Wigan squad for Hull KR (R9)

[NICKYKISS]

Miski? I actually thought he was one of our better performers on a poor night. Not saying he was good, but hardly the worst.

I’m talking the season as a whole. He’s not hit the heights of last year but there are reasons for that (lack of a pre season, new partnerships etc) and I do think he’s improved over the last few weeks. He’s said himself in an interview with Wigan Today that he’s not been totally happy with his form. He’ll get there though, as they all will.

[widdenoldboy]

Miski? I actually thought he was one of our better performers on a poor night. Not saying he was good, but hardly the worst.

Not as good as he was last eason to my eye. Just not making the impact on the out sets.

Agree to some extent but teams are wise to his way of playing, KR certainly "keyed" on him but TBF he kept running it in. However we didn't get our other 3/4 into that part of the game until the 2nd half. Also, KR spotted and snuffed out a lot of our moves by good line speed and one man rushing out of the line, hopefully we can read that better and get behind them.

[Firestarter]

I think playing both cooper and havard was a bad move although there is juice in both tanks now.Although it backfired it might benefit next week.I would personally see how we go against cats before the axe comes out and keep everyone on there toes.Im predicting a big win against cats now.One weird thing i read in mattys comments were about players holding there hands up and ( coaching staff).Its as though something hasnt been done right on the training ground.Strange one for sure

[Charriots Offiah]

I must be watching a different Leeming most weeks. Outside of a mare at Saints, I think he’s added threat when he’s come on to the field and has been a good point of difference for us. He caused KR plenty of problems last night. He ran for 101 metres from 10 carries and made 21 tackles, with zero misses. I’m Brad O’Neill’s biggest fan but that was probably the quietest game I’ve seen him have in the first team and I actually thought Leeming lifted the side when he came on.

It’s a game of opinions I suppose but there are one or two players spots I’d be questioning before Leeming as things stand.

His passing from dummy half is not good enough and it is something that he badly needs to sort out. Our half backs need quick quality passes and they are simply not getting them. I accept that he needs time to bed in and therefore I am happy to wait and see what he delivers as the season goes on. Perhaps we need to change our tactics to accommodate him e.g. our forwards landing on their front to create a quick play the ball. I’d be interested to learn which players you think should be left out of the team.

Running for over 100 metres from 10 carries would suggest he got opportunities last night to make an impact and I felt he did that. I’ll have to pay more attention to his distribution because I’ve not really noticed either way as to the quality of it.

In terms of players I think ‘should’ be left out, there aren’t any just yet but I said a couple should be in a conversation for their spots going forward, so I’m saying they need to improve before it reaches that stage. One is Adam Keighran for me. I’m not at the stage of leaving him out but we need more from him and an increase in workrate should be a priority. The props have so much competition they can’t have a game off and none of them fired last night, so a couple could be in danger for next week with Byrne back and Hill waiting for a chance. I’d say a few others have been well off their best over the course of the season to date so far (Faz, Smith and Miski spring to mind) but they have credit in the bank and as I’ve said previously, there is no need for OTT reactions after a poor performance.

A fair assessment. I understand what you mean about Keighran’s work rate but realistically we didn’t sign him to be another King, he is more of a Wardle type player with excellent kicking skills from the tee. I would like to get the ball to him earlier so that a one on one scenario is created.
Smith is too predictable at the minute and we need to make him a lesser focus of our attack by sharing the work amongst our other creative players, personally I would like Bevan to get his hands on the ball more often and attack the defensive line, ditto Field. Miski has definitely not been as effective this season but I put that down to the injury he has had, now the strapping is off we should see him improve. I think Byrne will return this week, he needs game time after a month off, with no reserve fixture there are few options available. It will be interesting to see who misses out.

I know that I singled Leeming out but I am not blaming him for our loss. Rugby League games are won or lost collectively and our team needs to improve on the whole. Finding that extra 1% is vital and I am confident that come the big games the team will raise its performance. HKR played their best rugby on Friday and in order to win the semi final they are going to have to do so once again. I think Wigan will have learned a lot from the loss and they won’t find it as easy next time.

