Just in case people missed this, Radlinski wrote an interesting piece reflecting on the WCC trip and lessons learned by the club from the experience.

[urlhttp://www.wiganwarriors.com/WBlogp.aspx?id=21[/url

A great read and a real boost to read that the club is aware we probably need to spend more if we're to compete and that they believe we need to recruit bigger players in some areas (I think that is an issue for us this year).

Overall he just gives me huge confidence that we're in great hands at the moment and we'll continue to compete and improve.

Thought similar - our youth development is great but we need to recruit bigger and better players.

It also goes without saying we need to spend the full salary cap which we surely can't be at the moment.

It's also vital that we find a goal kicker. Come the tight games this season and that's where we'll come unstuck.

Smith needs time on that front. I will forgive anybody a miss from the touchline and your percentages from there don't need to be huge. What he needs to ensure and what he should be judged on is his success rate on bread and butter kicks. Not ones from in front of the posts but on kicks that are within decent range either side.

You need to have that confidence that those kicks will be made even in pressure situations.

If we are going with Smith and it seems we are, he needs to take a leaf out of Pats book and put the hours in on the training pitch. There's no reason why he can't be a decent kicker.
Your right in what you say about the kickable ones either side of the posts, he needs to be making most of them if we are going to challenge the top 4/5 sides this year. If he can do this it gives the whole team a lift during the game.

The kicking issue is something we have known about for some time, we must of considered this when looking for new player's to bring to the club but can only assume that none were available that suited Wigan.

Talking to coaches they often always talk about natural kickers and although you can practice goal kicking some players just seem to have a natural ability with the boot and it does worry me that it will effect us this season.

However if one of the younger player's can kick its a great opportunity for them to cement a place in the side.

Pointless buying a good kicker if he's crap at everything else. Jamie Foster springs to mind.

Whoever the kicker is - he's got to be good enough to get in the team.

Because of our style of play we score a lot of tries out wide, which makes the kickers job tougher. Look at Sinfields average and I'll bet he doesn't kick a lot from the side (I'm only guessing - because last season their wingers scored so few in comparison to ours) Pat never averaged over 80% I don't think. He was also a bit iffy on penalties when he couldn't choose the range - and he was a great kicker.

Matty has missed nothing yet that we would expect him/or anyone to kick.

i get the opinion they aren't happy with the forwards and they are putting it down to size. Feel sorry any promising smaller forwards coming through. Apart from o'loughlin none of the back row have any real size, Bateman is quality and like farrell they are both small and they just aren't strong enough in first contact to stop the momentum of bigger players.

maybe start coaching flower to be a back rower again and get him running good lines for 2nd rows.

also thought scott taylor had a poor game but not sure if that was the mentality of constantly trying to ship it wide or he just choked a bit.

I dont know your specific complaibts agaonst taylor, but he made the most meters of any player on the pitch.

I love scott taylor and he played ok but he didn't play to his usual standard, but like i said not sure wether thats due to the way the team played or if he choked a little. Not a dig at taylor at all apart from o'loughlin and mickymac nobody had a good game.