Wakey played decent yesterday with performances from some young British players. Encouraging
Been a big debate amongst Wigan fans about how we're playing this season compared to last and the effect the three new signings from Storm have had - and if the British young talent that we had and have would have been better, rather than these Aussie 'stars'. I think (very much like Leeds) Wigan have struggled with key players missing from the side.
Out of the three signings, Hoffman has been decent, Finch has only just come back from some pretty big surgery, and Lima is a liability. Lima was meant to be a line-breaker, but he's just another work-horse (which we already have with Coley, Mossop, Prescott, etc.) and not what the fans thought they were getting. Maybe he'll come good, and I remember one Pat Richards having a very average first year at Wigan - and he's done OK since then.
Last season Wigan blooded the youngsters who stepped up and were more than capable, but this year the team's been disrupted by missing players (Richards, Deacon, Fielden, Gleeson, J Tomkins, Farrell, Riddell - all have been injured, suspended or have left since the end of the last season). For long-term improvement of the Super League the young players need to get the chance to play, and they can show they're good enough. Saying that, the 'exiles' team that I mentioned last week looks pretty strong and stronger than the home-grown squad will be?
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