Bateman quits Canberra at the end of the season

[Rupert Prince]

On 01/07/2020 at 15:19, Damien said:

It does seem awfully naive of Canberra if they have left themselves open to Bateman leaving for nothing. 

May be they did not think he was as good as they thought he was. Remarkable that he had gone back to Wigan. I wonder what will happen with Hastings.

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league

Disappointed in this... .. Not good for England team either

Still if his little one is back home its understandable 

 

Good for SL though??

 

[barnyia]

He's already experienced a grand final over there, so all he had left to do was to win one I suppose. 

I bet the last few months have been difficult, injured, away from his family and confined, probably helped make his decision a bit easier 

[ghost crayfish]

This is great news for super league and continues a heartening trend of quality NRL players heading over there to play. With Hastings likely heading back to Australia and O'Loughlin retiring, a player of Bateman's quality is just what Wigan needed. With all the experience and confidence he's gained in the NRL, I wouldn't be surprised if he thrives being the main man at Wigan and takes his game to a new level again.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

12 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league

Disappointed in this... .. Not good for England team either

Still if his little one is back home its understandable 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/53285056

[JohnM]

13 hours ago, DoubleD said:

It was akin to yours

Don't flatter yourself!

Anyway, let's trust that George Williams, Ryan Sutton, Elliott Whitehead etc don't make the same short term mistake. 

[Allora]

All ends well for everyone concerned.

He had a great year in 2019.

He has not played this year has he?
He can earn good money with Wigan and be close to his family now.

 

[DoubleD]

53 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Don't flatter yourself!

Anyway, let's trust that George Williams, Ryan Sutton, Elliott Whitehead etc don't make the same short term mistake. 

The only mistake is paying any attention to the drivel you write

 

[DavidM]

He was caught on camera yesterday throwing something at a teammate quite disgracefully , so he’s obviously a disruptive influence and they’re better off without him ...

[Hela Wigmen]

23 minutes ago, Allora said:

All ends well for everyone concerned.

He had a great year in 2019.

He has not played this year has he?
He can earn good money with Wigan and be close to his family now.

 

Nope, not played this year. 

IIRC, there were doubts around his fitness in the finals last year and he got injured playing for GB and has had a couple of operations on his shoulder since. 

[EagleEyePie]

It's good news for Wigan and for Super League in general, and more importantly it's the news his family probably wanted too. As barnyia said, the recent situation has probably been particularly difficult for him given his daughter was on the other side of the world. It's bad enough being thousands of miles apart but then lockdown comes along and makes it even harder than simply just booking the next flight.

It seems like ultimately the only thing that would have kept him in the NRL is a huge amount of money - where the justification would have been that he may be spending even more time away from his daughter but he'd be earning enough to support him and his daughter once his career ends.

I'd say it's pretty likely he'll be earning less at Wigan than at Canberra. I think the Aussie press was reporting quite a difference between the amounts offered. Ultimately though, he knows Wigan, he'll get a much longer deal and there's a greater chance of stability, along with the fact that he's earning decent money and can see his daughter.

Bateman will presumably be our shirt number 13 next year and probably also named captain, while O'Loughlin will confirm his retirement.

Hopefully Wigan can also keep hold of Hastings for another year, as finding a suitable replacement for him could be difficult in the current circumstances. Losing O'Loughlin, Hastings and Leuluai all in one year removes a lot of intelligence and playmaking ability from the side and for me that would be too much all at once unless a quality playmaker was brought in as a replacement.

[Lowdesert]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

Don't flatter yourself!

Anyway, let's trust that George Williams, Ryan Sutton, Elliott Whitehead etc don't make the same short term mistake. 

That just leaves Harry Rushton then.

[Tommygilf]

20 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said:

It's good news for Wigan and for Super League in general, and more importantly it's the news his family probably wanted too. As barnyia said, the recent situation has probably been particularly difficult for him given his daughter was on the other side of the world. It's bad enough being thousands of miles apart but then lockdown comes along and makes it even harder than simply just booking the next flight.

It seems like ultimately the only thing that would have kept him in the NRL is a huge amount of money - where the justification would have been that he may be spending even more time away from his daughter but he'd be earning enough to support him and his daughter once his career ends.

