Hicks

[Kiwiseddon]

An average Wigan display felt 100% worse with that clown at the helm. Awful ref display. I can't even begin to list the things wrong with his performance. Head tackles (or not) and control around the ruck would be a start. The penalty against Charnley for an incorrect PTB was laughable.

Hi Kiwi. Got to disagree with you about the penalty against Charnley. I think that was where the match was lost since after two storming breaks from Tierney and Charnley the Leeds defence was all over the field and we should have had a try after the PTB but Charnley made a complete farce of trying to get up and play the ball as he desperately looked for a penalty and if he had simply concentrated on getting up fast and playing the ball fast we would have scored and Leeds would have collapsed sooner. I do repeat my grumble that Hicks is not fit to be even a linesman though.

In my opinion Charnley did everything right. He went for a fast PTB and was impeded causing him to fall. He had regained his feet and placed the ball correctly and was then toppled by a slow tackler. Definite penalty to Wigan but he clown with the whistle decided against that. It was the turning point in the game. Hicks isn't fit to referee a lower league, second string game of tiddly winks, let alone SL.

[Owd Codger]

Not a bad result in view of Leeds showing some form of better play than they have all season and the fact that we fielded a weaken team.

I for one, expected a far bigger victory for Leeds and the fact it was not, only shows the strength of our large squad and the quality of the younger players from the Academy.

As for Hick, his performance does not surprise me seeing he is friend of Child.

[fozzieskem]

I was surprised at how easy once the coach got going it was to get there,the fog on the moors at the height of summer summed this year up weather wise for me,in the end it was a lovely night though.

I wonder if and where they're going to put away fans with the building work,for of the issues Leeds have (the biggest one being Leeds) the support just hasn't dropped its a credit to the club.

I didn't think Hicks had a bad game,missed a couple of things but don't they always.

[5miler]

Granted,Hicks was reffing at his usual standard but we can't use that for excuses for bad decisions by the lads. Josh should have taken half a second longer getting up,Leeds players were all over the place. How many times did we kick on 3rd and 4th tackle and who lost the plan for running plays. The line was way too flat for long periods. We need bodies back in the forward line,the lads look knackered. Sooty and Manfredi shouldn't have played by all accounts due to illness. Hats off to them for putting their hands to play. How unfit are Leeds? Lilley and co going down all second half with cramp. Lilley eventually subbed when he could no longer use his leg. Great game for TT. Some big last ditch tackles by him.

[Southern Softy]

Hicks was everything I dreaded and worse. Never in position to see what was going on illegally before and during a tackle.
I'm still not sure we played well enough to win but surely the last Leeds try was well offside. Unless Ferres and others have been training with Usain Bolt, they simply could not have got to the 'bomb' in time. As for the number of forward passes, especially by Segeyaro, how could they not be noticed?
As for the Charnley incident, it should have been a straight penalty for delaying play and probably a yellow card.
I'd also like someone to confirm or otherwise that the second-half tackling tactics by Leeds were illegal. Three men were always in the tackle with two stopping and pushing and the third pulling or dragging a player yards back. I thought that dragging a player had been outlawed.
A lousy game with Wigan playing poorly in the main but totally ruined by an incompetent referee.

[morley pie eater]

That's how it looked at the game tonight!

Tautai got a high shot right near the end I think, it was at the other end. When we saw him after the game he's lost a front tooth & had to have his mouth stitched!

Ryan Sutton nearly had his head took off but nothing was done 'play on' shouted Hicks.

Ryan Hall knocked on in a tackle, & knew he'd knocked on. He moreorless gave himself up but Hicks & touch judges just ignored it, Hall just laughed when the ref awarded a penalty!

They were slowing our play the ball down all the time, lying on & messing about, there some shocking offsides too from Leeds.

Showed how bad the officials were when our last try was a forward pass & he awarded it!!

Not watched back cos only got home at 1pm, all the bloody motorways were shut down. M60, M61 & the turn off for the East Lancs!

Going we set off at 4, we were sat for 30 minutes on the slip road waiting to get on to the M60 ????
Got there at 18.45! Followed the team bus thru Leeds, they set off at 2 but stopped off at services, they said. It was also raining hard from leaving Wigan & even had thick fog going over the moors. As soon as we got to Leeds it was clear!

