[quote="Stu M":g59nyxut]I just think that its more that they are going to Wigan than anything else! I wouldn't feel as annoyed if it was any other club [/quote:g59nyxut] If its true, Wigan must have seen something in them that they havent currently got in our academy / reserve setup which is also testament to the Saints academy i also get the annoyance from Saints fans with it being Wigan. But as i said to my mate, it indicative almost of how the clubs are currently run, and how we've almost flipped from you being on top / making excellent signings with us retaining past it players etc, to us now doing it right and you making the bad decisions

[quote="Mark_P1973":m8phqwwl]:) If its true, Wigan must have seen something in them that they havent currently got in our academy / reserve setup which is also testament to the Saints academy i also get the annoyance from Saints fans with it being Wigan. But as i said to my mate, it indicative almost of how the clubs are currently run, and how we've almost flipped from you being on top / making excellent signings with us retaining past it players etc, to us now doing it right and you making the bad decisions[/quote:m8phqwwl] I think as good as Wigan's Academy has been (and obviously still is) then that particular age group- and by that I mean Vaughan's age group- wasn't the best of ones before and after it, and there are probably less players coming through from that cohort than of different Academy intakes So given the number of back rowers you have sold then they have looked at Vaughan. They've done nothing wrong, they've been proactive. It just feels different as players rarely transfer between the clubs.

[quote="Stu M":3uehjqq1]I think as good as Wigan's Academy has been (and obviously still is) then that particular age group- and by that I mean Vaughan's age group- wasn't the best of ones before and after it, and there are probably less players coming through from that cohort than of different Academy intakes So given the number of back rowers you have sold then they have looked at Vaughan. They've done nothing wrong, they've been proactive. It just feels different as players rarely transfer between the clubs.[/quote:3uehjqq1] i agree but i think it has tended to be more the players have signed for Saints / Wigan having come from a traditional amateur club in the other town. So for example Welsby and Makinson played for Shevvy Sharks and St Judes but signed for Saints and not Wigan, as opposed to signing for Wigan and then moving to Saints it was interesting and i think its been covered before that we signed so many onto our scholarship level i think it was from Thatto Heath in our last intake

[quote="Mark_P1973":25i0og7e]i agree but i think it has tended to be more the players have signed for Saints / Wigan having come from a traditional amateur club in the other town. So for example Welsby and Makinson played for Shevvy Sharks and St Judes but signed for Saints and not Wigan, as opposed to signing for Wigan and then moving to Saints it was interesting and i think its been covered before that we signed so many onto our scholarship level i think it was from Thatto Heath in our last intake[/quote:25i0og7e] Yeah from the all-conquering Thatto Heath team, Saints signed 3 but Wigan signed 8. Of those 8, 7 are die hard Saints fans. Wigan are now (annoyingly) leading the way with their scouting too. Leigh have started to get their act together, I believe they signed a couple too. I've no idea what money Vaughan has signed for but ironically he would've had more chance to break into Saints regularly than the current Wigan team. Sironen will undoubtedly go home at the end of the season and Batchelor and Whitley have been poor. Hurrell will undoubtedly go too at the end of the season (hopefully) and Percival is always injured. Vaughan would most likely have started a lot of games in 2026.

[quote="Stu M":3kh4sx34]Really? Because you don't like him as a person or feel he is over-rated?[/quote:3kh4sx34] Great player but there comes a point where someone is so associated with a rival club that I wouldn't want us to go there. Goading the Wigan fans doesn't offend me one bit (in fact good for him) but I wouldn't want to see him in a Wigan shirt now he is essentially the pantomime villain.

[quote="MadDogg":y4b3uabr]Great player but there comes a point where someone is so associated with a rival club that I wouldn't want us to go there. Goading the Wigan fans doesn't offend me one bit (in fact good for him) but I wouldn't want to see him in a Wigan shirt now he is essentially the pantomime villain.[/quote:y4b3uabr] Similar from me, but I also dont think his best years are in front of him and we would only get a few goods years out of him

[quote="MadDogg":3ktsahyn]Great player but there comes a point where someone is so associated with a rival club that I wouldn't want us to go there. Goading the Wigan fans doesn't offend me one bit (in fact good for him) but I wouldn't want to see him in a Wigan shirt now he is essentially the pantomime villain.[/quote:3ktsahyn] Super League would be much better without this kind of tribal thinking. It prevents top players moving around (and improving) other clubs. The NRL has a great market which betters its league every year by spreading around talent.

It would almost be like cheering for Sean Long

[quote="[Gareth]":1n1n8abw]It would almost be like cheering for Sean Long[/quote:1n1n8abw] It's not like you're going to be hugging him in the showers after the game. It's just a player for the team you support.

[quote="Wigg'n":1k400okj]Super League would be much better without this kind of tribal thinking. It prevents top players moving around (and improving) other clubs. The NRL has a great market which betters its league every year by spreading around talent.[/quote:1k400okj] Personally, I think the strength of RL is in its club rivalries. We seem fixated on pushing the "international game" when in reality it isn't half as popular as Wigan vs. Saints or the Hull derby. The rivalry, and even the animosity, is something we should tap into more. The story around Williams playing against Wigan, Thompson against Saints, etc., makes it either mean more or adds a bit of intrigue to the neutral.

[quote="TKOR":2h15voz9]Personally, I think the strength of RL is in its club rivalries. We seem fixated on pushing the "international game" when in reality it isn't half as popular as Wigan vs. Saints or the Hull derby. The rivalry, and even the animosity, is something we should tap into more. The story around Williams playing against Wigan, Thompson against Saints, etc., makes it either mean more or adds a bit of intrigue to the neutral.[/quote:2h15voz9] I agree with this. I do think Welsby in a Wigan shirt would be fantastic too. He’s a top notch player and can you imagine the response and the build up to the derby game. I though have a different mindset when it comes to the international game. I cannot stand it when club loyalties cause fans to boo and jeer our English players because of the club they play for.