Mathers has played stand off before but if he came to us surely it would be as a fullback.

I reckon he might have some of the same frustration in him that Gleeson does, about opportunities missed. He was an excellent player for Leeds in 2004-06 and unlike a lot of British players he had the balls to look to the NRL so he is obviously ambitious. Then a bad injury ruined his season with Gold Coast after he'd made a good start, and he's come back into SL in a negative environment at Wigan where the whole club is frustrated about underachieving. He will have watched Leeds win SL twice in the two years he's been away, last year he was in the Wigan team that had 50 odd put on them by Leeds at the JJB and I bet he thinks the last few years have been a right botch for him. If things had turned out differently, he hadn't gone to Aus and got injured, he would probably have 2 more Grand Final rings and have some international caps by now. You can see the frustration by the way he has turned into a dirty player at Wigan.

However he is still only 25 so his career is retrievable...he played the best rugby of his career under Tony Smith so it will be a good option for him to reunite with him. Thierry Henry's career was stagnating when he was on the wing at Juventus and when he got back working with his former Monaco coach in Arsene Wenger he refound his confidence.

The Wigan fans will scoff at him and say he's crap if he leaves but he was good for us on loan in 2002, he was very good at Leeds, he started well at Gold Coast and it's only at Wigan he hasn't done it, so its a bit like a Monaghan situation....if Monas signs for Canberra next year I wouldn't be telling them he was crap in case he goes and does well back down there again.

Yes I have my doubts like everyone else about the state of his fitness and whether he's another of the players who burnt out early in his career (Grose? Reardon?) and will be treading water for the rest of his time...but Tony Smith knows Mathers well and if he thinks he's worth the punt then I'm up for it.

We have to shake up the squad some way and we need to find players with talent and ambition - Mathers is that, he's a fiesty competitor as well so I don't think he would be the type to accept being crap.

Here's a blast from the past article about when Mathers signed for us as a junior in 1997:
http://archive.warringtonguardian.co.uk ... 49003.html

and when we signed him on loan in 2002:
http://archive.warringtonguardian.co.uk ... 93314.html

Mathers has played stand off before but if he came to us surely it would be as a fullback.

I reckon he might have some of the same frustration in him that Gleeson does, about opportunities missed. He was an excellent player for Leeds in 2004-06 and unlike a lot of British players he had the balls to look to the NRL so he is obviously ambitious. Then a bad injury ruined his season with Gold Coast after he'd made a good start, and he's come back into SL in a negative environment at Wigan where the whole club is frustrated about underachieving. He will have watched Leeds win SL twice in the two years he's been away, last year he was in the Wigan team that had 50 odd put on them by Leeds at the JJB and I bet he thinks the last few years have been a right botch for him. If things had turned out differently, he hadn't gone to Aus and got injured, he would probably have 2 more Grand Final rings and have some international caps by now. You can see the frustration by the way he has turned into a dirty player at Wigan.

However he is still only 25 so his career is retrievable...he played the best rugby of his career under Tony Smith so it will be a good option for him to reunite with him. Thierry Henry's career was stagnating when he was on the wing at Juventus and when he got back working with his former Monaco coach in Arsene Wenger he refound his confidence.

The Wigan fans will scoff at him and say he's crap if he leaves but he was good for us on loan in 2002, he was very good at Leeds, he started well at Gold Coast and it's only at Wigan he hasn't done it, so its a bit like a Monaghan situation....if Monas signs for Canberra next year I wouldn't be telling them he was crap in case he goes and does well back down there again.

Yes I have my doubts like everyone else about the state of his fitness and whether he's another of the players who burnt out early in his career (Grose? Reardon?) and will be treading water for the rest of his time...but Tony Smith knows Mathers well and if he thinks he's worth the punt then I'm up for it.

We have to shake up the squad some way and we need to find players with talent and ambition - Mathers is that, he's a fiesty competitor as well so I don't think he would be the type to accept being crap.

Here's a blast from the past article about when Mathers signed for us as a junior in 1997:
http://archive.warringtonguardian.co.uk ... 49003.html

and when we signed him on loan in 2002:
http://archive.warringtonguardian.co.uk ... 93314.html

Ahmm, sounds abit familiar.

Ahmm, sounds abit familiar.