Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2019 1:44 pm Posts: 653 Member for 3 years
Don't think he is all that good to be honest. Never thought he was but i reckon Saints will recruit better. They probably feel downbeat about it but i think it will be better for them. Johnstone to Catalans now confirmed, i have this horrible feeling they are going to come up with Tom Davies. Him and Makinson running it out basically fills me with dread. No insider information or anything like that, just a feeling. Are they linked with anybody? Don't think they have any quota spots available.
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2022 10:55 pm Posts: 46 Member forL 0 years
NickyKiss wrote:
All jokes aside, it’s another sad day for the sport. I didn’t rate him early days but he’s worked really hard and improved massively.
I saw a Saints fan on here (or another forum, can’t quite remember) claiming he wasn’t a big loss to them because he’s not always first choice anymore and I didn’t understand that. He’s a nailed on pick when he’s fit. If we look at it from a selfish Wigan POV, they lose the only player they have with genuine lightning pace and we have 2 or 3, so that won’t hurt us but I’d rather he’d have stayed there long term.
I saw that too think it was on the virtual terrace couldn't belive it
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:38 am Posts: 27358 Location: WIGAN Member for 18 years
thesaint62 wrote:
I saw that too think it was on the virtual terrace couldn't belive it
I wondered if it was a joke. Everyone likes to downplay a loss of a good player but that was make believe. I used to like seeing Grace named on a team sheet but his improvements have been huge. There’s not much to him but close to the line his finishing instinct is superb.
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2002 12:57 pm Posts: 11173 Location: Much too far South Member for 20 years
Shame to lose him, enjoy watching him play, wish him every success. Difficult to currently have two big money wingers in a competently run salary cap structure.
He's a great kid and won't let us down for the rest of the year. Big loss but on we go. - we've done well to get more important players like Welsby and Dodd signed into new deals.
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2022 10:55 pm Posts: 46 Member forL 0 years
NickyKiss wrote:
I wondered if it was a joke. Everyone likes to downplay a loss of a good player but that was make believe. I used to like seeing Grace named on a team sheet but his improvements have been huge. There’s not much to him but close to the line his finishing instinct is superb.
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:38 am Posts: 27358 Location: WIGAN Member for 18 years
FearTheVee wrote:
Shame to lose him, enjoy watching him play, wish him every success. Difficult to currently have two big money wingers in a competently run salary cap structure.
He's a great kid and won't let us down for the rest of the year. Big loss but on we go. - we've done well to get more important players like Welsby and Dodd signed into new deals.
There are clearly bigger losses that could’ve (and still could over the next few seasons) happened. One thing I would say is that losing his pace is an issue for Saints. It’s not the quickest backline anyway and both in attack and in scrambling back in defence, the lad is worth his weight. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference as they’d have been on opposite sides but put him in a chase like Makinson had on with Marshall in the cup semi and he likely wins you a game. Any rumours on who replaces him? Somebody internal or an external signing? I can’t imagine there’s much left in the cap after the run of contract extensions/upgrades.
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2019 9:43 pm Posts: 70 Member for 3 years
The thing is he has won 2 LLS (could be 3 by the end of the season) a challenge cup and 3 Grand Finals (again, could be 4 by the time he leaves) there’s not much for him to still do in league, really…..!
Bearing in mind he came to League from Union, it was always a fair bet he would return at some point.
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:10 am Posts: 14906 Member for 17 years
Jordan Rankin wrote:
The thing is he has won 2 LLS (could be 3 by the end of the season) a challenge cup and 3 Grand Finals (again, could be 4 by the time he leaves) there’s not much for him to still do in league, really…..!
Bearing in mind he came to League from Union, it was always a fair bet he would return at some point.
And I'd reply the same way I did on hearing this when Jason Robinson and Andy Farrell left, both of those two having won a lot more than Grace ... namely, that neither they nor Grace have come close to winning the RL World Cup or even a Test series. And those are the real measures of achievement in 13-a-side. So, let's not pretend there's never anything left for them to do.
But I also go back to what I said earlier. I don't blame the player, or question his motivation. I blame the RFL and question its apparent inability or unwillingness to fight to keep its brightest stars.
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 5:00 pm Posts: 3672 Location: wigan...where else!! Member for 19 years
Cruncher wrote:
And I'd reply the same way I did on hearing this when Jason Robinson and Andy Farrell left, both of those two having won a lot more than Grace ... namely, that neither they nor Grace have come close to winning the RL World Cup or even a Test series. And those are the real measures of achievement in 13-a-side. So, let's not pretend there's never anything left for them to do.
But I also go back to what I said earlier. I don't blame the player, or question his motivation. I blame the RFL and question its apparent inability or unwillingness to fight to keep its brightest stars.
To be fair to Grace , I can’t see Wales winning a RL World Cup anytime soon so he probably crossed that off his reasons to stay list.
19 years
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