The 18th Man: Wigan Warriors' new signings should give squad big boost

Stephen Ford

It’s very early days but, on paper and from comments on Aussie social media, hopefully Cust, Mago and Ellis will significantly strengthen areas where we have been particularly weak in the last few years.

Mago has the size and, if the Wire friendly was an indication of his skillset, he has a very useful offloading game.

Cust got really good reviews from Manley fans so I’m particularly keen on seeing how he develops.

Ellis could be the surprise package.

Nobody is really talking about him but he may be the good 60-minute prop we have been crying out for.

Effectively Field is a new signing.

He looked very impressive at Wire and, if his defence is as good as his attacking prowess, we may have a top class player on our hands.

I think how we start the game against Hull KR will tell us pretty quickly how our season may go.

A first-class coach and some under-rated players make them a very difficult opening game.

I’m not overly confident of a win, but I am very confident we will see a significant improvement on last year.

I think a tough start to the season will benefit us as we will need to start positively from the off, and I’m pretty sure our intensity will be high.

A tight game and hopefully a win, but no more than a six-point differential between the two teams.

This season, I can’t see anyone toppling Saints, and I think we could finish anywhere from second to sixth position in the league.

I think our biggest strength is the depth of our squad.

If Saints, Catalan and, say, Leeds are to get some long and lengthy injuries, they could struggle to maintain their standards, whereas we have a healthy competition across most positions.

If we win our first few games, we could get on a roll and crowds will start to come back, as Wigan fans have been starved of any real competitive high intensity rugby for a few years.

Huddersfield could be the surprise package.

Everybody seemed to pick them last year as the dark horses, and this year they could slip under the radar.

We must be due a good run in the Challenge Cup after some truly pitiful performances in the last few years.

I’m tipping Liam Farrell to be our Player of the Season.

By his standards, his performances last year were very disappointing.

I expect him to bounce back, feeding off Cust, Field and French to get back to his very best and to claim his position in the England squad for the World Cup.

The youngster who I think may surprise a few people this season is James McDonnell.

His gametime may be somewhat limited but, if he can get half a dozen games or so, I think he could develop quite nicely.

The try he scored against Catalan at home last year was a blinder, and a backrow in the future of McDonnell, Kai Pearce-Paul and Nicholson could be fantastic.

The obvious choice for a “breakthrough” star is KPP, but for me he has already broken through.

With a little bit of luck he could be the best young forward we have brought through in a generation.

Potentially this lad could be a superstar.

The problem for us could be actually keeping hold of him if the Aussies come looking to sign him up.

Robert Kenyon

Despite the Hull KR match being our first game of the season, I can see it being a very entertaining game against a good side who play good rugby.

It will be nice to get another look at our new signings, and I think a few opposing teams will sit up and take notice of us this season.

I reckon we will be quick out of the blocks and set the benchmark, I really do.

I’m massively impressed with how we managed to sign Cade Cust, I watched him for Manly and thought he was a star in the making, a future State of Origin player and truly can’t believe we’ve got him.

He’s a bit like Blake Green but a lot quicker, a strong runner with a good step.

Once he’s running at pace at defensive lines, he’ll be stepping through for fun.

I didn’t know much about Mago and Ellis but, from watching the pre-season matches, it looks like we finally have a good set of experienced props, which is what we’ve needed for years.

Add to that, having a prop who can offload is music to my ears because I love an offloading prop.

We know Iain Thornley, I rated him when he was here last and I don’t know why he left. He’s a big body in the centres and a solid player.

I don’t know much about Miski but he looks the part.

I honestly believe we can win something this season, as we have recruited well.

I was still thinking we were a centre short but, with Kai Pearce-Paul having two good games there, we now have him fighting with Hardaker, Thornley and Bibby for the two spots.

Field, French and Hanley are fighting for the full-back spot.

We have two hookers with different playing styles and a set of halfbacks with youth and experience.

When you look at our squad, it’s been a while since we had such depth, we’re also playing a hell of a lot better too, far more entertaining.

My break-out star will be Jai Field. Last year was a write-off but he has the quality, he’s got the full-back spot for a while and he might just make it his own.

Secondly, I think KPP might win the young player of the year award this year if he gets a good run at centre. He has a similar playing style to Gelling, when he created havoc on our right edge with Joel Tomkins and Josh Charnley.

Sean Lawless

Hull KR away feels like a good first game for Wigan to show what they’re capable of in 2022.

Last season, KR grinded out a victory at the DW and then blew a really poor Wigan away at Craven Park in the return fixture.

This, as the first game of the Peet era, and is a great opportunity to show the difference between then and now.

A very difficult game awaits Wigan, against a KR side further strengthened by their signing of Lachlan Coote.

I saw enough change in the pre-season games from Wigan to expect a victory on Friday.

In regard to the 2022 season, nobody really knows what to expect from Wigan, it seems, from looking at the predictions from the great and the good – which has to be to their strength.

They don’t have the weight of expectation which perhaps burdened them last season with the return of Bateman, retention of Hastings and French etc.

This year, Wigan will be quietly confident of competing for honours and I am confident also.

I think Wigan will end the regular season in third, behind St Helens and Catalans but rather than limping into the play-offs, I expect them to be competitive this year.

