Re: Wigan & Leeds

josie andrews · Post by **josie andrews** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:58 pm

Some of the big hits from our young fowards were cracking

DaveO · Post by **DaveO** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:06 am

Kiwiseddon wrote:
DaveO wrote:
Kiwiseddon wrote:Just read on the BBC website that SW's opening comments about the game were that he lost his Dad on Wednesday.
Really feel for the bloke. Personally i couldn't do what he's done in travelling to Leeds for the game but he expressed his wish to 'get back to work'.
Each to their own and fair play. My deepest sympathies too.
I can understand that attitude. My Dad passed away last year and is used to be three generations of us as season ticket holders. Now its two. (and my son is part timer as he is at UNI). I found it easier to carry on as normal and I made a point of going to the games despite the empty seat.
Oh I admire him for what he's done. As I say, I couldn't have done it. Whatever works for the individual. There's no right or wrong way of dealing with a family member dying. I was just shocked and saddened to read the news.

I agree and didn't wish to imply anything negative about your post. You have to deal with it how you see fit. I work for the OU as a tutor part time and I went and gave a tutorial on the Saturday in the week my Dad died. I am sure it was some sort of defense mechanism that others might have misconstrued but I don't care about that and to a degree I was on auto-pilot so I can certainly see where he is coming from.

cpwigan · Post by **cpwigan** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:06 am

We are what we are; An incredibly hard working well motivated group of players lacking exerience in many key positions and overly reliant on Sam T for attacking X factor. However, we were playing the GF winners at their home minus only their fullback and winger?. So is there anything amazing to fear in SL? NO IMO but we are in a pack of 4-6 clubs and need to be far better to overcome those teams.

Last season Waney opted for Murphy IMO at the wrong time/game in a simple like for like swap. However, fullback is a pretty unique position in RL today. Hence, why when I thought about it although at the onset a silly idea, putting Powell there made more and more sense to me. Fullbacks play like a 3rd halfback now, he offered an alternative kicking game, great reading of the game and leadership.

Worse, we then have the game of musical chairs which sees too many positional changes and takes out one of our magor attacking weapons that is rapidly becoming oddly forgotten / extint; Pat Richards aerial prowess. Under Madge we dined out on Pat catching kicks, some say too much. We now have Pat and Thornley who together can offer a huge height advantage. In tight games kicks are the easiest and hardest to defend way of scoring tries. We lost Sam, we then take the potential of Pat out the equation too. We need to get back to what works and what is the simplest, most dangerous threat to opposition defences, kicking to Pat and now Thornley. Powell for example at fullback would have offered a fantastic kicking game. Brough shows that no matter how good a team is they are susceptible to kicks.

It was good to see Thornley play well BUT he is a centre, a proper centre. Hughesy BTW is a back rower. Play people in their proper positions IMO.

We can make our attack better. Early days in the NRL but they seem to have moved the second man play on a level by running options back inside at the same time. Centres in the NRL seem very pro active now in taking charge of disrupting second man plays BUT that opens the inside option and/or the short pass to the lead runner.

I would like to see Taylor given a go more too from the start. If we go light at the start then play tactics to suit light players. I presume with Bailey at LF and so forth we could / should have been making the bigger Rhino forwards hurry and scurry with our speed and footwork. If not then go big particularly at the start with Taylor and/or Dudson.

Right or wrong I think King could have done a good job this season. Shame we did not retain him for another 12 months.

Great effort BUT we need to get the maximum out of our players to be better than the rest of the leading pack. Luckily we are not polishing turds, rather rough diamonds!

DaveO · Post by **DaveO** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:14 am

Good assessment CPW but regarding Powel v Richards selection this was Sinfield kicking.

Do you think he would have coped under the inevitable barrage from Sinfield?

I can understand Wane selecting Richards at FB v Sinfield after last years semi-final which I think we would have probably won had he done the same then.

