Wigan 16 Warrington 23

[gpartin]

Coley and McIlorum in = different result even with all the early errors as far as I'm concerned. We'll miss Piggy loads next year and need to get a proper hooker and keep Lulu where he is. The fact that we were so close to a full strength Wire side with so many players in who had not played in Super League too often is testament to how far we have come and the big hits will have done the likes of Tuson and Faz the world of good... DaveO as much as I can appreciate what you're saying about Deacon Madge has to read the game as it goes along, I think he made mistakes in the Leeds game but who should he have brought off to bring him on in your opinion and who would you have put Feka in instead of? My feeling is he would have been even more of a liability than usual in the conditions and the fact that you won't allow people to assume he would have been poor, but you are allowed to assume he would have made all the difference, shows that regardless how logically you present your answers to posts, the evidence those answers is based on is weak to say the least.

[j658]

Coley and McIlorum in = different result even with all the early errors as far as I'm concerned.

Agree 100%.

[thomo]

our pack is not big enough - end of story as far as i am concerned
last night we had two and a half props in the 17 (Mossop will make a great prop in about three years but for now is a second rower.

yes we want a mobile pack - but Hansen, Lockers, Tuson and Farrell are all mobile - we need a BIT OF POWER IN THE PACK

what is happening to prescott - he needs to put some more size on himself - he needs to bulk up as he was a dwaf compared to there front rowers.

I heard before there was a little bit left in the cap for a signing this year - if feka is not going to play then we need another prop - does not have to be 19 stone but front row is a mans game - and we are putting small boys in there

[TedMac]

Agree our forwards were not big enough. Tony Smith believes in bulking players up where Madge prefers them slimmer and fitter.
Other problem for me was the wasted high kicks in the first half. Myler and Briers went for grubbers which caused a lot more problems.
Add in Mossop being injured, Fielden concussed and one or two others limping and the sheer weight of Wire was always going to squeeze home.
As somebody said, Coley and Michael Mac could have just clinched it for us- Michael is a great aggressive tackler.

One question - how do Warrington afford such a massive squad?

[Brian McTigue]

It is a very interesting point re big players. I too thought we lacked a bit of grunt up front but maybe that is too simplistic. For those fans that think you cannot win anything with a smaller front row perhaps they should think back and remember the WCC victory v Brisbane at Brisbane achieved with a PROP called Billy McGinty. Several do or die victories achieved with a prop called Mick Forshaw v the amazing Kevin Ward.
Selecting a team with the present Wigan team is not easy. Riddell has moments of magic, he did last night but his knees cannot withstand playing 80 minutes so you already have 1 player in a key position who needs regular interchange. You then have great players like Amos, Loughlin, Hansen just getting back into the swing so they need replacements just in case etc.
What has been achieved in a short space of time with this squad of players is remarkable but the margin between defeat or victory at the highest level is so tiny (Leeds in the CC = one last gasp missed tackle) that everything or most things have to be spot on in the crunch games. We know when healthy and firing on full cylinders this squad of players can put on great attack but when the players are in the treatment room more than the training pitch then things are not going to be perfect. Surely much better to have faced this in the last month + and build towards the play offs remembering we are top of SL and hardly ever losing. A fantastic season thus far and it could get even better. Have some faith and belief. The players did not do not bottle it but it is far from easy and we can all play the game like Wally Lewis or Andrew Johns from behind our keyboards.

[DaveO]

It is a very interesting point re big players. I too thought we lacked a bit of grunt up front but maybe that is too simplistic.

No, it was obvious. Many people are saying so here and on rlfans. They can't all be wrong.

For those fans that think you cannot win anything with a smaller front row perhaps they should think back and remember the WCC victory v Brisbane at Brisbane achieved with a PROP called Billy McGinty. Several do or die victories achieved with a prop called Mick Forshaw v the amazing Kevin Ward.

Our pack was beaten last night. Simple as that. Against Brisane we had and experienced team out so even though Billy Mc was propping he was not a young player learning the game but a seasoned pro and a very good one. There is no comparison between the team that we put out v Brisbane and the young pack we played v Wire. Ditto when Forshaw ever propped. He didn't do it as the only experienced player in the pack.