I'd say it's pretty likely he'll be earning less at Wigan than at Canberra. I think the Aussie press was reporting quite a difference between the amounts offered. Ultimately though, he knows Wigan, he'll get a much longer deal and there's a greater chance of stability, along with the fact that he's earning decent money and can see his daughter.

Bateman will presumably be our shirt number 13 next year and probably also named captain, while O'Loughlin will confirm his retirement.

Hopefully Wigan can also keep hold of Hastings for another year, as finding a suitable replacement for him could be difficult in the current circumstances. Losing O'Loughlin, Hastings and Leuluai all in one year removes a lot of intelligence and playmaking ability from the side and for me that would be too much all at once unless a quality playmaker was brought in as a replacement.

Those 3 in key positions/roles within the team at the same time would be a huge loss. At Leeds we lost Kylie Leuluai, JP and Kevin Sinfield at the same time but crucially we also lost Paul Aiton at hooker too. That loss of 2 play makers and two up front leaders at the same time was almost catastrophic.

[Allora]

30 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said:

It's good news for Wigan and for Super League in general, and more importantly it's the news his family probably wanted too. As barnyia said, the recent situation has probably been particularly difficult for him given his daughter was on the other side of the world. It's bad enough being thousands of miles apart but then lockdown comes along and makes it even harder than simply just booking the next flight.

It seems like ultimately the only thing that would have kept him in the NRL is a huge amount of money - where the justification would have been that he may be spending even more time away from his daughter but he'd be earning enough to support him and his daughter once his career ends.

I'd say it's pretty likely he'll be earning less at Wigan than at Canberra. I think the Aussie press was reporting quite a difference between the amounts offered. Ultimately though, he knows Wigan, he'll get a much longer deal and there's a greater chance of stability, along with the fact that he's earning decent money and can see his daughter.

Bateman will presumably be our shirt number 13 next year and probably also named captain, while O'Loughlin will confirm his retirement.

Hopefully Wigan can also keep hold of Hastings for another year, as finding a suitable replacement for him could be difficult in the current circumstances. Losing O'Loughlin, Hastings and Leuluai all in one year removes a lot of intelligence and playmaking ability from the side and for me that would be too much all at once unless a quality playmaker was brought in as a 

 

Edited

[Dunbar]

27 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said:

Hopefully Wigan can also keep hold of Hastings for another year, as finding a suitable replacement for him could be difficult in the current circumstances. Losing O'Loughlin, Hastings and Leuluai all in one year removes a lot of intelligence and playmaking ability from the side and for me that would be too much all at once unless a quality playmaker was brought in as a replacement.

Harry Smith is one of the best halfback talents this country has produced in years. Rather than look for a replacement for Hastings, give him a chance to cement his position and become the Wigan number 7 for years to come.

[EagleEyePie]

32 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Those 3 in key positions/roles within the team at the same time would be a huge loss. At Leeds we lost Kylie Leuluai, JP and Kevin Sinfield at the same time but crucially we also lost Paul Aiton at hooker too. That loss of 2 play makers and two up front leaders at the same time was almost catastrophic.

Wigan suffered in a similar way back in 2005. We lost Lam and Farrell at the end of 2004 which was a massive blow. Dennis Moran replacing Lam was a massive step down. Not only that, but we also lost Craig Smith, Terry O'Connor, Mick Cassidy, Quentin Pongia and Danny Sculthorpe at the same time. Add to that the 2005 injury crisis that saw key players like Radlinski and Hock miss large parts of the season. In some ways the injuries in 2005 were used as an excuse to cover the real issue which was the loss of so much talent and leadership all at once. It came close to completely ruining the club.

[arcticchris]

42 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Harry Smith is one of the best halfback talents this country has produced in years. Rather than look for a replacement for Hastings, give him a chance to cement his position and become the Wigan number 7 for years to come.

As good a prospect as he is he can’t replace both Hastings AND Leuluai at the same time!

[EagleEyePie]

40 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Harry Smith is one of the best halfback talents this country has produced in years. Rather than look for a replacement for Hastings, give him a chance to cement his position and become the Wigan number 7 for years to come.

