Wigan 24 Saints 26

[cpwigan]

So let's get this right Dave are you saying having Lockers in the team today would have made no difference :sigh:

[DaveO]

So let's get this right Dave are you saying having Lockers in the team today would have made no difference :sigh:

No I am saying we have been conceding far too many points in recent weeks whether he has played or not. Do you think otherwise?

Dave

[NathanCroucher]

It's a massive shame we lost and We both made mistakes and obviously Bentham made plenty as per usual but I ain't getting too worked up about this, I think we can still do well for the rest of this season. Karl Pryce shouldn't have been played and Carmont was to blame for one of there tries but it happens. I am confident about the rest of the season and whoever thinks Madge is a bad coach and wants Noble back is clearly either a troll or just has issues, that's the strangest opinion I have ever read on here.

[cpwigan]

So let's get this right Dave are you saying having Lockers in the team today would have made no difference :sigh:

No I am saying we have been conceding far too many points in recent weeks whether he has played or not. Do you think otherwise?

Dave

I would prefer not to be conceding so many points but given the furore over our tactics, the players missing, changes to the team then alas it is price you pay. However, when it matters the players have often shown they can defend steadfastly and had Lockers been in that team today you would have seen a Wigan win.

[Wigan_forever1985]

Im not too disheartened within 2 points of a team that have been top of the pile for the last 5-6 years without a key player (lets not mistake how big a loss lockers is in attack and defence). Close match could of swung either way great effort from the lads

[moranmore]

Lockers would have not made a ha'peth of difference.
We were beaten by Bentham and Thaler. If that was a try of Meli's I give up. I thought you had to have downward pressure on the ball to score a try.Also, why wasn't Cunningham sin binned for a blatant punch.
One of the commentators said "Wigan just dont seem to be able to win when Bentham has the whistle"

[DaveO]

So let's get this right Dave are you saying having Lockers in the team today would have made no difference :sigh:

No I am saying we have been conceding far too many points in recent weeks whether he has played or not. Do you think otherwise?

Dave

I would prefer not to be conceding so many points but given the furore over our tactics, the players missing, changes to the team then alas it is price you pay. However, when it matters the players have often shown they can defend steadfastly and had Lockers been in that team today you would have seen a Wigan win.

Lockers can't tackle every man on the pitch and while that is not his only contribution to the side (far from it) we have been conceding too many points. Look at the stats for the season and it doesn't look good and so whatever the reasons we need to tighten the defences up.

It obviously does not matter so much of you concede 26 and can score more at the other end but we are conceding twenty odd points or more regularly with what we might consider more of a full strength side than we had out today and it needs to be tightened up big time IMO.

I am however hopeful we will have our better defensive players back in a few weeks with both Lockers and Hansen to return. So I am looking for things to improve in the defence when they do but I don't think their return will make the issue vanish because we can't rely on those two completely and need to be able to defend scrums 10m out and stop soft tries like Meli's being scored. It does my nut in when we are undone by conceding soft tries having grown up in the Monie era of defence.

Dave

[cpwigan]

No I am saying we have been conceding far too many points in recent weeks whether he has played or not. Do you think otherwise?

Dave

I would prefer not to be conceding so many points but given the furore over our tactics, the players missing, changes to the team then alas it is price you pay. However, when it matters the players have often shown they can defend steadfastly and had Lockers been in that team today you would have seen a Wigan win.

Lockers can't tackle every man on the pitch and while that is not his only contribution to the side (far from it) we have been conceding too many points. Look at the stats for the season and it doesn't look good and so whatever the reasons we need to tighten the defences up.

It obviously does not matter so much of you concede 26 and can score more at the other end but we are conceding twenty odd points or more regularly with what we might consider more of a full strength side than we had out today and it needs to be tightened up big time IMO.

I am however hopeful we will have our better defensive players back in a few weeks with both Lockers and Hansen to return. So I am looking for things to improve in the defence when they do but I don't think their return will make the issue vanish because we can't rely on those two completely and need to be able to defend scrums 10m out and stop soft tries like Meli's being scored. It does my nut in when we are undone by conceding soft tries having grown up in the Monie era of defence.

Dave

We certainly would not have conceded the Pryce try Dave and I would suggest he may have been somewhere near Roby. However, you must start to develop you understanding of RL Dave. Spacing and drift are two of Lockers strengths so just his presence in the defensive line makes other defenders in the line better.

Likewise. We have very limited playmaking in our team because Tommy is a unique 'scrum half' in that running is his forte which is why some say he is a hooker. Organising and playmaking passing are not his strengths. lockers is a superior playmaker when passing and would have added points to our score with his passing ability.

[Kittwazzer]

OK here's my four pennorth!

Wigan kicked off and played the entire first half with the sun in their eyes. They fluffed some chances and should have come away with far more than 2 points after all their domination. I coulod have cried when Pat knocked on for a 'sitter'!

That said, 6-16 at Half Time, I thought we could do em, particularly as the sun was going lower and would cause them more problems than it caused us.

What happened? Second half, the sun hid bedind a bloody cloud!

With 12 minutes to go, two things happened. The sun came back out and KP left the field. Hell, even Bentham had to shield his eyes to see what was going on. And that was when we hit form.

I place todays loss firmly in the hands of the Sun God and Karl Pryce, who IMO, should never play for us again!

Sorry, but that is how I feel. he has milked us long enough!

[MrDave]

I think St Helens played really well, they had a good game plan and stuck to it, Keiron Cunningham was running the show for Saints. The speed of their play-the-ball is very impressive and for parts of the first half their plays were just smarter than Wigan's. Plus their first half kicking game was excellent.

It was good to see a Wigan team rally back were in previous season they would have rolled over to a Saints team.

I think Wigan still lack the big game ability, which will cost us winning the Grand Final this season. Wigan have no real stand-out leader and Maguire is in his first head coach position and sometimes it shows.