Cats v Wigan

[Big Steve]

The main issue wasn't Harry Smith, really not sure why people pick him out when obviously it was down to two main things.


1) Attitude in defence as a team: Absolutely no line speed from the off. we allowed Cats an easy 6-8 metres before any contact in every carry. They were on our line pretty much after every set. Contrast to Cats who were in our faces after a couple of yards.

2) Attidude in attack: Again collectively a lack of speed and aggression in taking the ball up. The last 15 minutes Bryne showed what he can do, but completely opposite to his first stint.

The main concern I had with Peet at the end was his reference to 'tick and pass' in the last 15 minutes. I think his game plan is very conservative, going set to set, getting fatigue into the opposition. We have some great firepower, but there are times when we just don't see them apart from 2 -3 plays in the first half for example. There's not enough doubt in the oppositions mind and it makes defending far easier.

I thought Cust looked far better at 9 than as a 6 and if he's going to stay at wigan i think that's the role he should play.

Obviously good to see Field back but plainly early days yet and he was never going to stretch his legs this game.


AS ever, after a game like that I can't see why we single players out, it was 100% down to a collective lethargy all round. Not sure why but It starts to make me question how they are being coached. This season it seems we have needed to have a kick up the arse to start some aggression - and we shouldn't need that .

[Suzieb]

The other point I’d like to make is that we are playing smith on the left and being left handed he would be more natural playing on the right poor coaching my husband is a coach and has pointed these things out to me so why can our coaching staff not see them and before you all start no not suzies husband to coach us he is nearly 70

[nathan_rugby]

The other point I’d like to make is that we are playing smith on the left and being left handed he would be more natural playing on the right poor coaching my husband is a coach and has pointed these things out to me so why can our coaching staff not see them and before you all start no not suzies husband to coach us he is nearly 70

I don’t buy this argument.

Regardless of the way you play with your 6 and 7 they will be required to pass both sides.

[Southern Softy]

Not a whole lot of point banging on about how bad we were - it was obvious to everyone. Interesting how Cats never considered attacking us down the left - shows how bad our right side was but proof that we can do some things right.
Cats attacked us like Leeds in the league fixture and we couldn't cope so, unless we do something, others will do the same.
Time to put Thornley in at right centre or wing for defensive purposes or (and I'm not sure I believe I'm saying this) - put him in at second-row to bolster that right flank.
If we are going to play Field in the halves, we have to understand that defensively, he's not going to offer much. Different at full-back where his speed and anticipation make him a good player.
Maybe for the Cup game (which looks like our best chance for silverware) we go back for one time only to French on the wing - Field at full-back and Shorrocks in the halves. We may lose our attacking skills but if we are conceding 40-odd points in an hour, attacking skills become unimportant.

[Suzieb]

Well said southern

[josie andrews]

The other point I’d like to make is that we are playing smith on the left and being left handed he would be more natural playing on the right poor coaching my husband is a coach and has pointed these things out to me so why can our coaching staff not see them and before you all start no not suzies husband to coach us he is nearly 70

I’ve mentioned this several times since the start of the season, & earlier in this thread, and I’m not a coach!!

[medlocke]

Harry Smith is 23, by the time Shaun Edwards was 23 he'd been playing first team rugby for several years, was a GB Lion and had played 12 matches for Balmain. the time is over for possibilities, he should be delivering the goods on a regular basis by now, if not then it is time to move on

The question I was addressing was "What can we do to get the best out of Smith?", not "Is he as good as Edwards?"

If you replaced Smith with a 23-year-old Edwards in that team, I doubt if we'd have won.

And if we'd moved everyone on that you criticised, we'd have no team at all - oh sorry, forgot about your list of names from the NRL, all of whom are earning more than we could pay them, and wouldn't come anyway. A bit like a Latics fan saying "We should sign Messi, Harland, Gündogan and de Bruyne"!

Nothing to do with how good either player is, was thinking more in terms of how younger players these days seem to be molly coddled and slowly fed into the squad more, where as in the past and currently in the NRL they where / are established by that age, is he still going to be full of possibilities when he's 26?

Harry Smith 23 full of possibilities, he'll need resting at some point so he doesn't get burnt out etc etc etc

Meanwhile in the NRL

State of Origin serves us up another amazing barnstorming match, let's see how many youngsters are playing for either side due to establishing themselves as great players who don't need mollycodling

Blues, To'o 24, Crichton 22, Haas 23, Young 24, Burton 23
Maroons - Walsh 20, Cobbo 20, Tabuai-Fidow 21, Tualagi 24, Fa'asuamaleaui 23, Cotter24, Fifita 23, Gilbert 22, Flegler 23, Dearden 22

Don't get me wrong, I like Harry and hope he succeeds but It is time for Harry to sh*t or get of the pot as they say in Texas

[josie andrews]

The question I was addressing was "What can we do to get the best out of Smith?", not "Is he as good as Edwards?"

If you replaced Smith with a 23-year-old Edwards in that team, I doubt if we'd have won.

And if we'd moved everyone on that you criticised, we'd have no team at all - oh sorry, forgot about your list of names from the NRL, all of whom are earning more than we could pay them, and wouldn't come anyway. A bit like a Latics fan saying "We should sign Messi, Harland, Gündogan and de Bruyne"!

Nothing to do with how good either player is, was thinking more in terms of how younger players these days seem to be molly coddled and slowly fed into the squad more, where as in the past and currently in the NRL they where / are established by that age, is he still going to be full of possibilities when he's 26?

Harry Smith 23 full of possibilities, he'll need resting at some point so he doesn't get burnt out etc etc etc

Meanwhile in the NRL

State of Origin serves us up another amazing barnstorming match, let's see how many youngsters are playing for either side due to establishing themselves as great players who don't need mollycodling

Blues, To'o 24, Crichton 22, Haas 23, Young 24, Burton 23
Maroons - Walsh 20, Cobbo 20, Tabuai-Fidow 21, Tualagi 24, Fa'asuamaleaui 23, Cotter24, Fifita 23, Gilbert 22, Flegler 23, Dearden 22

Don't get me wrong, I like Harry and hope he succeeds but It is time for Harry to sh*t or get of the pot as they say in Texas

FFS Meds give it a bloody rest! We know the NRL is much better that SL but why bother even supporting not just Wigan Warriors but SL as a whole when you are so engrossed in comparing us/it to the NRL when they have so much better weather for the whole of their season, don’t play as many games as us & then there’s their salary cap, while the SL’s salary cap covers 12 teams, in the NRL would maybe cover 3 or 4 of their players!!

[Wiganer Ted]

Good post Josie, well said.

Michael McGuire summed up our main problem compared to Australia and the NRL when he said that Rugby League in the UK was played mainly in small towns in the North of England. Rugby League in Australia is played in their main cities. Population numbers are hundreds of thousands here compared to millions in Australia.

Until we get our game played in main cities here we will struggle against NRL clubs and their Intl teams.

[medlocke]

Bollocks to it, nobody is getting what I'm trying to as usual, I am not comparing standards of players, salary cap etc or if NRL is better than SL, I am comparing how in SL 22/23 year olds are seen as prospects with possibilities yet in the NRL and over here in the past pre SL players of the same age have/had already established themselves, not rocket science, no agenda, not trolling, just an observation, the end