That's a frivolous article if ever there was one. No quotes from anyone and just pure speculation. Brett Finch has only just got here. Is the dailytelegraph the equivalent of our "Sun" or "Daily Star" in Australia? Looks a load of crap to me.

This plot of mass exodus from Wigan is laughable. I suspect Pat Richards will sign a new long-term deal. Ryan Hoffman will most likely leave for the NRL. Andy Coley, George Carmont and Paul Deacon will as expected retire. That's it for me.

Where's the Thomas Leuluai rumours come from? TBH I know some will strongly disagree, but if Leuluai was to leave I don't think it would be the end of the world. He's a talent, but he's not a seven in a million years, his kicking is the worst in Super League and he isn't being used enough as a hooker at the moment.

Amazing though how much disruption your coach leaving can cause.

Reading League Weekly this afternoon it appears as though Wire are trying to sign Shillington from Canberra, who's out of contract at the end of this year. Now well I highly doubt he'd come to SL, seeing as he's a current Aussie starter and SOO representative. If Wire are indeed in discussions with him, he must be showing an interest in coming to SL. Definitely worth having a go at signing him IMO Ian.



Only one down side. It was Dave Nosey Parker who wrote the article.

Isn't Matt King OOC for them? Thats some (assumed) big bucks and a quota spot free for them. Add in them getting rid of deadwood like Clarke and maybe Solomona and they'll have space for a couple of big signings. If Wire can start to integrate the good youngsters they are starting to produce that's when I'll start to really worry about them staying at the top!

So what do we actually need for next year. I would suggest a top draw centre is a must as i dont see charnley or marsh being quite ready yet to play at 4.

It is then debatable if we need a good 7. I personally think we need to sign a new 7, allow tommy to move to 9. In 12 months if tommy decides to leave it will be right timing for him to be replaced as one of our 2 hookers by logan.

I would love to see us sign a good attacking scrum half to replace deacon. I dont think mellor is a ready made replacement. Thoughts on dobson or dureau please.

I also like the look of ben farrar at catalans

Hopefully everyone will stay on bar maybe one or 2 of the older heads and that will leave us needing a centre and then either a fullback, Halfback or hooker dependant on where we see certain players long term futures.

Sign Steffan Ratchford and you've got yourself 3 players in 1 which would be handy.

After that performance against Saints & then again at Wakefield, JT looks set to be a good right centre. He just needs to learn how to pass. At first I was Joel's critic in the Centres, but he has grown into the position & now he just needs the experience of playing there.

Hock should be more than enough to replace Hoffman next year as I can't see us keeping him.

For me, Mellor has to get some gametime next year if Deacs leaves. Having this option will free up Macca & Tommy to rotate the hooker position and give us different edges. Macca has the potential to be a class hooker as Tommy provides the excitement and speed to get us fully going. Both need gametime in this role and this year should do that for them.

Finch to stay in the halves. If he goes back to Aus we have a problem, until that is confirmed as either truth or rumour let's not start signing half backs when what we need most is a backline player. With Richards OOC next year & Carmont on his last legs, we need to be looking at a Centre. Charnley & Goulding to fight it out for the RW spot (Roberts can go if he likes).

If Finch goes, we need to put Sam at 6 & sign a decent full back. There are far more good full backs around at the moment then there are Stand Offs so it would be the easiest option. Who is our 20's FB?

Sam Tomkins will be a Souths player next year.

Guaranteed

You hope

I 'hope' ?

I don't support Wigan or Souths.


But Maguire will have him at his new club pretty quickly.

You want a £1000 bet for a charity of your choosing that he wont be ????

Nope.

I don't bet. For 'charidee' or otherwise.


But it's my opinion (and I'm always right) that Tomkins will be a Souths player.

If it's not by the start of next season it will certainly be at the start of the following one.

But you just said:

So it's not guaranteed that he'll be a Souths player next year?
So you're not always right?
Well played sir.

You sir, or madam, are a total top hat!!

And of course if it isn't, you can just disappear and pretend you were never here, can't you?

That's the cool thing about the internet. Even idiots get a voice, and there's never any comeback for them.

all over twitter that james graham has signed for 3 years for the bulldogs

He signed it about 2 weeks ago.

And?

Just saying, it isn't breaking news that's all.

[urlhttp://www.bulldogs.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=36072&title=james-graham-a-bulldog-in-2012[/url

Not good news that shane richardson is flying in to visit wigan.

The souths CEO is sure to have paaaat on his radar

He is after Tomkins.

Richards is too old now.

Tha 1,000,000 transfer fee we'll get for him should come in handy though.

Sam is going nowhere, a 5 years ciontract signed only a few months agao says that, but Paaat is out of contract in a few months and will be high on souths list along with hoffman.

They are the two wigan players richardson will be after

Maybe Richardson is coming to see his new coach!
He may talk about players but from what has been said, most of the negotiations between Mcguire and Souths seem to have been done over the phone, internet etc.
A personal one to one appears to be a very obvious reason for the man to come over here.
Maybe he'll take in a trip to Saints and talk to Tony Puletua.

Sam Tomkins has categorically stated he has no intention of going to Rugby Union because he finds it boring and that he doesn't want to uproot to Australia either. Playing alongside brother Joel Tomkins and with his younger brother Logan progressing through the ranks all coupled with the fact he is just 22 you can see why. He has openly stated he wants to win trophies here at Wigan and achieve all he can. At the end of his five-year deal when he is approaching the latter half of his career and will have probably achieved everything there is to achieve here in the game he will then be far more likely to move abroad.

Ryan Hoffman has also stated publically he could never lineup against the Storm. The Storm is the club that has brought him through since he was a young lad (I think he was there for nine years). I've already accepted that he is very likely, to near certainty, going to leave at the end of the season. This was widely accepted and acknowledged by Wigan fans when he signed - so I can't quite comprehend the sudden euphoria at his departure at the end of the season.

As for Pat Richards, I've yet to read anything quoted from him or anyone at Wigan suggesting he will leave. People are working themselves into a frenzy over nothing. Compare Richards to Tony Puletua. The bloke has openly stated he's thinking of returning home to be closer to family. Richards on the other hand - not a peep. In fact, any comments he has ever made to the press have all been positive about his time here at Wigan & how his family is very settled. A couple of sources have told me that a three-year deal is on the cards.

So chill out.