Wigan squad for Semi Final

[widdenoldboy]

Notice how a hooker who wins man of the match is on the winning team it’s almost like number 9 is a important position isn’t it

Exactly!

Anyway, not sure why but we seemed off par from the start - the week off maybe?

We still have the odd bad game in us that Peet will hopefully iron out, although team selection was a bit puzzling. I'd have been OK with Powell in if O'Neil was on the bench, especially with Cust out.

[Firestarter]

All this powell blaming( and ,i myself thought brad shudda played, but. tommy was our worst tonight….. beena great servant but never been creative enough and his kicking game has always been ordinary……we should have been 20 points up at half time with better passing from tommy sam and bibby…… leeds suckered us big time and once they started playing( or throwing) the ball between there legs we were beaten…. I thought havard was our best by a mile

[WIGIAN]

Agree a new no 9 is needed but can't get past our marquee being terrible all season and an idiot this evening. Can't hold a candle to Faz a huge loss at the worst time.

[Wigan_forever1985]

All this powell blaming( and ,i myself thought brad shudda played, but. tommy was our worst tonight….. beena great servant but never been creative enough and his kicking game has always been ordinary……we should have been 20 points up at half time with better passing from tommy sam and bibby…… leeds suckered us big time and once they started playing( or throwing) the ball between there legs we were beaten…. I thought havard was our best by a mile

Don’t get me wrong powell wasn’t alone in being poor but I’ve said it a trillion times everything you do in a game of rugby stems from 9 - we were so slow getting down field Leeds had it easy to get back defensively

The occasion when Powell got the ball from an offload - O’Neill or another better hooker scores but he is the slowest man on the planet so there is no chance

Leeds played a lot like saints tonight which suprised me but they just stayed in the fight - we should have put them to bed but our players are always reviving passes 5-10m behind the play of the ball - there’s no flat passes of scoot and passes it’s so easy to get you line sorted

People will no doubt start calling me names for having the audacity to say bad things about captain tries a lot but he’s not good enough

O’Connor (man of the match hooker) has never even played hooker in the juniors it’s new to him and yet he completely destroyed what is supposed to be a seasoned vet 9

He’s a never was never will be waste of jersey and Wigan won’t move on until they do somehting about it

[Wigan1]

Thought Peet got the team selection completely wrong. 4 forwards on the bench just doesn’t work. It was obvious we were going to try and play up the middle and we never changed our game plan, we didn’t use Field, French or Marshall like we have all year. I like Powell but O’Neil should have started, he’s much more of a running threat. Thought Mago was poor again and we really missed Cust and Farrell.

[nathan_rugby]

Agree a new no 9 is needed but can't get past our marquee being terrible all season and an idiot this evening. Can't hold a candle to Faz a huge loss at the worst time.

Two seasons

[Firestarter]

Thought Peet got the team selection completely wrong. 4 forwards on the bench just doesn’t work. It was obvious we were going to try and play up the middle and we never changed our game plan, we didn’t use Field, French or Marshall like we have all year. I like Powell but O’Neil should have started, he’s much more of a running threat. Thought Mago was poor again and we really missed Cust and Farrell.

i couldnt believe mago was struggling to get back onside 3 mins into the second half

[DaveO]

The injuries to Cust and Faz, French in the game and of course Bateman all contributed as did a Peet picking Powell despite his layoff which I said in the Powell thread the other week would be a mistake and so it proved.

That said I am not totally surprised at the result. Since the CC the only notable win in the league was against Saints. We have stuffed a few teams with injuries like Hull but any team that has put a shift in against us like Leeds at their pace, Wakefield and now tonight we have not been good enough. The away form has been crap as well.

The CC win is great. Another one to add to the record but this team and the coach aren’t the finished article yet. It needs strengthening in the centres at least and can’t rely on Field and French (if he’s still here) next season. Unfortunately and for some weird reason the obvious need to seek improvement at 9, rammed home tonight, is off the table.

[fozzieskem]

Thought Peet got the team selection completely wrong. 4 forwards on the bench just doesn’t work. It was obvious we were going to try and play up the middle and we never changed our game plan, we didn’t use Field, French or Marshall like we have all year. I like Powell but O’Neil should have started, he’s much more of a running threat. Thought Mago was poor again and we really missed Cust and Farrell.

The game was lost a fortnight ago when Cust was injured I admire Tommy for a great career but it showed how clunky the side are with him in the halves..it was like the Lam era all over again,wouldn’t have played Powell O’Neil was going well enough to keep his place,agreed the 4 forwards never works,not sure why Peet thought it would tonight.

Moore his usual self..but that said Wigan not at the races at all tonight,but in the end it won’t spoil a brilliant season.

[Wiganer Ted]

Playing TL at 6 was a disaster. As soon as the ball reached him we slowed.

Both teams had numerous injured players missing. Yet we all know our biggest asset is pace with French, Field & Marshall yet we need exploited it. When we were so slow from first and second receiver the game was made a lot easier for Leeds than it should have been.

Given the possession and field position in the first half we should have had the game won by half time. That we didn't is down to us lacking the ability to put on attacking moves. That is something to look at for next season.