Didn’t the shareholders get told at a recent meeting to expect big changes on the playing front in 2019? There is apparently plenty of players off contract and the club I presume is looking around for potential targets.

We’ve gone back in to that type of club where players coming off contract up their games to earn new deals and then put their cue on the rack when they’ve signed. We saw it last year with a couple of players and unless we’ve managed to revert to a better culture we’ll probably see that again this year.

It’s always a pretty big sign for me that the group isn’t as focussed and driven towards winning trophies as it should be.

Quote ="old frightful"Has he been there long enough so that only half his wages count on the cap?, assuming that dispensation for long serving players is still in place.'" Long service allowance was for a maximum of 50k across all players at a club who had been at the club for longer than 10 years. That would have been eaten up by SOL alone I imagine. All that being said, I am 99% certain it got replaced with the club trained allowance and the (first) marquee signing rule back in 2016. The 2017 cap rules can be found: www.rugby-league.com/operational ... html#p=276 (I cant find the 2018 ones yet, but given the link, I assume thats because no one at the RFL has gotten around to writing them yet).

Quote ="old frightful"Has he been there long enough so that only half his wages count on the cap?, assuming that dispensation for long serving players is still in place.'" Long service allowance was for a maximum of 50k across all players at a club who had been at the club for longer than 10 years. That would have been eaten up by SOL alone I imagine. All that being said, I am 99% certain it got replaced with the club trained allowance and the (first) marquee signing rule back in 2016. The 2017 cap rules can be found: www.rugby-league.com/operational ... html#p=276 (I cant find the 2018 ones yet, but given the link, I assume thats because no one at the RFL has gotten around to writing them yet).

Who's our best hooker then? Powell > McLlorum, not for me. Leuluai who has barely played a game at hooker for the last 2-3 years or Ganson a young lad who has maybe 5 first team appearances.

McLlorum may not be the most flashy or talented player but that's not the main attribute he brings to a team. Our pack only stands up when McLlorum is firing, now our powder puff pack is even more soft.

Regardless of whether he has been used there, Leuluai is/was still the best hooker at the club. Leuluai hits harder in defense, has more skill in attack, better fitness levels and has a kicking game.

I agree McIlorum is aggressive, but that's it. Surely we can expect more from a starting hooker at a top SL team, when our competitors have the likes of Roby, Parcell, Houghton and Clark. I just hope we see:

1 Escare
6 Williams
7 S.Tomkins
9 Leuluai
14 Powell/Ganson

rather than what I expect:

1 S.Tomkins
6 Williams
7 Leuluai
9 Powell
14 Escare

Technically probably Ganson but he has a lot of maturing to do.

Personally I just cant agree, I don't know how you can deem Leuluai the best hooker at the club when he hasn't played there for 3 years. Fitness demands are completely different for a 7 and 9, so we'll have to see Tommy at 9 to be able to make a decision on fitness levels. His kicking game last year was atrocious so I wouldn't list that as a positive, the only positive is that hopefully he'll kick less at 9. Don't get me wrong I don't think McLlorum leaving will make or break our season I just believe we are weaker for not having him. McLlorum and Leauluai from the bench is superior IMO to any combination we now have.

There is other position where we are flooded with mediocrity IMO.

Flower, Clubb, FPN, Tautai, Isa, Sutton, Hamlin, J.Tomkins, Bateman, Farrell, Wells, O'loughlin, plus more youngsters.

Now I'm not saying they're all mediocre, but a few are and that's 12+ players for 6 starting spots and 3 bench spots.

When are the squad numbers coming out that will give us a better idea who is 1, 6, 7, 9, 14.

Your guess is as good as mine, can't remember them ever being this late.

I think, well hope, a lot of opinions will change after this season plays out.

I honestly believe Sam Tomkins will prove to be the best half at the club, and Tommy will prove to be the best 9 at the club.

However, I'm merely speculating that Sam will play in the halves and Tommy will move to 9. Wane may elect to play Escare at 6/7 or even Powell at 7 to partner Williams.