Welcome to the reason we want matches on a Sunday afternoon Josie. The drive over past both Leeds and Manchester at rush hour is always a nightmare. If we leave at 5 we get to the DW at anytime between 7 and 8-30!
I am more concerned with the fact that you followed the team into Headingly. They must have been very near to being fined for not getting to the ground soon enough, presumably they weren't drinking heavily before the match so why the stop at Hartshead Moor? Get to the ground sooner and stretch the legs there.

Seconded Ian from Horsforth!

A Friday home game for us involves leaving before 6, queueing on M62, get into ground around 8, home 1130. Gave up years ago apart from once a season when we stay over (usually Saints match).

I accept the club have to do what's best for majority of fans who live within 5 miles of the DW. Also Sky matches will be on Fridays anyway. But look back fondly to the good old days of regular Sunday trips.

The consolation for me is we're less than half an hour from Huddersfield, Leeds, Cas, Wake, Bradford, and an easy 1 hour drive to Hull & Rovers. Not badly placed for Doncaster on a Friday night, either

[thegimble]

I was surprised at how easy once the coach got going it was to get there,the fog on the moors at the height of summer summed this year up weather wise for me,in the end it was a lovely night though.

I wonder if and where they're going to put away fans with the building work,for of the issues Leeds have (the biggest one being Leeds) the support just hasn't dropped its a credit to the club.

I didn't think Hicks had a bad game,missed a couple of things but don't they always.

I agree thought he gave us as much as he gave them. Charnley was an idiot to do what he did but players do it all season. Only issue I have is the one for the push on Hall should have gone to the screen as he was making an attempt for the ball and Hall blocked him off.

Refs are not against us they just seem that way. Childs is the only one I think is an awful ref. PTB was getting slowed by both sides.

[Kiwiseddon]

Hi Kiwi. Got to disagree with you about the penalty against Charnley. I think that was where the match was lost since after two storming breaks from Tierney and Charnley the Leeds defence was all over the field and we should have had a try after the PTB but Charnley made a complete farce of trying to get up and play the ball as he desperately looked for a penalty and if he had simply concentrated on getting up fast and playing the ball fast we would have scored and Leeds would have collapsed sooner. I do repeat my grumble that Hicks is not fit to be even a linesman though.

In my opinion Charnley did everything right. He went for a fast PTB and was impeded causing him to fall. He had regained his feet and placed the ball correctly and was then toppled by a slow tackler. Definite penalty to Wigan but he clown with the whistle decided against that. It was the turning point in the game. Hicks isn't fit to referee a lower league, second string game of tiddly winks, let alone SL.

I have to back up Ian on this having watched the game this morning. Charnley made an excellent break and needed to play the ball quickly to exploit the defence but instead he moved forward off the mark trying to milk the penalty. The Leeds player clamped the ball in the tackle but he let go before Charnley started pushing forward. Then he put the ball on the ground to milk it some more and Hicks had no option but to penalise him. It was dumb play.

Yes but facts like that don't support my argument

[josie andrews]

Granted,Hicks was reffing at his usual standard but we can't use that for excuses for bad decisions by the lads. Josh should have taken half a second longer getting up,Leeds players were all over the place. How many times did we kick on 3rd and 4th tackle and who lost the plan for running plays. The line was way too flat for long periods. We need bodies back in the forward line,the lads look knackered. Sooty and Manfredi shouldn't have played by all accounts due to illness. Hats off to them for putting their hands to play. How unfit are Leeds? Lilley and co going down all second half with cramp. Lilley eventually subbed when he could no longer use his leg. Great game for TT. Some big last ditch tackles by him.

Who is "Sooty"??

[markill]

What annoys me is how they swallow their whistle in the last 5 minutes of games. I get why, they don't want a decision to be what decides the game, they want the players to, but when you're behind on the board it can be infuriating! But that's an all officials in all sport thing, not a Hicks thing.

Leeds probably got the benefit of any 50/50s but that happens. A couple of high shots were missed. Nothing too glaring was wrong by the ref that I can remember, especially if people who've seen it on TV are saying he got that one with Josh right at the potb.

The reason we lost the game was the two tries from soft tackling that they had no right to score and it took us too long to actually run the forwards up the middle. It took the outside backs to show them the way. Too much sideways stuff without doing the hard work to make space first. Classic Waneball CP might say. It's certainly not the style of play we'd used to beat Leeds twice earlier this year.