Selecting a team with the present Wigan team is not easy. Riddell has moments of magic, he did last night but his knees cannot withstand playing 80 minutes so you already have 1 player in a key position who needs regular interchange. You then have great players like Amos, Loughlin, Hansen just getting back into the swing so they need replacements just in case etc.

I agree there are certain selection headaches for Madge and really the only position we have strength in depth is the back row. With Feka out of the picture we simply need Fielden and Coley available or we get what we got last night. When one of them is not available we can't put out a pack to compete with Wire's and this is compounded by the Feka situation.

What has been achieved in a short space of time with this squad of players is remarkable but the margin between defeat or victory at the highest level is so tiny (Leeds in the CC = one last gasp missed tackle) that everything or most things have to be spot on in the crunch games. We know when healthy and firing on full cylinders this squad of players can put on great attack but when the players are in the treatment room more than the training pitch then things are not going to be perfect.

This is partly Wigan'a fault due to the way it has handled the Feka situation IMO.

The players did not do not bottle it but it is far from easy and we can all play the game like Wally Lewis or Andrew Johns from behind our keyboards.

Shut the forum down then. There is obvously no point discussing anything or having an opinion because we must know nothing and dare not question the selections or whatever.

Dave

[ian b]

It is a very interesting point re big players. I too thought we lacked a bit of grunt up front but maybe that is too simplistic. For those fans that think you cannot win anything with a smaller front row perhaps they should think back and remember the WCC victory v Brisbane at Brisbane achieved with a PROP called Billy McGinty. Several do or die victories achieved with a prop called Mick Forshaw v the amazing Kevin Ward.
Selecting a team with the present Wigan team is not easy. Riddell has moments of magic, he did last night but his knees cannot withstand playing 80 minutes so you already have 1 player in a key position who needs regular interchange. You then have great players like Amos, Loughlin, Hansen just getting back into the swing so they need replacements just in case etc.
What has been achieved in a short space of time with this squad of players is remarkable but the margin between defeat or victory at the highest level is so tiny (Leeds in the CC = one last gasp missed tackle) that everything or most things have to be spot on in the crunch games. We know when healthy and firing on full cylinders this squad of players can put on great attack but when the players are in the treatment room more than the training pitch then things are not going to be perfect. Surely much better to have faced this in the last month + and build towards the play offs remembering we are top of SL and hardly ever losing. A fantastic season thus far and it could get even better. Have some faith and belief. The players did not do not bottle it but it is far from easy and we can all play the game like Wally Lewis or Andrew Johns from behind our keyboards.

That Brisbane side had 8 or 9 of the Australian side in it including some of the biggest props around and one awesome hooker!.We had Skerret out and Platt wouldnt play for insurance reasons i think and we still give it them with a brilliant defensive display and oh how Edwards ran rings around Alfie Langer!!!

[Brian McTigue]

Interesting Mr Dave O. Am I right in you claiming that the biggest pack always wins? You certainly seemed to have decided before a ball had been passed or a tackle made that the Wigan pack was not good enough to competye with the Wire pack Am I right or wrong that was your assertion?

[DaveO]

Interesting Mr Dave O. Am I right in you claiming that the biggest pack always wins? You certainly seemed to have decided before a ball had been passed or a tackle made that the Wigan pack was not good enough to competye with the Wire pack Am I right or wrong that was your assertion?

CPW you have been banned already.

Dave

[mike binder]

the biggest turning point in the game for me was when fielden was hammered again by morley, Smiths tactical game was to bully wigan off the ball and his tactic won.

I know a few people have mentioned that we missed coley and for me this was the biggest difference between the two sides. Wires pack set a real good platform for briers to play his kicking game, and we just weren't quick enough off the line in defence to brake him down. The pack sets the platform for the backs to run the gaps and tonight we lost the battle.

With coley macca and a fully fit lockers we will win the league title but will we win or get to the grand final???
I not sure we have enough steel or fire power yet but next season who knows

we couldnt get to briers as we were took a very deep 10 ,they got at our kickers on several occasions as they were only taken back a very shallow 7 and how many times did they take our kicker out ,which i was told by the head ref on several occasions is a yellow card offence