in the secondrow for me it has to be the fall back measure.

Like I said I don’t think it would be ideal however losing Field, French and Gilly for match would have to happen before we considered it, which again certainly wouldn’t be ideal.

I wouldn’t be against Bateman at centre before Isa but I just can’t see it. I just think Bateman has grown his reputation to a point now as a back rower that you don’t tinker with his position. He’s probably considered as one of the best 5 second rowers in world rugby league now and I think they’ll want his influence that but further in field.

He played centre as well didn't he? That was my understanding anyway but fair enough if you know otherwise, I certainly didn't keep a close eye on London academy every week. I've seen him demonstrate the speed and ball skills for the position. When he played against Saints he didn't look out of place, looked physically capable of taking on grown men. Halsall I don't remember too much either way apart from the sin bin which I won't hold against him as these things happen. Hanley looked well out of his depth and would be the worst option IMO. I'm not saying he won't make it but he needs time in the Championship I think. He was dropping kicks and having the ball stripped out. Those things are momentum changers.

To my knowledge I don’t think he ever played centre for London in the academy. I guess he may have filled in there during games due to injury but as far as I know he never played there in any other capacity.

I think the highlights package that was widely touted around when he signed showed him rampaging down the right channel and offloading to the winger as he was running an outside line with the centre dropping inside.

He has shades of Gelling about him too in look and style so I think that also ands to the conception he has had a run at centre.

I totally agree regards Saints he came on and looked very capable and he has a belting pedigree via the England Talent Pathway and playing for a very successful England Academy side.

My concern is that there is quite a bit of hype around him and some big expectations. Not saying by you but there seems to be a bit of a “he’s a bit special” tag on him.

I worry if he doesn’t start making breaks on the edges of throwing a few offloads there will be rumblings of discontent from some (not you as I know you are not like that).

For me second row is our strongest position with 1 world class player, 1 international class player and a great workman pro along with a young lad in Smithies has shown he can contribute all be it he stalled a little last year.

Pearce Paul excites me because he has the potential to break the mould of our recent options.

He has the size and natural offloading game we haven’t seen since Tomkins or Hock.

For me though if he gets 10 games this year in the pack and just concentrates on the basics, ie strong carry and solid defence he will have had a good “debut” season (Saints game last year apart).

If he goes better than that fantastic.

I’m hopeful ‘22 after another years growing and maturing will be the year he takes the step up to being a regular in the 17 with a view to challenging for a top 13 squad number in ‘23 to replace Isa.

So Lam confirms that all of French, Hastings, Gildart and Field are doubtful for Round 1 plus Manfredi is out.

Will be a very challenging first few rounds - next to no attacking threats in the game today without the above.

Manfredi should have been cut with Burgess

He wasn't OOC tho, so how did you suggest we did that?

neither was Burgess

I thought you meant Joe sorry.

Didn't you know? You can just cut players like it's the NFL. Contract? What contract?

Nonsense. We're Wigan. We can sign and release who we want when we want.

How does Hardaker go for you lot?
His pace and evasiveness were his assets with us. Didn't think there'd be much more to us game when they went....

"much more to us game"

What the hell does that mean?

hahahaha always throws me the way yorkshire folk use that term