Wigan squad for Semi Final

[Mike]

Totally sick and angry we've thrown away the year with a really poor performance lacking intensity. I can't believe the second half, Peet had to give them a kick up the arse at half time, it seemed obvious to me at HT that the game was slipping away unless we could make some changes or raise the intensity. We did neither and from what i've read about the post-match comments I don't think the coaching team tried to do that. With a coach like Wane in charge we win that second half on emotion and intensity alone.

I'm going to ask the question - if Peet had not had French and Field this year, would the team have looked any different to the last season with Lam. Lam got us closer to the GF win with just one of those two, but with both available this season we've fallen way short.

[Wigan_forever1985]

Totally sick and angry we've thrown away the year with a really poor performance lacking intensity. I can't believe the second half, Peet had to give them a kick up the arse at half time, it seemed obvious to me at HT that the game was slipping away unless we could make some changes or raise the intensity. We did neither and from what i've read about the post-match comments I don't think the coaching team tried to do that. With a coach like Wane in charge we win that second half on emotion and intensity alone.

I'm going to ask the question - if Peet had not had French and Field this year, would the team have looked any different to the last season with Lam. Lam got us closer to the GF win with just one of those two, but with both available this season we've fallen way short.

Big question for me is if peet didn’t have briers how would we have gone - we will find the answer to that but his Powell decision really worries me

It smacks of that sentimental jobs for the boys clique that destroys your chances of winning trophies

I cannot believe that anyone would look at Powell and have him as such an automatic pick that he walks into a semi final half baked

I’ve always been against auto picks but I can understand the logic of when they would bring lockers into big games because he had a track record of being “the difference”

Powell has never ever in the memory of his playing career been “the difference” so peets choice to include to me smacks of that culture that dragged saints away from being a top team till they ditched kfc

Tommy being allowed to carry on so long again another sentimental piece of rubbish - should of been replaced 1 or 2 seasons ago

[Caboosegg]

Sorry but the sudden we only did well because of Briers such a disgraceful comment for Wigan fans to make and normally to fill there own falicies regarding the club.

I am not discounting his influence this year but if he was such the tactician that it was him and not the coaching team overall, then where is wires trophy laden years when he retired.

[Wigan_forever1985]

Sorry but the sudden we only did well because of Briers such a disgraceful comment for Wigan fans to make and normally to fill there own falicies regarding the club.

I am not discounting his influence this year but if he was such the tactician that it was him and not the coaching team overall, then where is wires trophy laden years when he retired.

Firstly not saying that I think everyone’s just worried because he was the only external voice the rest of the people in our coaching set up were all there during lams dark dark period

Wire haven’t exactly strengthened after briers left - again not directly related but wire are worse now than they ever have been in the season when he left so I don’t think that link works

[DaveO]

Totally sick and angry we've thrown away the year with a really poor performance lacking intensity. I can't believe the second half, Peet had to give them a kick up the arse at half time, it seemed obvious to me at HT that the game was slipping away unless we could make some changes or raise the intensity. We did neither and from what i've read about the post-match comments I don't think the coaching team tried to do that. With a coach like Wane in charge we win that second half on emotion and intensity alone.

I'm going to ask the question - if Peet had not had French and Field this year, would the team have looked any different to the last season with Lam. Lam got us closer to the GF win with just one of those two, but with both available this season we've fallen way short.

Interesting comment about Wane. He certainly had the knack of good half time team talk and over recent weeks since we won the CC, in the games we have lost that never happened. It wasn't just last night half time made no difference to a poor performance. It's made no difference in every game we have lost since the Cup.

That said I reckon Wane would have picked exactly the same team as Peet and that was the route of the problem. Wane would have picked Powell, not O'Neil and with O'Neil in the side despite Cust being out I think we'd have scored more than four points in the first half so maybe no need for a half time team talk anyway.

The team played like the dull teams of recent seasons but a lot of that was down to four props on the bench and Powell and TL playing when not match fit. The four prop selection was shown to be a pointless move because of the limited use of Ellis. Regardless of anyone's opinion of Powell as a player, Peet should have used one of those bench spots for O'Neil if he was going to pick Powell simply because of Powell being out injured and not match fit. The fact Ellis hardly contributed just underlines what a dumb selection policy this was. As it was, he literally could not introduce a player with a different game because he'd got four clones on the bench.

So I am also angry because though we had bad luck with Faz and Cust I believe Wigan were the architects of their own downfall.

The post match comments should always be taken with a pinch of salt as some coaches, and Peet is one, don't want to come across as sore losers but I dope he has realised this defeat was avoidable despite the injuries and a post mortem is required starting with him holding is hand up to his own contribution to the loss.

[Wiganer Ted]

The team selection with TL & Powell starting was strange. TL having been out for months. How those two were expected to go full tilt for 80 mins I simply don't understand.