[Charriots Offiah]

I think playing both cooper and havard was a bad move although there is juice in both tanks now.Although it backfired it might benefit next week.I would personally see how we go against cats before the axe comes out and keep everyone on there toes.Im predicting a big win against cats now.One weird thing i read in mattys comments were about players holding there hands up and ( coaching staff).Its as though something hasnt been done right on the training ground.Strange one for sure

If you examine our player stats non of our middles made good yards on Friday. Personally, I think the coaches got the timing of the interchanges wrong. Asking Thompson to play 65 minutes ish each week is crazy in my view, the workload needs to be shared more equally.

[Southern Softy]

Re Keighran, it took quite a long time for Toby King to come good last season, so I'd be disinclined to consider leaving him out but I hope he will curb that habit of jumping out of the line. I suspect he will always be more of an attacking centre than a defensive one.
Field still doesn't look right to me. It doesn't matter how many metres you make if you slip over and don't pass the ball at the end of a run. He does seem to feel that he can make the breaks and turn the match which he can do when he is at the top of his game but currently, he tends to simply run into blind alleys and by heading for the left touchline, it means that Wardle and Marshall are blocked out of the attack. Doesn't make him a bad player - just not as effective this season as he was last year.
Despite the loss, I didn't see anything that makes me fear for the future - it certainly didn't give me the same apprehensive feelings I got when Lam was in charge.

[Firestarter]

I think playing both cooper and havard was a bad move although there is juice in both tanks now.Although it backfired it might benefit next week.I would personally see how we go against cats before the axe comes out and keep everyone on there toes.Im predicting a big win against cats now.One weird thing i read in mattys comments were about players holding there hands up and ( coaching staff).Its as though something hasnt been done right on the training ground.Strange one for sure

If you examine our player stats non of our middles made good yards on Friday. Personally, I think the coaches got the timing of the interchanges wrong. Asking Thompson to play 65 minutes ish each week is crazy in my view, the workload needs to be shared more equally.

Yes ive got to agree about thompson

[Flash]

I think playing both cooper and havard was a bad move although there is juice in both tanks now.Although it backfired it might benefit next week.I would personally see how we go against cats before the axe comes out and keep everyone on there toes.Im predicting a big win against cats now.One weird thing i read in mattys comments were about players holding there hands up and ( coaching staff).Its as though something hasnt been done right on the training ground.Strange one for sure

If you examine our player stats non of our middles made good yards on Friday. Personally, I think the coaches got the timing of the interchanges wrong. Asking Thompson to play 65 minutes ish each week is crazy in my view, the workload needs to be shared more equally.

I was thinking the same the other day. He's also only missed the WCC so has played more than any other prop. He seems super fit but, for both his own good and the team's, we shouldn't be running him into the ground. Him and Havard as our starting front row at the business end of the season should be the goal.

[fozzie58]

I think playing both cooper and havard was a bad move although there is juice in both tanks now.Although it backfired it might benefit next week.I would personally see how we go against cats before the axe comes out and keep everyone on there toes.Im predicting a big win against cats now.One weird thing i read in mattys comments were about players holding there hands up and ( coaching staff).Its as though something hasnt been done right on the training ground.Strange one for sure

If you examine our player stats non of our middles made good yards on Friday. Personally, I think the coaches got the timing of the interchanges wrong. Asking Thompson to play 65 minutes ish each week is crazy in my view, the workload needs to be shared more equally.

Oddly I feel Thompson is better when he’s left out there some players don’t need to keep being subbed and he’s one of them a rarity in the modern game.

The only other one I can think of is Liam watts now I’ll grant you Watts is Skoda and Thompson a Bentley but the point remains just because he’s a prop he doesn’t need to keep being subbed

[Wintergreen]

Thompson looks big and fit.

Doesn't mean he should be on the field for so long, but the option is there if it's needed.