Reigniting the passion?

[Wigan_forever1985]

I was thinking when I was younger wigan vs stains games were ferocious they were really hot bloodied hatred affairs and I felt a huge amount of passionate dislike for St helens. Over recent years I feel like I and a few wigan fans had lost the venom against St helens I think due to years were they were caning us followed by a few years us battering them the games lost a bit of intensity there were flash points but I feel leeds and wire became more intense matches more passion.

Will this flower incident spark a new era of bitterness?, for some it maybe never went away but I among others had switched attentions away from the stains but I think it's going to have brought a lot of fire back to the Derby.

[DaveO]

It could be argued the bitterness you speak of cost us the Grand Final.

If players go into these games with the attitude you speak of instead of with a cool head then why won't Flower or some other player get sent off and cost us another Grand Final?

Derby's are always sharper more intense games as neither set of players wants to lose a lot more than usual. They don't need to be taking it as far as Flower did or you will get the same result again.

[Nezza Faz]

Think it's safe to say, we'll not be playing Saints in a pre-season Friendly this time around !

[Nezza Faz]

They say there's no such thing as bad publicity - and the newsagent near work had sold out of both RL weekly papers, and the Wigan Post by 2.00 this afternoon.

Usually, especially after we've lost matches, they have loads leftover.

[Panchitta Marra]

They say there's no such thing as bad publicity - and the newsagent near work had sold out of both RL weekly papers, and the Wigan Post by 2.00 this afternoon.

Usually, especially after we've lost matches, they have loads leftover.

From memory Rugby League has only been on the back page of any red top paper twice in the last 20 years.
1994 with Jamie Bloem taking drugs and now Ben Flower.
There has been positives to report of with Rugby League in between those dates yet still no back page coverage of it.

[thegimble]

The next Derby on Good Friday will be the most hated, heated intense atmosphere at the DW. Tbh it will be rabid.

Flower has to cop responsibility and he has but LH and Saints have not and given that Bentham got the decision not to send him off it has created a them against us attitude in almost all of us.

[devon jim 1]

It could be argued the bitterness you speak of cost us the Grand Final.

If players go into these games with the attitude you speak of instead of with a cool head then why won't Flower or some other player get sent off and cost us another Grand Final?

Derby's are always sharper more intense games as neither set of players wants to lose a lot more than usual. They don't need to be taking it as far as Flower did or you will get the same result again.

Agreed DaveO Let good sence prevail.I don't like the innvocation of the 'hatefull' concept of hate Cool heads are needed.Indiscipline costs matches has we have just witnessed. It's not a strenght its a weakness.Controlled aggression helps to win games

[Exiled Wiganer]

I think we've been suckered and every team now knows to play up and exaggerate every indiscretion. Flower has mde the club's job far more difficult for the next few years. Saints drew us into a scrap at the DW, and were intent on doing so again on Saturday. Flower gave them exactly what they wanted - they couldn't beat us, they needed us to beat ourselves. There is nothing they would like more than for Good Friday to be fired up, so they can niggle, dive, moan and cry their way into the referees' good books.