When was the last time we took on a trialist and they earned a contract at Wigan?

Must be going back a while, long time since A.N Other has been on the team sheet, you'd think the scholarship/academy has taken over that way into the pro game

Was a regular in the Thursday night A team games. I wonder how many games he actually played for us.

It's something I was thinking about the other day. You see it occasionally in the NRL (Hamlin) and a lot more in the NFL too.

I'd have happily seen us take on Ben Jones-Bishop for a month or so and evaluate if he had something to give.

I think he’d be a decent signing. He’d come fairly cheap and a good back up which would temporarily solve our so called winger shortage

Hull still seem to favour this route particularly with lads playing Union.

I think they have an army winger currently on a trial, Vulikijapani, and they followed the same route with Naulago.

They did the same I think when they picked up Tom Biggs from Bath.

I think it is unusual for a player currently playing League to not be associated with a league club however obviously less conventional routes to the game like from Union for example it’s a more common route.

I wouldn’t see the point in looking at someone like BJB on a trail as given how long he has played the game I’m sure the coaches know enough about him to make a well informed call on if we thought he could bring anything to the squad.

his mate S O Else seems to have gone missing as well!

You see it quite a lot in the NFL. I think it's more about getting to know him a person i.e what's he got left in the tank, how he's training etc.

AN Other will be getting on in years now . I don't recall 'him' playing since the 1960's ?

It is a long time since information about any trialists came out of the club. Some clubs seem to let those without a club or those thinking about joining the sport from union have a bash at a contract. We tend to occasionally allow players to train at the club as non trialists and that gets blown up into something that it is not as when Sammut (???) came back to train with us.
I do wonder though if we (Super League) should have a weeks open trial like they do in The NFL.

I'd like them to do that. There may be players at the top end of the NCL or in union who could get an SL gig. 19 seems way too early to make decisions on some of these lads, particularly forwards.

Not as old as you think as he last played in the 1977/78 season.

From what I remember, he was a full back who scored a try.

Shortly afterwards, George Fairbairn was signed from Kelso RU.

And they say there is no such thing as coincidence

Seeing as George Fairburn signed in 1974 I would say it wasn't a coincidence, More a Miracle!

I remember A N Other on the team sheet a few times in the 80s at Central Park. Think Mark Preston may have done this.

There were quite a few (especially midweek night games), no doubt Welsh RU trialists that didn't want to harm their reputations by trying out League on the hush hush.

Bri Burns (Leigh Miners I think) regularly played for us in the A team in the 80s under th A.N Other pseudonym