Fixes for the team

[morley pie eater]

For clarification:

My post was musings about what may be the tactic of Wane/Bitcon. I may be wrong, but thought it's worth seeing what others thought. I didn't claim it was working well, just that I suspected something along these lines may be happening.

I never suggested that Wane doesn't care if we're losing at half time, but that there may be an attempt at containment in first half to "win the energy battle" and dominate 2nd half when tired defences are more vulnerable.

DaveO, you implicitly agree that Wane sees Lockers as a "middle" rather than a prop or 13 (exactly what I was saying), yet seem to want to make an argument if it?

Similarly "split halves": I only used this as an example, and said nothing about agreeing or otherwise, yet you seem to feel the need to go into detail on every minor point...

As Meds said: "OK, you win!"

[Wigan_forever1985]

Statements that one player is better than another are by definition opinions. They may be widely held opinions, but they *are* opinions nevertheless, not facts.

I might score your two cherry-picked sides slightly differently, but would tend to agree that the earlier team looks better.

But, there are other factors at play here. To what extent have tactics in the game changed since then. Would that earlier, 'better' team be as successful in the modern game? We don't know for sure.

What I do believe is the continually heard whining about a massive decrease in the standard of the game is:

a) opinion

b) in my view, over-stated.

As I said in my original post, if we were declining that fast, the Aussies would be putting 60-80 points on us by now.

I’m not comparing player against player though like I say I’m comparing standard against standard

Sam Tomkins in 2011 was class as a world class player hence why he attracted a world record fee from the nrl - do we have a world class player now at full back who would do the same no we don’t

The two centres were classed as top draw centre Martin Gleeson considered one of the best to play the game - likewise carmount one the best imports

Do we have two centres now who are held in the same regard - no we don’t

Regardless of the whatever tactics or game changes you go off we have a substantially less talented team than we had back then

Lockers is the only player in the squad who is unarguably a top draw player

Sam has been good this season but a class apart from the fb that left for nz- him being younger etc is irrelevant the point remains we had a better fb in 2011 than in today’s squad

Our squad like many is made up of potentially good players where as in the past it was made up of proven good players - and that’s superleague now teams of potential which is why you get such random levels of performances imo

Williams/gildart/currie/Richardson/ward all considered important players are all just kids who play well every now and then - they haven’t beeen there and done it like players of the past had to be to play those positions and they are playing at top teams

Think of the players past at halfback for the top teams and when I say that don’t think of the player but their standing in the game at that point. Lam for example I’m not comparing lam to Powell but think of the play lam was a world class in the prime of his career 7

Long - Paul - briers - deacon - Harris - maguire - Barrett - Lyon the list goes on

Name 1 half back from the superleague today who fits the bill of a player that is prime of his career and a top top draw player the same level as anyone in the list above - if you say Gale you’re kidding yourself, Gale is a good half back in the new era of the poor superleague

[moto748]

I only said that Gale was the half with the best all-round game in SL now, and I stand by that view. That doesn't mean, and I don't think, that he can hold a candle to some of the great players we've seen over the years.

[Mike]

I think the standard this season is on the rise. The last two years were rubbish but most games I'm doing this season are worth watching. This is across the SL, not just Wigan games.

[Wigan_forever1985]

I only said that Gale was the half with the best all-round game in SL now, and I stand by that view. That doesn't mean, and I don't think, that he can hold a candle to some of the great players we've seen over the years.

But doesnt that statement prove my point then? that superleague is now a lower quality than it has been in the past?

[Wigan_forever1985]

I think the standard this season is on the rise. The last two years were rubbish but most games I'm doing this season are worth watching. This is across the SL, not just Wigan games.

I think teams in general have had better injury situations so far, i still think the games lack intensity though

[jobo]

I think the standard this season is on the rise. The last two years were rubbish but most games I'm doing this season are worth watching. This is across the SL, not just Wigan games.

I'd agree.

Still seeing too many errors from what are pro sportsmen (when compared to the NRL) but I'd say this season is markedly better than 2016/17.

[moto748]

I think the standard this season is on the rise. The last two years were rubbish but most games I'm doing this season are worth watching. This is across the SL, not just Wigan games.

I don't have Sky and don't see every game, but certainly the Wigan games this season have provided plenty of entertainment, and we had a candidate for try of the season last week with that wonderful score from Lockers' sublime flick pass. If that try had been scored in a prime-time Union match like the 6N, the commentators would have absolutely creaming themselves, and there would have been clips shown on the Six O'Clock News!

This is what irritates me about the mood of pessimism that seems to hang over the sport like a cloud. It's really not a matter of whether George Carmont was a better player than Dan Sarginson (and is there really any debate about that?), we have a great sport with talented youngsters coming through all the time. We are so keen to run our own sport down!