Rogues Gallery wrote:Exactly, Byrne has just turned 22 years of age, Havard is 20, Smithies is 20, Pearce-Paul is 20, Partington has just turned 23. It's a young pack that needs time to develop, that's why we need(ed) a couple of hold heads to help them out. I do think we missed a trick in not signing Chris Hill for a year or two.

sergeant pepper wrote:Good point on Williams Vs Tomkins.

It has very little to do with club loyalties (a small part does come into it tho), but I just don't think he's outstanding. Like I said in my previous post, he's good to occasionally very good but not outstanding.

I find it sad that we need to talk every player up to be some kind of superstar, when they aren't. Check out the recent posts about Abdul now, apparently he's better than Hastings...

100% Warrior wrote:Agreed. Abdul isn’t better than Hastings, that was a silly remark. An Abdul/Hastings HB combo would have been magnificent though.

Itchy Arsenal wrote:What does Hastings do better than Abdul??????

Itchy Arsenal wrote:What does Hastings do better than Abdul??????

sergeant pepper wrote:Absolutely everything, that's why he's a former MOS.

Not sure why you've got such a bee in your bonnet about talking down all things Wigan and talking everything else?

NickyKiss wrote:Until Williams has those big moments in a semi final or a final I can’t put him in the bracket of outstanding. He’s a very good weekly round player but I honestly can’t remember a moment of note in a big knockout game. He put Faz in to a gap for the Gildart try in 2016 but that’s probably his highlight. The best players are big game players IMO. I look at somebody like Danny McGuire and as an all round player I think Williams has more about him but McGuire came alive in the biggest games and had those magic moments. Tommy Leuluai has had his moments, Sam Tomkins as well, Rob Burrow, Sean Long and so on but there’s been nothing of note for Williams yet. Maybe it will come in the future but he’s done extremely well to become the highest paid player in superleague, let’s put it that way.

CobraCraig wrote:He’s a much more dangerous runner, better passer. I like Abdull as I have said in previous posts but Hastings is a former man of steel winner and has arguably been our best player in his time with us, one where we came close to winning the league.
Abdull controls the game better and is a much better kicker for me but he needs to do and achieve a lot more to be compared to Hastings. I just think people are making hyperbolic statements off the back of an awful season and fans are thinking everything within the club is bad.

CobraCraig wrote:Yeah, Williams went to the NRL and did brilliantly, he was under appreciated here (I was probably one of those) and I think the state of our attack since he left says a lot. I don’t really blame him for taking the money at Wire, that could make a big difference for him and his family it’s just a shame we couldn’t match it as with the marquee hg rule it would have worked well with the cap. We are now also in a position we’re we are feeding off the scraps trying to find a HB.

I was told by someone at work (not someone ITK) that Williams was regretting his move to Wire and was already thinking of jumping ship and was interested in a move to Catalans. I took it with a pinch of salt as he supposedly moved back to be close to family.