What I found bewildering was the transformation from the first 40 to the second half. First half our line defence was high and fast keeping Leeds in their half for almost the full 40. Second half our line defence stood still and allowed Leeds to run at us. Needless to say they'd scored twice in no time at all. It was that change in the defence that lost us the game. Also the failure to score more than one try in that first half. Leeds defended well but we looked like we didn't a move in us. That 2nd forty was like watching us over the seasons Lam was in charge. Dreadful with an inevitable result at the end.

A disappointing end to what has been a good season with us playing some of the most exciting rugby we've not seen for years.

[Exiled Wiganer]

I think Peet has been fantastic. He had to rebuild Field’s game, and find the best to incorporate someone low on confidence. He reintegrated French into the side and found a way to get the best out of both of them. Smith has been transformed, Cust very well integrated, and youngsters like Smithies, Havard and O’Neill have made major contributions in big games. And our style of play! Wow.

He clearly made an error relying on Powell and Tommy in this game. We lost because we couldn’t turn pressure into points - and we had pressure because the rest of the side did their jobs pretty well. The plan wasn’t necessarily the wrong plan, as with the right spine we could have turned that first half territory into an unassailable lead. He could have had French at 1, Field at 6, Smith at 7 and O’Neill at 9, as he had earlier in the year.

I have loved this season, having gone into it certain we were in terrible trouble. Peet has plenty of credit from me.

[moto748]

I think Peet has been fantastic. He had to rebuild Field’s game, and find the best to incorporate someone low on confidence. He reintegrated French into the side and found a way to get the best out of both of them. Smith has been transformed, Cust very well integrated, and youngsters like Smithies, Havard and O’Neill have made major contributions in big games. And our style of play! Wow.

He clearly made an error relying on Powell and Tommy in this game. We lost because we couldn’t turn pressure into points - and we had pressure because the rest of the side did their jobs pretty well. The plan wasn’t necessarily the wrong plan, as with the right spine we could have turned that first half territory into an unassailable lead. He could have had French at 1, Field at 6, Smith at 7 and O’Neill at 9, as he had earlier in the year.

I have loved this season, having gone into it certain we were in terrible trouble. Peet has plenty of credit from me.

Well said.

[moto748]

It was frustrating to watch us be so dominant in that first half and be unable to break Leeds down. They obviously deserve huge credit for their defence and it's defence that wins you these games.

We can look to the players we had missing and for sure Farrell was a huge loss, Cust at his best would have been a threat, particularly with his ability to switch to hooker and change the tempo. French getting injured was also a big blow. Still, we had the field position but couldn't take advantage.

Dropping O'Neill seemed questionable at best. I'm not going to criticise Powell because I thought he played reasonably well overall considering he's been out for a while but it took him a long time to get up to speed and during that period when we were dominant we were crying out for a bit more threat from 9. Why drop a player performing well for someone who is bound to have some fitness concerns and require some time to get back up to speed? Not even having O'Neill on the bench but barely using Ellis is a little hard to fathom.

Isa, for all his effort last night, isn't a patch on Farrell and robbed us of some ability to create space out wide for Field. That's not a criticism of Isa and to be honest he should have been in the team at centre because even when we were a man down, with a winger on 1 leg, and then having to move to the wing himself, Bibby somehow only made 7 carries, and one of those was an attacking carry where he fluffed opportunity to pass to Marshall. It's a semi final and he played like he didn't want to be noticed.

Our front row was hit and miss. Mago did make some decent ground but he lacks the mobility to defend well enough for games like this. Singleton tried hard, as did Byrne, though Byrne like many young forwards has faded towards the end of this season so wasn't quite as effective. For me our two best players last night were Cooper and Havard. They were dominant with their carries, strong in defence and were pretty much the reason we enjoyed such good field position. It's a shame we couldn't make anything of it.

All in all it's been a good season, but I hope we don't go into next year thinking we'll be fine with what we've got. We aren't at the right level yet and need to find more improvement. Just signing Toby King isn't going to take us to the level that we need to be.

And this. Wise words from EEP as always.

[widdenoldboy]

Totally sick and angry we've thrown away the year with a really poor performance lacking intensity. I can't believe the second half, Peet had to give them a kick up the arse at half time, it seemed obvious to me at HT that the game was slipping away unless we could make some changes or raise the intensity. We did neither and from what i've read about the post-match comments I don't think the coaching team tried to do that. With a coach like Wane in charge we win that second half on emotion and intensity alone.

I'm going to ask the question - if Peet had not had French and Field this year, would the team have looked any different to the last season with Lam. Lam got us closer to the GF win with just one of those two, but with both available this season we've fallen way short.

Lack of intensity was evident, contrast with Saints v Salford - thats were we need to be more often (not just when we play Saints....)