Warrington Wolves • Rumours 2
I'm referring to the ones who have stayed and been part of Wane's Grand Final teams: there have been lots of moments midway through seasons where Wigan have had bad runs and bad results and some of those young players (and Wane) have been questioned. Pop over to the Wigan forum when they are on a bad run and you will see analysis of how the recruitment has been bad for a while, "something must change at the top" and how various of the young players are overhyped, but they are there at the end of the season.
As you say a lot of players start at Wigan end up being moved on to other clubs, but then go on to having successful careers elsewhere like Kevin Brown. These guys aren't released because they aren't good enough, they just aren't good enough for Wigan. How many players released by Warrington go on to have careers at other leading clubs....? About as close as we ever get to thinking 'was he one that got away' is GO'B kicking a drop goal in the Million Pound Game.
That argument about Wigan playing the numbers game and having the 'worst conversion rate' is a bit disingenuous isn't it.....you can only pick a team of 13 at any one time, and so if you produce a lot of quality players some will leave to go to clubs elsewhere. If Warrington produce 4 world class halfbacks in the next 10 years only 1 of them will have a career with us, unless we find ways to shoehorn them in other positions. I'd be happy for us to have a poor conversion rate if it means we have a surplus and end up feeding other clubs with our rejects, that sounds like a mark of successs.
As for playing the numbers game by recruiting in bulk - if it's that easy why don't Warrington do it? Just recruit more than Wigan.
When the likes of Wires71 and me have a moan about our Academy output rate it's just by looking at the end outputs in terms of over a long period of time, how many quality SL players have been produced. By quality, think the calibre of player who would have a good career at a club with ambitions to win trophies: eg count Ben Westwood as one for Wakefield. By that measure we aren't just below top clubs like Leeds, Wigan and Saints but also behind smaller clubs like Wakey and Cas. It's not as though the club has deprioritised the Academy either, the scholarship was set up back in DVDVs day and we were hearing for years how this was bearing fruit with Warrington having more players in junior representative teams but there hasn't been much coming through to the first team. The club's ambitions have been higher and the quality of team has been higher since TS was there so the bar has been raised for our Academy products when they do make the first team but that's no different to young players that come through in Wigan, Saints or Leeds.
As you say a lot of players start at Wigan end up being moved on to other clubs, but then go on to having successful careers elsewhere like Kevin Brown. These guys aren't released because they aren't good enough, they just aren't good enough for Wigan. How many players released by Warrington go on to have careers at other leading clubs....? About as close as we ever get to thinking 'was he one that got away' is GO'B kicking a drop goal in the Million Pound Game.
That argument about Wigan playing the numbers game and having the 'worst conversion rate' is a bit disingenuous isn't it.....you can only pick a team of 13 at any one time, and so if you produce a lot of quality players some will leave to go to clubs elsewhere. If Warrington produce 4 world class halfbacks in the next 10 years only 1 of them will have a career with us, unless we find ways to shoehorn them in other positions. I'd be happy for us to have a poor conversion rate if it means we have a surplus and end up feeding other clubs with our rejects, that sounds like a mark of successs.
As for playing the numbers game by recruiting in bulk - if it's that easy why don't Warrington do it? Just recruit more than Wigan.
When the likes of Wires71 and me have a moan about our Academy output rate it's just by looking at the end outputs in terms of over a long period of time, how many quality SL players have been produced. By quality, think the calibre of player who would have a good career at a club with ambitions to win trophies: eg count Ben Westwood as one for Wakefield. By that measure we aren't just below top clubs like Leeds, Wigan and Saints but also behind smaller clubs like Wakey and Cas. It's not as though the club has deprioritised the Academy either, the scholarship was set up back in DVDVs day and we were hearing for years how this was bearing fruit with Warrington having more players in junior representative teams but there hasn't been much coming through to the first team. The club's ambitions have been higher and the quality of team has been higher since TS was there so the bar has been raised for our Academy products when they do make the first team but that's no different to young players that come through in Wigan, Saints or Leeds.
Statistics: Posted by sally cinnamon — Wed Jan 09, 2019 7:39 am — Replies 1126 — Views 226209