Tell me about it!

Lockers will be hard to replace that's for sure. This season he's made some important contributions that I don't think many other players could have provided. It's going to be next to impossible to find a replacement who can defend as strongly and intelligently, someone who can run the ball hard and still have the handling ability to fire long passes or quick short passes with the accuracy he can.

It may require a change in how we play. We could easily get sucked into the idea that we have to try to replace him like for like and end up with someone trying to fill a role they aren't capable of doing. We've been able to win games without O'Loughlin over the last few years and as long as the club makes some wise signings we should be okay.

We don't necessarily have to sign a new loose forward. We could bring in a top quality second row and move Bateman down the middle. We don't have to have a ball playing 13 and Bateman could offer something different that's still effective and beneficial for the team.

The biggest concern is replacing him as a captain. We can appear a bit like a rudderless ship when he's injured or off the field. I'm not one who believes in captains being individuals who inspire teams single handed - if you look back at players considered great captains I'd say most of them played alongside other good leaders as well. You need leadership qualities throughout the squad to be truly successful. However, I do think there's a purpose to the captaincy role and that you can't just give it to anyone. It's possible we will really miss what O'Loughlin brings as captain and I don't know if there's anyone else at the club who really stands out as a natural leader.

I wonder if we will go back to a leadership team when O'Loughlin retires, and see whether the best leader emerges from that group. I think I'm right in saying the loosely defined 'leadership team' we had until 2016 included players like Joel Tomkins, Farrell, McIlorum and Powell. You'd probably add Sam Tomkins to that list now. I'm not sure any name stands out among them.

I think Bateman could take both the 13 shirt and the captaincy without any problem. He's not going to be throwing big booming passes out but he's got enough quality to play there and he's better at certain things then Lockers himself. He doesn't seem the brightest away from the field but on it he's a total professional and he has a great rugby brain and awareness.

It's between him and Sam Tomkins for me.

I am not sure for Bateman to replace lockers at both 13 and captain - for me he has been a bit off form for a while recently (bit like Farrell) - still playing ok but not as well as he can do. Lockers will be virtually impossible to replace as as I do not see anyone else who combines the power/strength of a forward with the skills of a half in the whole league at present except maybe Wilkin of a few years ago.

I think Sam T is the obvious captain choice - I do not see anyone else in the squad with the strength of character and leadership skills and is on the pitch for the whole game- we do have a lot of quiet seeming players!

As for 13 - good luck on that one!

I dread the day he retires, as a captain, as a player and inspiration to his teammates. Currently he is just irreplaceable, plain and simple. As said though you have to evolve as a team and learn to not rely on certain individuals. It'll be a strong test for the players and coaching staff once he hang up his boots.

Bateman for the 13 shirt Sam for captain and then Bateman once sam retires

I recall he was always your favourite player and you would put me right when i said something wrong about him, those where the days back on Mikes site

Sinfield was undoubtedly important to Leeds as Lockers is to Wigan but the difference is Sinfield was never an international class player whereas Lockers was and is. Sinfield never looked comfortable playing international RL, Lockers has always looked even better than he has done playing for Wigan. It's a pity Lockers has missed quite a few internationals due to injury.

I never want to see class players like Lockers leave SL for the NRL but I reckon if he had fancied it (which he clearly did not) he'd have been a mega star in Oz.

Haha. Many a good argument back then Meds! To be fair you did see sense in the end although you still can't resist a dig whenever you get chance.

I think his quality is self evident to even the blindest fan these days even if it's taken a lot longer than it should! I looked at Redvee the other night and the praise for Lockers was unreserved (which I thought showed a lot of class in defeat from some of their posters) and if even our dearest rivals can see it...

God help us when he retires though!

I saw sense in the end, he will be a great loss to the team

I may be going mad but I see a certain element of Lockers when I see Ward play.

Samy Kibula has some similar elements to his game too. He's still very young but he runs it in hard, passes from within the defensive line and has a great offloading game. Needs to build his fitness up and perhaps add a long passing game if possible but has great potential.

