Looking forward to next year I believe we should use it as a season to blood some youngsters to set us up for departures of guys like Carmont, Fielden, Leuluai etc.

I went to the u20's final yesterday and we have 6 or 7 lads chomping at the bit for a shot. Guys like Russell, King, Powell, Mellor, Crosby and Hughes are ready for some chances. Get them a full pre season with the first team and start getting them some games.

If I had to name the top 3 I'd like to see I'd go-

Russell- Unbelievable footwork and he just busts tackle after tackle. He had a bit of Jason Robinson about him and he could do a great job at fullback or wing.

King- Great pace and strength. He turned the game yesterday with a try and a brilliant assist. He made another couple of long range breaks in the 2nd half as well. Him and Charnley as a pair would be raw but such a threat.

Crosby- All action performance. He takes drive after drive and is an aggressive defender. He looks a real athlete a bit in the mould of a young Fielden and without doubt looks ready for a shot.

Mellor must be ready for a game soon.

Would like to see Russell, Mellor, Powell & Crosby given a go, and also Marsh or Murphy rotated with Carmont for games against teams lower in the table next year. Let Carmont have a barnstorming finale next season by keeping him fresh and in top form for when we play the top teams - when we play others, let marsh/ murphy have a go to try and stake a claim going forward for 2013.

I'd also give Russell a chance with the FB shirt from the start of next season. IMO he could do what Charnley has done with the number 2 shirt and make it his own. This would free up sam to go back into the halves to replace Deacon who I expect will now retire. I'd then like to see Mellor & Powell fighting it for an interchange half spot, to get the experience to ultimately replace finch at the end of next year. Crosby could hopefully step up to take coley's place next year.

I'd also like to see King also given a go but think we need to be careful to make sure it's not to early. I'd prehaps also give him a run out in some of the lesser games against wakefield / quins / salford etc.

I think the main thing Wane needs to change from what Madge has done this year is to use the full squad to keep them firing at the business end of the season, so we do not crumble again next year at the back end. When we are playing some of the lesser teams, why go with our first choice starting 13 everytime, when they're probably not all needed to do a job, only for the first team to then fall fall apart knackered when the business end comes round.

We have a great squad so lets use it and make sure we have all the big guns firing at the end of the season next year, & that we dont fall into the same trap. Lets be honest King, Russell, Crosby, Powell, Mellor, Marsh, Murphy, Hughes, & Acton are all easily better players than some of the bottom half teams have in their first team and would easily manage in these games. In addition I would expect 3/4 of those are also more than good enough to become first team players week in week out in our team if given the opportunity to show what they can do!

We need to make sure all these lads get first team rugby next season or they will start looking elsewhere where they will find it.

I'd go with all of these lads in a 'development team' in the under 20s meaning that they have 1 or 2 training sessions each week with the main team, while still training the rest of the time with the 20s. Then, when we play teams from the lower half of the table, three at a time should be given a chance in these games, as part of the squad rotation.

If we'd have done this this year we would probably have had coley still firing in the last few weeks and not looking tired, Mossop not as injury prone and out for the play offs, and players like HH, SoL, Carmont firing on all cylinders and would probably be warming up for becoming back to back champions next week.....Lets learn from this season and not make the same mistakes!

Great post! Agree with it all. You've listed exactly what I want to see next year. A greater integration of youngsters into the first team, and as a consequence of that we should see players remain fresh throughout the season.

correct me if i am wrong but is 2012 not the year of the wolf?

Saints have proved over the past couple of years that transitional seasons don't have to mean seasons where you just scrape the play offs. We can blood guys like I mention and still be up around the top 4 or 5 and again as proven by Saints and Leeds the top 2 isn't the be all and end all.

We don't need squad fillers like Lauaki, Thomas etc because we have youngsters that firstly can play the squad player type roles they will but secondly can develop in to top class superleague players.

We have won the u20's grand final for 4 years on the trot for a reason.

So after reading all the changes and squad rotation next season will be a period of bedding in the youngsters and possibly no success. Sounds like too many changes.

We will probably be better for the changes

Everyone knows that but a season for transition is not what most fans want.

Some of these young lads wigan got will be great crowd pleasers instantly dont worry about that.

You can still be successful whilst in transition....just look at saints making the GF this year for a prime example.

I'm not saying we need a year in transition anyway, and certainly not to the current saints standards. All we need is gradual transition to replace one or two departing older players and to keep the sqaud fresh so we dont have the same difficulties as this year - The blooding of a few youngsters satisfies both ot these.

If we'd have given a few more youngsters a go this season I believe we would be playing in the GF next week FWIW and would have still won the challenge cup.