The problem is when we do lose Sam we still play as if he was still in the side. The tactics don't change to take account of him not being there.

There would be nothing wrong with Richards at FB in Sam's absence if Smith and Green (Smith particularly) took the line on more themselves.

We do have a lot of injuries to deal with but we just do not adapt very well to Sam not being there.

Kiwiseddon · Post by **Kiwiseddon** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:28 am

josie andrews wrote:
Kiwiseddon wrote:Just as an aside, our kicking game was pretty good.
Our kicking was sh##e!!

Straight down the throat to either Ryan Hall or Kallum Watkins, think that let us down along with the several daft mistakes.

Ok ok. I'm wrong about the kicking, Lockers and it appears pretty much everything else!!!!!! I'll stand corrected and shut up for the night.
Sometimes you just have to accept it when you're wrong, which demonstrably I appear to be.

Oh well. You can't win em all.

cpwigan · Post by **cpwigan** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:28 am

Powell IMO is a better fielder of kicks than say Murphy. No doubt he would have been targetted BUt IMO he has the mental toughness / ability to deal with such things. Moreso than Murphy.

Green has been excellent for us IMO BUT for KR he was awesome as a runner stepping when going left to right. We seem to play him more right to left.

josie andrews · Post by **josie andrews** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:30 am

Kiwiseddon wrote:
josie andrews wrote:
Kiwiseddon wrote:Just as an aside, our kicking game was pretty good.
Our kicking was sh##e!!

Straight down the throat to either Ryan Hall or Kallum Watkins, think that let us down along with the several daft mistakes.
Ok ok. I'm wrong about the kicking, Lockers and it appears pretty much everything else!!!!!! I'll stand corrected and shut up for the night.
Sometimes you just have to accept it when you're wrong, which demonstrably I appear to be.

Oh well. You can't win em all.

Forgiven

x

josie andrews · Post by **josie andrews** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:32 am

Shaun Reflects on Leeds Defeat

Wigan Warriors were narrowly defeated by Leeds Rhinos 18-14 in a close fought game at Headingley on Friday night.

In a difficult week for Head Coach Shaun Wane following the passing of his Father, he told the press post match,

"It has been a tough week for me but this is my job and you have to move on, it was my decision to come into work, it has been a sad week for my family but my Dad wanted me to do this and there was no question of me not turning up tonight. I thought it was a fairly good performance from us, we just lacked a bit of composure in the important parts of the field.

"It was a game we could have won, they put a lot of pressure on you Leeds but I think there were times we could have done better.

"This game could have gone the other way, we threw away a few chances where we could have scored and I could have quite easily have been sitting here talking about a Wigan win but it wasn't to be. You have to commend Leeds, they can grind out wins and they have great players in their team."

Wigan went into the game missing Sam Tomkins with a dead leg and Shaun added,

"We decided last night following a fitness test, he just wasn't right with a dead leg but he will be OK for next Saturday."

Matty Smith took over the goal kicking duties, Shaun confirmed Pat Richards had been suffering from a groin injury.

The Wigan players wore black armbands for the game as a mark of respect folowing the death of Shaun's Father earlier in the week.

http://www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... &type=news

loyalbelfast · Post by **loyalbelfast** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 1:02 am

is it a trophy winning team ?(remember we've lost to Hudd & Leeds, with the draw with War, what's next?)?
Leeds outplayed us in may quarters albeit the final score did not reflect it though
Do not see that X-factor in the team, does anyone?
Youngsters/Spirit/Effort/Committment are all well & good & welcome. sure that Salford, London gave some of those factors but so what its TROPHIES in a cabinet that matter not what might have been (again!)
Getting worried by what I see so far but would love to be proven wrong

Ancient & Loyal just like BElfast

josie andrews · Post by **josie andrews** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 1:41 am

mickw wrote:I,m just back from the game and im proud of the effort put in by the players 100% is good enough for me

Well said Mick