there is a clear distinction between bringing in 8 or 9 English players, and bringing in 9 foreigners.



as for the Grand Final last year, 9 out of the starting 13 were home grown, something which Wigan can only dream of.

Players like Gardner and Wilkin may have been brought in from outside the club - but where would they have been now, had Saints not taken a risk on them as teenagers?

maybe so - but where has anyone said otherwise. Saints have relied on a lot of imports in the past, but if the talent is there now to support a squad with minimal imported players then it can only be a good thing for the game as a whole.

I'd agree with that, our youth systems have been poor for years, however we're now seeing the benefits of investment in that area (starting with Millward and improved dramatically by Anderson) and hopefully we'll see a few a year being able to be brought into the first team squad.

Considering that people on here keep banging on about how good your youth set up is, and have been for years, what's your excuse?

Ouch theres a few home truths in that article...

Home grown as in local?
That's what this debate was about and you know it.

Who has been banging on about our youth set up?

There was a massive overhaul of the youth development last year so even the club have recognised it is struggling...

Got a feeling it would be much easier for Wigan to integrate the likes of Tomkins, Ainscough, Mossop, Thornley etc. into a confident and successful first team squad rather than the one we currently have. That said, surely they couldn't do worse than some of our "experienced first teamers" appear to be doing?

Nice spin.

Try 5 of the 17.

Only two local in the starting 13.

I'm fed up of reading this absolute rubbish.
Wigan brought through loads of youngsters but at the time there was the 20/20 in force which meant a club could only pay 20 players a living wage.
RFL/SL clubs also included the salaries of younger players in the salary cap so if you'd twice as many quality younger players as other clubs you couldn't pay them (SC) and couldn't have them in numbers (20/20)
Super League clubs and RFL have now abolished the 20/20/25 rule and amended the salary cap. Hence other clubs now are better able include their youngsters than they have been in years past, if they had any!
Andy should perhaps look at the fact that there are only half as many British players in SL now compared to when it started in 1996.
Also Saints are looking good with their younger players and Wigan's younger players are nowhere?
So which only other club competed with Saints in the U21 & U18s finals last season?
Clue, they are west of the Pennines and it wasn't Salford or Wire.