Firstly on Lockers as a player absolute legend and Mr Wigan. He may not be the most naturally talented player I have ever seen in a Wigan shirt, although he clearly does have bags of talent, but he just puts it in week in week out on the field and in training too I would imagine. He has suffered a near career ending injury, which in truth took him fully 2 years to recover from but he never lost confidence in the face of a fair bit of flack at the time from the stands.

What impresses me most about him is his willingness and ability to adapt as a player, constantly evolving his game as he has physically developed and aged hence why he is such a rounded player. Passing like a half, running like a prop offloading like a centre and leading by example week in week out.

Replacing him is probably going to have to see us change in style. I can't think of any 13 anywhere that brings what he does and the complete skill set he has to the table that is realistically available anyway.

We may go down the line of bringing in a Prop or using Flower in that role, as seems to be the trend these days. Internally I would say Joel is the most likely replacement given his recent foray into the frontrow.

I know it is very very early days but the young kid, Hanley, looks like a player mounded after his dad. Strong dynamic runner eye for the line and very comfortable in the 13 shirt when Locky retires he will be 17/18 and IF he develops could be knocking on the first team door by then with a bit of luck and hard work. Like his dad however he looks like a player who could play in any of the strike positions and I would think if he gets to first team level it will initially be as a back.

I'm sure the coaches are looking at a succession plan both long and short term, either way though I wouldn't fancy their job as it will be one hell of a hole to fill when he does hang up his boots.

The only player in the current set up who looks remotely similar to O'Loughlin is Nick Gregson. However he's had so many injuries in his short career I think it would be very difficult for him to "come to the rescue"

Spot on. Forget replacing Lockers with a like for like player we need to change our style.

We do have options but a change of style would be needed as O'Loughlin can play any role required of him.
A tackling loose forward who has a good engine - Willie Isa
A tackling loose forward who can break through the line - John Bateman
A ball playing loose forward who can read the game, spot a gap and go through it and is a decent tackler - Sam Tomkins
My preferred option would be Sam Tomkins to loose forward and Morgan Escaré to full back.

Very different form most peoples ideas I would think but very thought provoking.
My main concern would be that Bateman and Farrell are both comparatively quite small and adding ST to the backrow may be a step too far in that we would undoubtedly be the smallest backrow in the competition.

Sam Tomkins at loose forward is just bonkers IMO. You can't be giving a size advantage like that away with Sam playing at 13 against sides of props at loose forward and hope that his skills see that size differential off.

I could understand the club signing a replacement like Liam Sutcliffe as he has a frame that could be bulked up but I just can't see that with Sam. As things stand there isn't a like for like replacement so you either try and manufacture one or you change your style of play to suit the options at 13 you do have.

If Greg Bird wasn't such a lunatic and Catalans went down he wouldn't be a bad shout but he comes with too much baggage. I don't think he's quite like for like but he's as close as you'd find. He's no spring chicken himself though.

I think George Williams will end up as Lockers replacement with Tomkins at 6 and Escare at 1. Williams defensively is excellent and is growing into his frame a similar way Lockers did.

I could imagine Joel going to 13.
Big, skillful and aggressive.

I know he's currently seen as a prop, Rogues, but do you not think Kibula could be moulded into a Lockers style Loose? Certainly big enough and drives the ball in well, plays in the teeth of the defence and a great pair of hands. Some way to go on his all round game but seems to have all the right raw materials.

How many minutes is he getting these days? Last season he was only really doing enough game time to consider him as an impact prop. I'd be very weary of talking about lads like Kibula and Hanley so highly when they haven't even debuted.

This seems the most logical one to me. The most Lockers-like player we have at the moment.

I can only imagine he's thinking of Joel and not Sam, because as you say it's bonkers otherwise. Sam is already quite small even for fullback standards nevermind a forward!

One player I think would be a great replacement is Cuthbertson. He signed a four year contract when he joined Leeds so that would take him to the end of next season which would align nicely with Lockers' probable retirement.

He's still not playing long minutes but then few props do, especially at just turned 18. It's certainly something he would need to work on.

I know what you mean regarding young players coming into the side with too much expectation. That said, players do make the step up successfully so no reason why Kibula couldn't too.

Look at the weight of expectation Sam Tomkins had as a junior. Didn't hinder his transition into the senior side at all.