As far as key personnel this season, I expect Cade Cust to be Wigan’s stand-out player.

The noise from the NRL suggests he is more than capable of being a regular starter in that competition and I am really excited to see what he can do in Super League.

For Wigan’s breakthrough star, I expect we will see a lot of Brad O’Neill this season.

He looks ready for Super League, a tough, uncompromising number nine who I think will get lots of opportunities under Peet.

I expect he will be pushing Sam Powell for a starting spot in the team, as the season progresses.

Darren Wrudd

I suppose this time of year fans from every club are excited at the prospect of what exactly their club will achieve over the next few months, given new signings and youngsters coming of age.

No more so I think than here at Wigan, our expectations are always high, sometimes almost unfairly, but professional sport is brutal and so when some heads roll, new faces with new ideas always herald a sign of things to come.

That the man in charge Matty Peet has gone about his business here at the club for several years now, underlines in my mind he will know what is expected and it seems his squad reflects those aspirations in a very positive manner.

I count six new names in Cust, Thornley, Mago, Ellis, Miski and Silva, each bringing high quality talent to the table. I have been watching Cade Cust for a few years now, and he has the skills and rugby brain to unlock any side if he is given the freedom to play.

His tactical kicking will be a breath of fresh air in attack, which is a part of our game which has been lacking in recent years, while defensively he is solid and a tough guy to get by.

Patrick Mago has announced his arrival too, with some great runs which are so difficult to stop.

My personal favourite of all the new names is not really new.

Bevan French has been missing for some time with injury and the club has quite rightly given him time to be with his family.

I am reliably informed he has indeed been keeping fit, with a view to paying back the club’s loyalty and care and dedicating himself to securing silverware for Wigan again.

Bevan would in my eyes not only be the best player in the club, but would push anyone for that honour in Super League, he simply is that good.

So when we do see him back in the cherry and white, I expect a massive reception for the lad as he is held in such high regard by us fans.

This year anything could happen, but one thing I am sure of is that Saints will be knocked off their lofty perch.

We have shown in pre-season to be the real deal and, as we look forward to an exciting year, the ageing Red Vee squad must be shaking in their boots, wondering who they could buy quickly to bolster their old men.

I predict a top spot for Wigan in 2022, based purely on what I have seen so far, and expect Catalans and Leeds to be right behind us.

Finals can take care of themselves as anything could happen.

This week’s game against Hull KR should be a win, end of, but we are going to have to show how tough we are to get it.

Rovers have a sprinkling of talent in their squad and on their day can embarrass us. So keep Sims and Veta quiet, give Abdul no space to play, and we can dominate our way to two points.

And so it begins, come on Wigan!

Jon Lyon

Friday night gives us the first chance to see some of our new signings in the heat of Super League battle.

Despite watching the NRL as much as possible, I can’t confess to having been too aware of our three Aussie signings, with Patrick Mago the only one who has really registered.

He certainly looks the part so far, offering good go forward with some delicate handling skills.

His offloads will be vital breaking down defences in tight games.

Not knowing much about Cust and Ellis is certainly no cause for alarm.

Michael Dobson was third choice scrum half for Canberra when he arrived in 2006 and he was a revelation, so I’m more than happy to give these lads time to settle in and prove their worth.

Thornley looks like he will be a vital cog at either centre or wing, offering height, size and speed in attack and defence.

Miski was exceptional for London last year and, although he’ll need time to step up another level, he is showing great promise.

I expect Ramon Silva to be a project player who is only likely to make the odd substitute appearance this year.

Hull KR away provides a very tough opener for us.

Although I’m not a huge Tony Smith fan, there’s no doubt he had Hull KR playing some fantastic rugby last year, probably over achieving with their season, culminating in a fantastic 19-0 play-off win over Warrington.

They have a lot of experienced players in their squad and have recruited well over the last few years, adding Lachlan Coote this season.

Kenny-Dowall, Linnett and Takairangi are all dangerous out wide and Ryan Hall has shown he still knows his way to the line after a bleak NRL spell.

With no form to go off and both teams still integrating new players, this game could go either way.

With my cherry and white cap on, I’m going for our forwards to out-enthuse Hull KR’s and we will grind our way to a tough 18-14 win.

As far as the season as a whole goes, a lot of pundits seem to have us ending around fifth place.

I’m far more optimistic. I would say early doors Saints and Catalans are probably favourites for the top two spots, but I think we can aim for third at the very least.

For all teams it depends so much on injuries, and we seem to have much better depth than previous years. If each team suffers equally we should be in a position to push for top spot, why not aim high?

While the likes of Mago, Thornley, Halsall and Field have shone in pre-season, I expect a huge year from John Bateman.

Like most of last year’s squad, his form never quite hit the heights of previous seasons – not helped by being played in several positions and moving back home.

Now settled and ahead of a World Cup, I think we will see John back to his rampaging, aggressive self, dragging the team forward when we need it, as Andy Farrell and Sean O’Loughlin have done in the past.

The obvious young gun to excel will be Kai Pearce-Paul but he’s practically a shoo-in for a first team spot already, so I will plump for the currently on loan James McDonnell.

Some regular game time at Leigh should mean he is up to speed when he returns to Wigan and, if he continues where he left off last season, we could have a very dangerous, strong running centre or back rower to call upon.