SW...and next season

[KOOCH]

Well said platt-warrior.Some on here think they know better than the coach.Even the saintly Michael Maguire came in for some stick when a couple of results went wrong.I wish people would just wait a while to see how results pan out before head hunting the team and it's coach.I myself will wait to see how things look after the season starts before I become a keyboard critic.

[DaveO]

I do wish some poster's on this forum would stop making pronounsments on my behalf.The word "perceived"i noticed has recently been used by both Two-eyed Warrior and the mighty DaveO which imo are not my opinion:

How on earth you jump to the conclusion that anyone is making pronouncements on your behalf is beyond me. It's blindingly obvious some fans perceive that the quality of this squad is lower than 2012 and there is no need to get into a huff when its mentioned by people who share that view.

1 I for one think squad is something to get quite excited about.

So your perception

I believe Blake Green will add something the half-back line has lacked over the last few seasons ie speed.I,m not convinced Finch was that great a half,and would go as far to say he could be classed as a "journeyman" on the back-end of his career.

Classing Finch as a journeyman is one of the most ridiculous things I have seen posted on here in a long time. It is the sort of thing I notice quite a lot when a player leaves. He suddenly becomes crap in order to justify the replacement.

2 I look forward to see Taylor who i think is the type of prop we,ve needed for some time,ie a "shithouse prop" who takes the opposition forwards on,unlike the back-end of Lima,s season who, quite frankly had his bag packed long before the season was over.

This is more of the same. Lima was crap so Taylor must be good.

Talyor is 21 and Lima's form tailed off but what is the point of comparing players to a player in that state? Is Taylor going to be able to play as well as Lima did in 2011 such as in the CC final? That the kind of quality we want in the side.

3 Could someone please explain why there is a need to subtitute the hooker,it is imo unecessary now TL has gone MM should improve and become the best hooker in SL.

Because when he plays for 80 minutes week in, week out he is tired by the end of the season when it counts. Please explain when spelling players became a bad idea.

I THINK THERE IS MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT SEASON,the new squad is fast and young(on average)and has the potential to be as good as the previos.

If that is what you think fair enough but I think justifying your stance by having to rate the likes of Finch as a journeyman doesn't lend any weight to your opinion.

[AHH100]

I'm new to posting but have been a reader for a few years and felt it necessary to post on this thread. Surely, if the whispers are to be believed, the problem last year was too much full-contact training at the business end of the season resulting in too many players carrying knocks having to play at less than their full potential.

I know that's how it was done in Waney's day but I bet Leeds just concentrated on ball skills for the second half of the season leaving a fitter team on the field.

I've paid for next years season ticket and I'm sure we have the players to compete at the highest level but NOT IF THEY ARE CROCKED. IF anyone in authority at the club reads this then please tell Waney that most of us like the way he sets the team up to play but its hard enough to stop the other teams injuring us - never mind doing it to ourselves!

[platt-warrior]

Finch played in the NRL for more that ten years for four or five different clubs IIRC.His contracts were cancelled on two occasions,not in the Barret or Lam class I think you'd agree Dave.
Also Lima was not in the form of his life,when we needed him most,Hoffman was of far more value when he was here and played well even until his last match.
Lets consider Smith who has not "hit the straps running "as they say but I for one believe there a far better player which is up to SW to develop.His kicking game is far superior to Tl's.
I notice you didnt mention Green,if you believe HKR fans they are shattered losing a player of his quality.

As for hookers being spelled I for one think it's an 80 minute position,i dont think Roby plays for periods but for the full 80 mins.Think of all the great hookers at Wigan all 80 minute players.

[Kol]

DaveO is bang on in his comments IMO.

Success is driven from the top down, not the other way. We could have a dream team 17, but with the wrong hands at the helm is like a magnificent ship without a captain.

As for it's only SW's first season; well, is it? Hasn't he been there years? hasn't he had he expreiences of the club that work and don't work. He's not exactly a fresh face that only came on board last year.

The winning ways/traits Madge implimented worked. Sure it could be worked on and even improved. However, the direction of that success did not need changing; something SW tried to do.

I still fear for next season. Not with the playing staff.

[Panchitta Marra]

I sincerely hope that PW is correct with his thoughts on our new half backs and other new recruits.
If Blake Green can reach the potential of his NRL days then we have an excellent aquisition no doubt.
I am, however, a big fan of Brett Finch and thought his leadership skills on the pitch was strong and the timing of his passes for the likes of Hoffmann and Hock were as good as any that I have seen at Wigan for many years. A hard act to follow in my eyes.
Matty Smith has a very good kicking game, but to take on the line like Tommy has previously used to do, again I sadly just cant see.
I like the look of Taylor, at a young age he is showing maturity well beyond his years and I think he can only get better, barring injuries.
Jeff Lima, upto the latter end of his Wigan career was as solid a prop as any in SL, and on that form would again be a tough act to follow.
I like a hooker with a bit of edge and Micky Mac doesnt take a backward step in that department. If he can control his anger not giving away silly penalties I think we have a very good player capable of putting in 80 minutes.
For me the core of a top team needs a good 1, 6, 7, 9 & 13. When on form our 1, 9 & 13 are up there with as good as any in SL, its just the 6 & 7 that I am not so sure of.

[Exiled Wiganer]

Half full/half empty?
If DaveO is at one extreme of half empty (or realistic as he could argue), I would probably be at the other.
How well did we do last year - finishing top of the league was wonderful, and involved many wonderful performances. That exceeded my expectations.
The play off defeat was entirely explicable by Sam's injury - the tragedy is that we got so close despite that. The CC semi looked like a performance from the Noble era, sad to saym, and is the one performance that bothers me more than others.
We had a weird fixture list last year, where we had a long run of the hardest games in succession. By training for and going on a long purple patch up to the Exiles game, we gave ourselves enough money in the bank for our form to drop to the end of the year. We then needed to pick up in the play offs again to be champions. That looked to me to be what happened, and we were within inches of its all playing out according to plan. On that basis, I cannot see anything that leads me to conclude that he is not up to it.
As for 2013, it only requires one of Smith or Green or Powell really to step up and we'll be nearly as good again. I think the younger players will be better now they're a year older, and we have some terrific older talent to draw upon. In the meantime, none of our opposition particularly worry me, and I could see both Wire and Leeds falling away more than us through an over reliance on players with too many miles on the clock.
No one will be proven right for a long time yet, but I choose to keep the faith for now.

[Ron Doran]

platt-warrior - an update on Mester Finch...

http://www.nrl.com/finch-rejects-big-mo ... fault.aspx

[platt-warrior]

As i posted previously ,a journeyman chasing the dollar.With regard to the article,a lot of if's and but's.What happened to the "i'm going home to retire and coach"?

[medlocke]

If Waney fails next season then all the stops should be pulled out to bring home mr Edwards and Farrell