Even with Micky departing there's options and experiments to be had to find out our best line-up.

I think Micky has been a very good servant to our club, he is not the most natural hooker but I could never question his commitment and desire.

I also think the club has made the right decision to let him go. By his own admission he cannot play big minutes anymore and he is coming to the end of his career. We all agree that we need a change of playing style and some fresh impotence in the halves.

I hope this is the trigger to move Sam to half back to partner Williams and TL to hooker. Tommy has shown for NZ that even though he has pretty much always played at #7 for his club #9 is his best position. He’s a strong defender and a better ball player and runner than Micky.

In the halves Sam & Williams appears to be a more exciting option than Williams & TL and hopefully Escare can pick up where he left off prior to injury and also improve defensively. I still have a few reservations about Escare and ideally would like to sign another half and keep Sam at FB but I doubt that is an option a month before the season starts.

1 Escare
6 Williams
7 Tomkins
9 TL
13 SOL

That looks like a pretty good spine to me, hopefully Wane will give his props licence to run the ball a bit more.

Apparently it'll be Escare at 1, Sam at 6, Williams at 7 and Tommy at 9, injuries permitting.

That will seriously annoy some posters if true...

A few people who seem on the money have said Tomkins is running at 6 in training and I hope that’s the case but I found it interesting that’s he’s come out and stated he’d prefer to stay at fullback given the option.

Either way it looks a reshuffle is going to happen.

I bl00dy hope so.

Wayne Bennett deemed Bateman one of the two best English centres, so why not?

Sorry but Leuluai's kicking is dreadful. I am speculating here, but I am not sure his distance vision is great. He does seem to squint IMHO.Even when my old Dad was alive (I lost him in 2014), both he and I thought his kicking was far too often to an opposition player and not finding the gaps. Tackling he does often make big hits and he does scoot at times at the defence. But kicking ? No sorry don't agree.

he was wrong

Hello wigan fans.I did not think M.M. played well when he came back late in the season,but I am now pleased that we have signed him. Ganson last year looked like one of the best prospects I have seen for a long time,but of course superleague is a different kettle of fish.

It’s a long season, we will no doubt try out different combinations and see what works best. I have faith in Tomkins at 6, his broken play running doesn’t seem to be what it was from FB but he’s still one of our best players and getting him on the ball more should work well. I’m guessing we will continue to play split halves with Williams staying on the left and Tomkins on the right as Tomkins’ left to right passing is a lot better.

Is this correct of Sam going to number 6 or is it just wishful thinking ? I have always thought he was wasted at FB and more so when he lost his pace. Making a break in the halves is much closer to the opposition's try line than all the way from a FB's positioning. Plus his 'organising' as he can read a game, would be better utilised in an half back position.

I think it’s likely with the comments on McIlorum’s departure of “we have 2 good hookers in Leuluai and Powell plus Ganson”.

Plus if we go with Williams and Leuluai again we’ll probably be bottom 4.

If Williams plays scrum half with Sam at stand off, then I’d expect them to be the England half backs against New Zealand at the end of the season.

Gut feeling Sam will still be FB come seasons start..we shall see though.

Mine also.

Him coming out and staying he wants to stay there is a pretty big indicator for me and Wane has spoken quite a bit about Escare maybe being used either at six or from the bench.

Interesting comments from Sam is that. Got to admit when him and Eastmond were paired together as young kids they frightened the Aussies 10 fold and we thought we had a pairing for years to come. I was a very big advocate of what Sam actually produced down under, his time has been wrongly in my opinion scrutinised by idiot fans who dont warch rugby but hate wigan, and really feel a team as unpredictable as the Warriors were the worst option for him given their lack of structure.

What I am getting at is trying to say this isn't a trolling attempt with what I am about to say next, when he came back from injury in the games I saw he seemed to take a long while to have any contact in the tackle (obviously coming back from an injury there were rumours would end his career won't help), but is that an attempt to keep himself out of the firing line knowing you have wingers who work so hard for the team he can drop the ball onto?