Having read this post I believe that you actually are Moe Syslak and I think you are a bit quick to have the opinion that Toby King belongs in the Championship "at best" I think he's starting out and is potentially a decent centre. We aren't exactly blessed in this position so probably deserves a chance before being written off...



"Unfortunately for us fans..." sorry I can't agree with your sentiment here and that's putting it politely just what has the young lad done wrong?

Ive yet to see him have anything like a good game. It's not his fault, he just isn't at the level required for the top echelons of super league which is where we should be.

Hmm don't see it with king either. Yet to see him show a tiny glimpse of some pure ability that might get me out of my seat. No offence to the lad either...he may and probably will improve but I've yet to see him beat a man with his feet, find his winger with a great ball ( not even seen him draw a man) or display an outstanding defence to make up for his attacking deficiencies. Livett has been lobbed into an unfamiliar position in a woefully out of sorts team and already shown more rugby talent than Toby king. Sorry if that's harsh but that's my humble opinion.

Wasn't Toby King a utility player a few short weeks ago & is now being billed as a centre by Mr Smith ?

No, he has always played centre apart from when he was with Meltham as a kid.

Here are some recent highlights of Toby King. It's difficult to judge a player from these since they take the best bits from all the games, but I think there is more than enough info here to show that he is a talented player and quite capable of beating his man. He doesn't have the physical presence of Atkins, but has more ball handling skills in his little finger than Atkins does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkSE0nviTw4 He is still only 20 and has played ?? around 24 games for us. Just IMO, but I would rate King and perhaps Livett alongside Currie as the best players to come through the Academy in the past 10 years. If King ends up playing in the Championship or League 1 we seriously need to think about closing our youth system down and simply buying in players.

Here are some recent highlights of Toby King. It's difficult to judge a player from these since they take the best bits from all the games, but I think there is more than enough info here to show that he is a talented player and quite capable of beating his man. He doesn't have the physical presence of Atkins, but has more ball handling skills in his little finger than Atkins does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkSE0nviTw4 He is still only 20 and has played ?? around 24 games for us. Just IMO, but I would rate King and perhaps Livett alongside Currie as the best players to come through the Academy in the past 10 years. If King ends up playing in the Championship or League 1 we seriously need to think about closing our youth system down and simply buying in players.

Quote Winslade's Offload="Winslade's Offload"Here are some recent highlights of Toby King. It's difficult to judge a player from these since they take the best bits from all the games, but I think there is more than enough info here to show that he is a talented player and quite capable of beating his man. He doesn't have the physical presence of Atkins, but has more ball handling skills in his little finger than Atkins does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkSE0nviTw4 He is still only 20 and has played ?? around 24 games for us. Just IMO, but I would rate King and perhaps Livett alongside Currie as the best players to come through the Academy in the past 10 years. If King ends up playing in the Championship or League 1 we seriously need to think about closing our youth system down and simply buying in players.'" I thought Currie was "produced" by the Wigan set up? In fact don't we have a first 17 with more ex-Wigan academy players than our own?

Quote Winslade's Offload="Winslade's Offload"Here are some recent highlights of Toby King. It's difficult to judge a player from these since they take the best bits from all the games, but I think there is more than enough info here to show that he is a talented player and quite capable of beating his man. He doesn't have the physical presence of Atkins, but has more ball handling skills in his little finger than Atkins does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkSE0nviTw4 He is still only 20 and has played ?? around 24 games for us. Just IMO, but I would rate King and perhaps Livett alongside Currie as the best players to come through the Academy in the past 10 years. If King ends up playing in the Championship or League 1 we seriously need to think about closing our youth system down and simply buying in players.'" I thought Currie was "produced" by the Wigan set up? In fact don't we have a first 17 with more ex-Wigan academy players than our own?

Toby was our best 3/4 when he burst on to the scene, until his terrible injury.



He will get back to that for soon.

I never bought into the Toby King hype train early doors, but last year he display some good touches and elusive running. I think he'll turn out to be a good centre for us.

You are right of course, Currie came through Wigan Scholarship (U16's) then we picked him up and put him through the Wire Academy.



If you wan't to look at our squad numbers 1-17 then the local Wigan area players are Ratchford, Russell, Brown, Hughes, Dwyer. I don't think Ratchford was part of the Wigan Academy, he joined Salford at 18/19. Ditto for Dwyer who is Ince Rose Bridge, I don't know about Kev Brown it was a long time ago. The Wire Academy players are Evans, Currie, Cooper, Dwyer and George King. So probably something like an even split between the two Academies.



If you wish to drill down a bit further, both Hughes and Currie were Golbourne lads. I don't know if that could be said to be Wigan - Wire Yed (also a Golbourne boy) always maintained that it was more Warrington. Then of course the King brothers were part of Huddersfield Academy after leaving Meltham.





So it all depends on how you draw the line between 'local' players and your Academy produced players I suppose.

I disagree about Toby King I think he's got something about him. I think he's our best centre already.

I too am a fully paid up member of the Toby King fan club, I think he will be our starting centre next year & will continue to progress



He has had a stop/start couple of seasons with injuries but when he has had a run in the team he looks more than capable of being a top centre in Super league



Like Charlie above I saw a lot of him at academy level, the academy team in 2014 & 15 was a great side, the rugby played was some of the best I have seen at any level, Toby is a great product of that side



I also would put Jack Johnson & Dec Patton in the mix for being the best academy products of the last ten years as well, if these lads fulfill their potential (or should I say allowed to fulfill their potential) then we have some of the best prospects in Superleague