Sarge!!

[thegimble]

Not that worried CP he was looking ok until the Wakey injury. Think out medical staff are better than NZW and we will get him ready and fixed for next season.

But I do agree its make or break for him.

[DaveO]

It is possible to celebrate Sarg doing well without using it as a stick to beat Sam with. He showed only 3 weeks ago that he could be central to beating Wire so it is insane to assert that we would have lost with him playing.
I think LF was a worthy man of the match - he and Bateman play a massive part in attack and defence every week.
Having watched Sarg since he first played for London, he has always been capable of brilliant matches, and works as hard as any player you could hope to see. Unsurprisingly, he has some significant faults, as a result of having started his career at Hemel. He was an inspired signing by IL and has improved significantly under Wane.

I'd agree with most of that except saying signing Sarge was "inspired". That is a complete exaggeration. He certainly had good games at the business end of this season which were long overdue! His name was mud on here a while back and not without justification.

IL has made an inspired signing and that is Bateman. Without him this season (despite the suspension) I doubt we would have finished second and had the shot we did at the GF. The same cannot be said of Sarge's earlier season contributions.

I also agree Faz was deserved MoM. Another one of his trademark breaks we missed so much when he was out injured (given our stunted attack) was crucial in the final though I am sure he got the award for the whole game not just that.

Going back to Sarge, a handful of good games isn't enough to have me regretting he has left. The only issue I have with him going is we don't seem to have centre or FB covered in 2017. Sam is injured and if one of Gells or Gildart is out, we are stuffed at centre.

[lucky 13]

The jury's out to see if he can be the same player it's the pace that takes time. Signs with the wire game that he's still got the hands to unlock tight games. It may not be from FB.
Sarge must have pushed into the GB squad although it may be from centre between him and Ratchford for me for 1. Sarge could play anywhere and do a job he's a fit lad hands are decent; strong, pace he's a lot like Ratchford is for Warrington very good utility who's best position is probably full back and I think both could make a good case for a 13 in years gone.

[Exiled Wiganer]

I still don't understand why a thread about saying that Sarginson played well - which he did - he is twice the player he was before we signed him on his good days -
has to have Sam would have lost us that game definitely attached to it. Start a new thread on Sam then if that is the discussion. In any event we only need to look back a few weeks to find a game in which Sam was actually central to a wonderful win over the Wire.
Sarg played well and we beat them yesterday.
Sam played well and we won a few weeks ago.
As to Sarg being the complete package having watched hundreds of his games I cannot see it. He was hopeless earlier this year at 1 constantly throwing the ball into touch and mis timing his runs. He can be very good but will always have his flaws.
As to Bateman being the reason we won anything that understates the contributions of so many other players - many of whom wouldn't have needed the referee to save them giving aaay a crucial try by having the ball stolen by the world's strongest man Ryan Atkins...
:sly:

[cpwigan]

FB - Sam - Sarge :exc:

I think Bateman is our next captain and probably our best player this season.

[DaveO]

As to Bateman being the reason we won anything that understates the contributions of so many other players

No it just underlines the importance of Bateman to the team this year. If as was rumoured at the time the club was going to sack him I doubt we'd have finished second and possibly not even in the top four nor have won the GF as a result. I am sure several other players have had their moments but none have been as consistently as good as Bateman. I have seen him take the game to the opposition virtually single handed more than once this season and be the difference between us posing any threat at all and none at all. He is also (unlike Sarge) a natural RL player. He is my player of the season by a country mile and I don't think pointing out his massive contribution does anything other than put his contribution in its rightful place.

[Exiled Wiganer]

I suppose it is semantics - I would not argue if he were player of the year. He is a brilliant player: but he was not great in the grand final - dropping the ball, missing the tackle that gave them their try and having the ball stolen from him by a small centre - plus we did very well when he was banned for his own behaviour. So it seems to me to be stretching the point to say that we would not have won the title without him, unless we also list players like Williams, Powell, Farrell, Smith, Gelling, Charnley and FPN for whom the same point can be made.
I agree he was our best player in a number of games - we had different best players in other games as well.

[i'm spartacus]

Dropping the ball? It was an appalling attempt at a pass. The 'missed tackle' was more to do with Matty Smith taking too much notice of the man outside Patten, and Hicks blew the whistle and stopped play before little Ryan Atkins - who is in any event roughly the same height and weight as JB at 6' 1" and near 16 stone - went on his meaningless glory run

[Exiled Wiganer]

Dropping the ball? It was an appalling attempt at a pass. The 'missed tackle' was more to do with Matty Smith taking too much notice of the man outside Patten, and Hicks blew the whistle and stopped play before little Ryan Atkins - who is in any event roughly the same height and weight as JB at 6' 1" and near 16 stone - went on his meaningless glory run

Well that's one way of looking at it.