As I pointed out in my last post, we would have lost nothing from this during the season and would have two key benefits come the business end.....Some of our youngsters would already have super league experience & players like SoL, HH, Coley, Prescott, Carmont would have not been out on their feet and we could have possibly beaten st helens!

It might not be what they want, but if we're to continue challenging for honors, it's something that has to happen. Anyway blooding a few youngsters isn't going to have a detrimental effect on Wigan's performances. If anything it should have positive effect, by keeping every fit and fresh and on their toes, whilst adding to our strength in depth.

I thought we lacked pace in the halves and threequarters last night. Hopefully with Mellor, King and Russel pushing for places next season, that shouldn't be much of a concern.

It's an interesting one this.

Wane has obviously worked closely with a lot of the Academy lads, but in his 1st season as a Head Coach, will he throw some of them in? I hope he does, would be nice to see at least 2 or 3 given a few games.

Crying out for a half back who attacks the line. Gaskell and Lomax do it and put dount in the minds of the defence, last night Finch was reduced to passing balls laterally and I can't remember at any time him taking on the line, which is something I'm always critical of when it comes to his performance.

Just because the Saints can do it with the young guns does not mean it will work for the pies.

A tru saint .

1st post and not on your own web site. get a life.

You have only joined as you won last night

Shouldn't be a problem for us.

We have much better u20's side and have done for a few years now. We have a Charnley for your Foster, a Sam Tomkins for your Lomax and a Lee Mossop for your Matty Ashurst and that will continue and bear it's fruit rolling forward.

Saints were great last night and the 2 young halfbacks are going great but we'll be back and with our youth set up, the rise of the Aussie salary cap and therefore less top draw overseas players coming over were in a great position to move forward.

With SW's history of coaching Wigan's youth teams I'm sure he'll introduce quite a few of them them into the first team over a period starting 2012.
I would also be very surprised if he used more then one or two at the most into the first team for any one game.

mellor and crosby look like the two who are being primed, logan tomkins might get a few games aswell

I can understand people's doubts watching him yesterday. He looks decent enough but he's not that big yet has no great pace and is passing looked ok but not outstanding.

Hate to say it but looks a bit of a Mark Smith to me. A good lad that people want to be better then they are.

The lads I have high hopes for are Russell, King, Powell, Mellor, Crosby, Hughes and Burke. I've heard good things about the lot and they didn't dissapoint.

Wane will blood some younger players probably because he will have to but I think he would want to do so anyway.

The trick is getting the balance right. It was wrong this season with only Charnley breaking through but we can't chuck in five or six either. I like the idea of Russell at full back so Sam can go to six with the younger half backs being groomed for Finches departure. That is nice long term planning.

So the number mentioned by NickyKiss at the start of the thread seems about right. I don't get a chance to watch the under 20's but NK seems to know what he is talking about so I will look out for those names.

I don't get to many games either tbh but it's an area I'm very interested in and follow people comments and reports closely.

Rouges would probably be our man to give the best views.

Going off what I've seen guys like Russell, King and Crosby could be special. It's sometimes about these lads being in the right place at the right time though and we may see some lads come through you wouldn't expect and vice versa.

If S Wane gets the job it will be interesting to see what he does regarding introducing young players,this may show if he had a conflict with Madge regarding the make up of the team.
The case everyone is allways talking about is the split of fans regarding Sam Tomkins over which posistion he should play,if Wane (if he gets the job) switches Sam to standoff this may mean that such a difference of opinion existed. But as everyone knows there can only be one boss.
Next season though I think could be exiting times if a couple of young players are introduced,we must not forget that the u/20s have been very successful over the last few years. If we left the most promising ones in the u/20s for another year they may start to look elsewere.

There is no guarantee that great juniors will become great seniors. None. Even the most talented youngster must overcome myriad potential hurdles before replicating his form consistently at a higher level.

For instance - he may not physically mature; he may be waylaid by the temptations of drink and/or the high-life; he may find the demands of professional life too costly; he may lose interest; he may lack the requisite mental toughness and there is always the ever-looming possibility of serious injury.

This is the reason so many "great" junior sides have fallen by the wayside over the years. I remember many claiming Warrington's academy (containing not just Harris and Sculthorpe but a host of other promising kids) would go on to dominate the game. It never happened. Ditto the Hull academy which featured an outstanding Dean Busby. And let's not forget the Wigan kids who swept all before them only to end up in one great diaspora.

I'm not saying the current crop of Wigan kids won't do well. But let's exercise a touch of caution before etching the club's name on the trophy two years in advance.