Can we stay top?

[the winky one]

How difficult do you think it will be now for us to stay top until the end of the season?.
There's definately no room for slip-ups with Warrington right on our tails,I think it's going to be really interesting,watching it all unfold.It's certainly not for the faint hearted.

[TrueBlueWarrior]

We can and we will.

[the winky one]

We can and we will.

YAY!! That's the spirit :thum:

[cpwigan]

Catalans are a genuine threat re the GF IMO

[The Hoff]

If catalan beat Wire its ours, we can afford a slip up against them. i think we'll win every remaining league game but unsure about the Wire away game depending on how for we/they get in the cup.

[stevethegas]

They say, (and they do say a lot) that getting to the top is easier than staying there. Certainly in the earlier part of the season we didn't have the authority we seemed to manage last year. However in the last few big games - I'm thinking Saints away and then Leeds and Huddersfield at home - we did see it again. Wasn't it good to watch?
The Cas and Quins games less impressive, but given the schedule hardly surprising. This game against Wakey is a real banana skin, but I expect (and hope) it should be a good win.

The thing is that every team raises their game to play the champions, so however hard we played to win the competition last year, it will be even harder this time around.

We've got the little matter of The Wire away twice in 2 competitions, and I guess they are going to be fired up for both as I am sure will we. Only Wire and Les Cats have beaten us this season, and they are the 2 teams who above all will believe they can beat us again if need be.
It's just up to us to prove them wrong - but it won't be easy

[Wigan_forever1985]

I think you've got to look at it like this, the hubcap is worth nothing (though its nice) you must finish 1st or 2nd. Im confident we can finish top but even if we dont i dont think there is a team that will trouble us for 2nd.

Cats are the biggest threat at the moment but they rely heavily on SD and he went off injured the last game so we'll see if he can come back fit

[the winky one]

You see, a couple of the games we have either lost or drawn,when we really should have won, would have allowed us at least a bit of breathing space where now we have none,and can't afford to drop our guard at all.

[Panchitta Marra]

Catalans are a genuine threat re the GF IMO

Said the very same in a previous thread weeks ago.
They have the aggression, drive and game plan to beat any team when they get it right.
I sat on their side of the dug out in the West stand the day they turned us over at the DW, and they were well up for it man for man.
It was men against boys, we looked and were a poor second.
After the Hull KR win, Sam said in his MOM speach that the team had some wrongs to put right against Les Cats the following week yet, we still struggled against them.
Hull FC and Dire away may yet decide where we finish in the League.

[cpwigan]

I think teams have got to tailor their approach to Catalans very specifically. Menzies reminds me of Ellery how he stands defenders up and skips left to right fending with his left. The Kangaroos countered Ellery by tackling him out to in hitting his right side first negating the skip and hand off. I also think teams need to run at Menzies as much as possible to take gas out of his tank. Baile and Blanch IMO outside him are a weakness defensively. Similarly, Dureau needs to be targetted to work overtime in defence.

The Catalans attack is superb, lots of ball movement, quality passing and plenty of punch.