I think that's a huge risk. It worked for Wigan with Williams but it's worth pointing out that Williams was an exceptionally strong defender, not just for his age but for any halfback. That meant Wane could stick him in without any worry for one major aspect of the game that is typically a weakness for young halves. Harry Smith on the other hand does have a weakness defensively, despite his attacking strengths.

Plus, he's only just made it into the side and is playing alongside Hastings. If Hastings stays then I'd be concerned to rely so much on Smith but it's not the end of the world. If Hastings was to leave though I think we wouldn't have enough attacking threat even if Leuluai remained.

[Liverpool Rover]

I remember him saying that he always wanted to play in Australia so he can now say that he has been there and done that and even in these two years he has earned enough money to set his daughter up. It’s great for Super League as it needs the best players, especially the best English players to be playing their trade over here.

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, EagleEyePie said:

Harry Smith on the other hand does have a weakness defensively, despite his attacking strengths.

I wonder at times if we concentrate to much on what players can’t do , rather than what they can do .Maybe amplified with young players  , especially precocious ones .I want my half to have attacking strengths first and foremost . Defence can be worked on , they can get protection from those around them . Many a half hasn’t been brilliant defensively , JT wasn’t always  the best . But just give me someone who’s creative and threatening and does things others can’t do with the ball

[CrushersForever]

5 minutes ago, DavidM said:

I wonder at times if we concentrate to much on what players can’t do , rather than what they can do . I want my half to have attacking strengths first and foremost . Defence can be worked on , they can get protection from those around them .

You have to imagine it has something to do with the modern emphasis on completing sets and playing mistake-free.

[Lowdesert]

9 minutes ago, DavidM said:

I wonder at times if we concentrate to much on what players can’t do , rather than what they can do .Maybe amplified with young players  , especially precocious ones .I want my half to have attacking strengths first and foremost . Defence can be worked on , they can get protection from those around them . Many a half hasn’t been brilliant defensively , JT wasn’t always  the best . But just give me someone who’s creative and threatening and does things others can’t do with the ball

Yes indeed.  Amazing views sometimes, still, just opinions.

Used to be that the forwards protected them.  Has anything changed?

 

[Dunbar]

Kyle Flanagan is 21 years old and is playing this season as scrum half for the Sydney Roosters. Not a squad role but their starting 7 every week.

Nathan Clearly is 22 and has already played 84 times for Penrith. 

These two teams are in the top 4 of the NRL.

Harry Smith is 20 years old and we are looking for reasons why he is not ready to start for Wigan.

[DavidM]

8 minutes ago, CrushersForever said:

You have to imagine it has something to do with the modern emphasis on completing sets and playing mistake-free.

Indeed . I often think it’s a defence orientated  game now , certainly in the NRL and then with the overspill of coaches coming over here . I watch some games and think a lot more time goes into defensive coaching rather than attacking coaching  and moves . Someone who can do something out the box , play heads up is a real asset . Others can do the tackling - they can’t do what he can do !

[EagleEyePie]

33 minutes ago, DavidM said:

I wonder at times if we concentrate to much on what players can’t do , rather than what they can do .Maybe amplified with young players  , especially precocious ones .I want my half to have attacking strengths first and foremost . Defence can be worked on , they can get protection from those around them . Many a half hasn’t been brilliant defensively , JT wasn’t always  the best . But just give me someone who’s creative and threatening and does things others can’t do with the ball

It's a fair point, but I think ultimately the best team in Super League is generally the one with the strongest defence, so teams are wary of having players that can be targeted defensively. Plus, it depends how big the weakness is too.

Smith currently offers something that the team has lacked for a while - which is a good long kicking game. He also makes up for the loss of Williams' short kicking game. That's why he's managed to keep his place in the team even with Leuluai returning and the obvious issue of trying to fit all our talented forwards into the side.

However, he's only played 5 Super League games, and not all of those have been starts. If he's one of our first choice halves by the end of the year then there's no reason for him not to start 2021 in the same role. Right now though, it's perfectly sensible to consider a players potential weaknesses along with their strengths when deciding whether to make them first choice next season and not sign any cover. What if his form isn't impressive when the season returns?