Catalans 'relying too much' on ex-Wigan Warriors pair Sam Tomkins and Micky McIlorum

[josie andrews]

Catalans' recent woes have underlined their reliance on former Wigan duo Sam Tomkins and Michael McIlorum, according to the club chairman.

Bernard Guasch said he has been devastated by the team’s recent form, which included back-to-back home defeats by relegation-threatened duo London Broncos and Hull KR.

He said the results demonstrated the influence of Tomkins and McIlorum, who were suspended in the fall-out from a bad-tempered clash with Warrington, and accused others of being a disruptive influence.

In a hard-hitting interview with the Perpignan newspaper L’Independant, Guasch claimed the team failed to take matches against lowly opposition seriously enough.

And he pointed the finger at “six or seven players at the end of the contract” and “six or seven problems with players who do not accept being told they will not be with us next season”.

Among the likely departures is out-of-contract France international Tony Gigot, who rejected the offer of a new deal which is now off the table after Guasch lost his patience with the player.

“When he claims what he claims, he has to show something else on the ground than what he has been proposing for several months,” Guasch said.

“We gave him all the cards this season. I am very affected by his attitude. Tony Gigot does not listen to the right people. At some point, you have to be serious and I am.”

Former England boss Steve McNamara is set to be given a contract extension by the Dragons, despite their failure to reach the Super League play-offs.

The Perpignan club began the season with high hopes of building on their historic 2018 Challenge Cup success and were sitting in third place after the Magic Weekend in May.

But they will finish outside the top five after winning just three of their last 11 matches.

Guash laid the blame for the collapse on the players and expressed his confidence in McNamara, who joined the club on a three-and-a-half-year contract in June 2017.

Asked if the coach’s position was in danger, Guasch replied: “No. We will extend his contract in the coming weeks of one or two years more.

“I cannot overstate what Steve McNamara brought to the club, saving us from (relegation in) the Million Pound Game in 2017, winning the Cup in 2018 and this year we were third in June.

“I’m not one of those people who say: ‘When we play a good game, the players are very good and when we lose and we’re bad, the coach is bad’. We will learn from the good lessons to make 2020 a big year.”

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/catala ... -1-9975384

[Wiganer Ted]

Steve McNamara needs to up his inspirational coaching if they are to improve!